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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WebMD
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Are Mini Robots Coming to a Hospital Near You?
Northwestern University scientists have built a super-small robot crab that could one day carry out delicate surgical tasks – entering your body to suture small, ruptured arteries, clear clogged arteries or track down cancerous tumors. Making a flea-sized robot crab is “pretty simple” says bioelectronics engineer John Rogers, PhD, who led the research and is a professor of neurological surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. It will likely take years before robot crabs are helping cardiac surgical teams or suturing organs. However, the work is exciting and impactful. “This is early-stage exploratory work,” Rogers says. “We are trying to introduce ideas as part of a broader community of researchers pursuing micro-robotic technologies, with the hope that over time, these technologies will ultimately lead to practical clinical uses for surgical purposes. It’s very much a starting point.”
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CBS Chicago
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Gov. Pritzker declares monkeypox virus outbreak in Illinois a Public Health Emergency
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday declared the monkeypox virus a public health emergency, and declared Illinois a disaster area regarding the disease. As of Monday, a total of 520 monkeypox cases have been reported in Illinois. Kissing, hugging and sexual contact are the most common ways it spreads. “It can also be spread if left on bed sheets, or clothing, or eating utensils – things like that – and then those things are shared with another individual,” said Karen Kreuger, professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She said catching monkeypox in the air – such as by being in big crowds – is less likely, but possible. “The majority of people are able to manage their symptoms at home and kind of just ride through the course,” said Krueger.
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USA Today
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From false stereotypes to ‘the stares,’ bisexual people face a unique bias – even in the LGBTQ community
Lauren Beach, a research assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine said bisexuals face stigma from straight, gay and lesbian people who lack access to a broader “Bi+” community made up of bisexuals and people who experience attraction regardless of gender, also called pansexual. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine research found bisexual people report higher rates of poor mental health compared to straight, gay and lesbian people. LGBTQ resources, like support groups, are less likely to focus on bisexual needs, according to Beach, and that can further isolate bisexual people.
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US News & World Report
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More Young Americans Are Dying of Heart Failure
A growing number of younger American adults are dying of heart failure, with Black Americans being the hardest-hit, a new study finds. Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart muscle cannot pump blood as well as it should, leading to symptoms like fatigue, breathlessness and swelling in the legs. The condition is treatable, but it can prove deadly if it progresses to a severe stage. As for the racial disparity, experts called this worrying, but not unexpected. It’s well known that heart failure disproportionately affects Black Americans. “To me, this is alarming. There’s a striking disparity in heart failure death rates,” said Dr. Nilay Shah, assistant professor of cardiology of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. In a study Shah and his colleagues published this year, they found that younger Black Americans were at heightened risk of premature heart disease. And the gap seemed to be explained by both clinical factors (like high blood pressure) and social ones – including lower education levels and poverty.
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The Washington Post
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Biden ends his covid isolation, urging Americans to get vaccinated
President Biden emerged from his covid-19 isolation on Wednesday saying his mild case was a testament to his administration’s progress on a pandemic that has killed more than 1 million Americans, and he urged people to take advantage of vaccine boosters, antivirals and at-home tests so they, too, could have mild infections. Yet experts say many Americans now avoid testing altogether because of the disruption an infection could cause, whether it’s missed travel or an inability to get paid time off work. “There are so many people who would like to just decide to put a mask on and hope things go well and continue on with their lives for various financial reasons,” said Mercedes Carnethon, professor and vice chair of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Carnethon added that Biden’s early diagnosis and treatment with Paxlovid was crucial to his mild infection. “If we can detect it early and treat it early, we can help ensure that more people have an experience like [Biden’s]. But there are many people who for structural reasons, access, financial barriers, aren’t going to be able to be diagnosed as early as he was,” Carnethon said.
