Media Coverage
The work done by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine faculty members (and even some students) is regularly highlighted in newspapers, online media outlets and more. Below you’ll find links to articles and videos of Feinberg in the news.
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NBC Chicago
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Can Mice and Rats Spread Hantavirus in Illinois? What to Know After Possible Case
A possible case of hantavirus in Illinois not believed to be connected to the recent cruise ship outbreak that killed at least three people has sparked questions about how the virus can spread in the state and whether homeowners should be concerned about mice or rats.
“We’ve never had a documented hantavirus case in the rats here in Chicago. Most of the hantaviruses that we see here in North America is actually west of the Mississippi,” Dr. Michael Angarone with Northwestern Medicine told NBC Chicago.
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CNN
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PCOS, a Condition Impacting Millions of Women Worldwide, Gets a New Name
A condition that can impact women’s fertility and diabetes risk goes undiagnosed in many cases, but experts hope giving it a new name will help more patients receive care. The Lancet paper officially changes the name of the condition to one that researchers hope can provide more clarity: polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS.
A term that better captures that reality may carve the way for better diagnoses, new treatments and increased insurance coverage for the condition, added Dr. Christina Boots, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
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CBS News Chicago
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Illinois Health Officials Investigating Possible Hantavirus Case in Winnebago County Not Linked to Cruise Ship
The Illinois Department of Public Health said it is investigating a potential case of hantavirus in an Illinois resident that they said is not linked to the deadly cruise ship outbreak. IDPH said the patient is a resident of Winnebago County, close to the Rockford area, who had not traveled internationally and had not had any contact with any of the cruise ship passengers.
“It’s (spread) by breathing it in, it’s by inhaling it or by ingesting it,” said Dr. Michael Angarone with Northwestern Medicine.
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NBC Chicago
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Why Is Colon Cancer on the Rise in Young People? What to Know and Steps You Can Take
Colon cancer is being diagnosed in younger people more often, according to the American Cancer Society, with incident rates rising 3% per year for adults 20 to 49. A study published in the journal Nature in 2025 found exposure to the bacterial toxin colibactin early in life may contribute to “increasing incidence” of early-onset colorectal cancer.
Another study looked into whether microplastics could be a driver for early-onset colorectal cancer. “I didn’t always believe this microplastics concept, but the science is there, that these microplastics can be seen in the body, and we really need to understand how we can reduce that and the contribution they have to disease,” said Dr. Rajesh Keswani, the director of endoscopy at the Digestive Health Institute at Northwestern Medicine.
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CBS News Chicago
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Menopause: Changing the Conversation
More than a million women in the United States enter menopause each year. There are some 100 symptoms associated with menopause. These changes can bring with them a variety of challenging physical and emotional symptoms and how a woman’s body responds to them can vary day to day.
“The big question is often, can I take [Hormone Replacement Therapy]? You can look at the rollercoaster of the data of prescriptions over the years. It was awesome for everyone then it was terrible for everyone. So now, we take a more nuanced approach, and we ask is it right for you,” said Dr. Priya Freaney, Cardiologist, Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute.
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Fox Chicago
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NASA Engineer Gets Double-Lung Transplant at Northwestern Hospital
Jodi Graf, a NASA engineer and mother of two from Houston, was diagnosed with a terminal lung disease that scars the lungs. She heard about a clinical trial known as DREAM here at Northwestern, where select patients can get double-lung transplants.
“To qualify for the DREAM trial, you have to have failed more conventional treatments for lung cancer. She had failed those treatments. Her cancer was spreading and was in both lungs, and so she was very sick,” said Dr. Catherine Myers, Northwestern Medicine pulmonologist.
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ABC 7 Chicago
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Local Experts Monitoring Hantavirus Cases, Say Risk to Chicago Area Is Low
“I do not think we should be worried about a COVID-style outbreak or influenza-like outbreak. This virus transmits very slowly from person to person, with very few people picking it up,” said Northwestern Medicine Infectious Disease Dr. Michael Angarone.
At this point, there are no known cases of hantavirus in the Chicago area, and local health officials hope it stays that way.
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Fox Chicago
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NASA Engineer Gets Double-Lung Transplant at Northwestern Hospital
Jodi Graf, NASA engineer and mother of two, traveled to Northwestern Medicine in Chicago to participate in a clinical trial known as DREAM, where select patients with advanced lung cancers receive double-lung transplants.
“This innovative technique involves putting the patient on full heart and lung bypass, delicately taking both cancer-ridden lungs out at the same time along with the lymph nodes, washing the airways and the chest cavity to clear the cancer, and then putting new lungs in,” said Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of thoracic surgery and executive director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute.
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NBC News
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FDA Claims There’s No Estrogen Patch Shortage as Women Struggle to Get Prescriptions Filled
The Food and Drug Administration removed the black box warning from hormone replacement therapies late last year, and recently, the most insured type, the estrogen patch, has been in short supply amid a boom in the therapy’s popularity.
Dr. Lauren Streicher, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said estrogen patch shortages always come up when she speaks with groups of women about menopause.
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WGN
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Dr. Wheat on Mental Health Awareness Month
Dr. Santina Wheat, Program Director, McGaw Northwestern Family Medicine Residency at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, joins Wendy Snyder for this week’s health update.
Dr. Wheat discusses May as Mental Health Awareness Month and the origins of the hantavirus outbreak.