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WBEZ Chicago
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Because of Texas abortion law, her wanted pregnancy became a medical nightmare
New, untested abortion bans have made doctors unsure about treating some pregnancy complications, which has led to life-threatening delays and trapped families in a limbo of grief and helplessness. Elizabeth Weller, and her husband James, became pregnant early in 2022. Things went smoothly at first, until at 18 weeks, the watery, protective cushion of amniotic fluid in her uterus was gone. There was still a fetal heartbeat, but it could stop at any moment. Among other risks, both the fetus and Elizabeth were now highly vulnerable to a uterine infection called chorioamnionitis. Elizabeth felt panicked because of the new abortion rules, specifically how the exemptions that exist for the woman’s life or health, are vague or left undefined. “It’s terrible,” says Dr. Alan Peaceman, a professor of maternal-fetal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “The care providers are treading on eggshells. They don’t want to get sucked into a legal morass. And so they don’t even know what the rules are.” Although experiencing cramps passing clots of blood because of Texas law, aborting the pregnancy was not simple and healthcare workers needed to wait until she had the right symptoms of a growing infection in her uterus. “That’s torture to have to carry a pregnancy which has such a low chance of survival,” says Dr. Peaceman.
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NBC 5 Chicago
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Eradication of Monkeypox May Not be Possible Due to Slow Response, Experts at Northwestern Medicine Fear
After an ongoing outbreak of monkeypox was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, some experts fear that a slow response on the part of officials could mean that the virus will be impossible to fully eradicate in the near future. According to comments from several physicians at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the rollout of effective vaccines and treatments has been too slow, allowing the virus to get a foothold that may be difficult to reverse. “Monkeypox infection may not be eradicated at this point. The question really is can it be contained and managed?” asked Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of the Robert Havey Institute for Global Health. Murphy compared the slow rollout of monkeypox mitigations to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but said that this particular situation is even worse based on the fact that an effective therapy and an effective and approved vaccine already exist.” Further, “The overall risk to the general public is low, but real. Transmission mainly seems to occur from close personal or sexual contact,” said Dr. Shannon Galvin, associate professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Thankfully, “It’s highly unlikely that monkeypox will diversify at the rate SARS-CoV-2 does, and therefore, vaccines will remain effective,” said Ramon Lorenzo-Redondo, associate professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,
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CNN
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Napping regularly linked to high blood pressure and stroke, study finds
People who often nap have a greater chance of developing high blood pressure and having a stroke, a large new study has found. According to Phyllis Zee, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “The results demonstrate that napping increases the incidence of hypertension and stroke, after adjusting or considering many variables known to be associated with risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke.” Zee also shares, “From a clinical standpoint, I think it highlights the importance for health care providers to routinely ask patients about napping and excessive daytime sleepiness and evaluate for other contributing conditions to potentially modify the risk of cardiovascular disease.”
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WebMD
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The Next Blood Pressure Breakthrough: Temporary Tattoos
At-home blood pressure monitors have been around for many years now. They work just like the blood pressure machines doctors use at the office: You place your arm inside a cuff, feel a squeeze on your arm, and get a reading. While results from this method are accurate, they are also just a moment in time. Our blood pressure can vary greatly throughout the day – especially among people who have labile hypertension, where blood pressure changes from one extreme to the other. So, looking at point-in-time readings is a bit like focusing on a few dots inside of a pointillism painting – one might miss the bigger picture. Electronic tattoos for health monitoring are not completely new. John A. Rogers, PhD, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine first put forth the idea of monitoring through temporary tattoos 12 years ago. In a new study, the thin, sticker-like wearable electronic tattoos can provide continuous, accurate blood pressure monitoring.
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Yahoo! News
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I’m a Doctor and Warn You Know This Before Taking Vitamins
Vitamins and supplements are a multibillion-dollar industry, and more of us are regularly taking them than ever – more than half of Americans now report taking supplements regularly. “Patients ask all the time, ‘What supplements should I be taking?’ They’re wasting money and focus thinking there has to be a magic set of pills that will keep them healthy when we should all be following the evidence-based practices of eating healthy and exercising,” said Dr. Jeffrey Linder, chief of general internal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. However, “Pregnant individuals should keep in mind that these guidelines don’t apply to them,” said Dr. Natalie Cameron, instructor of general internal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Certain vitamins, such as folic acid, are essential for pregnant women to support healthy fetal development. The most common way to meet these needs is to take a prenatal vitamin.”
