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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WGN
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Dr. Murphy talks Novavax requesting FDA approval for vaccine, monkeypox cases
Dr. Robert Murphy, professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, dicusses two new variants of COVID 19, BA.4 and BA.5. These variants now account for 13% of all coronavirus cases in the United States. However, hospitalization rates are going down. This is due to Paxlovid, which cuts hospitalization rates by 90%, whether the individual is vaccinated or not, and vaccination rates include 78% of all eligible Americans have had at least one shot, 66% have had two shots and 44% have had a booster. Novavax was approved for use in the US. Because it is not mRNA technology, and utilizes older medicinal technology, some may feel more comfortable receiving this COVID vaccine.
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New York Times
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What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
Justin Bieber announced that he has Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare condition that has paralyzed half his face. Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a neurological condition caused by varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox in children and shingles in adults. The virus can linger in your body for your entire life, even long after you have recovered from chickenpox. Most people who have Ramsay Hunt make a full recovery, although the duration of the disease can vary, said Dr. Michael Ison, a professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. “Some people, it takes weeks. Some people, it takes months,” he said. In rare cases though, facial paralysis or hearing loss can be permanent.
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MSN online
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This Music-Powered Digital Drug Could Treat Alzheimer’s
Music has the ability to light up the whole brain. “With Alzheimer’s disease, the areas in the brain that are involved with music processing are the areas that go lost,” Borna Bonakdarpour, associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “People lose verbal memory first, visual memory next and really near the end is musical memory.” Over the course of his work, he has found that patients who underwent music-based treatments have had incredibly promising and powerful results. “If you play music for them, it kind of wakes them up,” he said. “The music taps immediately into their motor systems.”
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CNN
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Has the pandemic caused mental illness in kids or made it worse?
According to John Walkup, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the pandemic hasn’t increased mental illness in teens, but instead “unmasked symptoms” that may have otherwise been managed. Walkup said that on average, 20% of kids have a mental health problem before they graduate in the US, with only half of them receiving assessment or treatment. Of them, only about 40% of them received clinically meaningful benefits. “Then take away school, family, peer support and sports, and you force them to stay home. You know those kids are not going to do well over time,” he explained.
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CNN
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Meet the researchers revolutionizing micro-scale robots for medical use
John Rogers, PhD, is working to develop tiny robots that will be available for medical use. Rogers leads a team of engineers at Northwestern University that are meeting at the intersection of engineering and medical research. The products they are creating have direct immediate clinical relevance. Such types of technologies, including these micro-scale robots, may enable minimally invasive surgeries and innovations for surgical human health.
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WGN
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Push for normalcy wins out in COVID wars
As Americans start a third summer living amid the specter of the coronavirus, their attitude to the pandemic has shifted. Even as infections rise to levels that are four to five times higher than the same point last year, the push for normalcy is winning out. “People are tired of the changes that they’re had to make to their lives related to COVID-19 and so eager to get back to normal,” said Mercedes Carnethon, an epidemiologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “And what they’ve seen with increased experience, two-plus years into the pandemic is that, if they know people who’ve had COVID-19, most of them – and this ignores a million people who have died – but most of them have recovered,” Carnethon said.
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NBC 5 Chicago
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How Long Are You Protected After Getting COVID and Can You Get COVID Twice?
A recent study from Northwestern Medicine showed that many so-called COVID “long-haulers” continue to experience symptoms including brain fog, tingling, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus and fatigue an average of 15 months after the onset of the virus. “Long-haulers,” are defined as individuals who have had COVID symptoms for six or more weeks, the hospital system had said. According to the CDC, some people who contract COVID can have detectable virus for up to three months, but that doesn’t mean they are contagious.
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WTTW
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How COVID-19 Vaccines May Advance HIV Treatment
While there is no vaccine for HIV, some researchers are pointing to the science behind the COVID-19 vaccine as a promising avenue of research. One difficulty with developing the HIV vaccine is the number of variants it has. While many have become familiar with mutations of COVID-19, like delta or omicron, its mutations are “nothing compared to HIV in regards to diversity,” said Ramon Lorenzo-Redondo, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
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USA Today
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The baby formula shortage continues: Here’s how to keep your infant healthy and well-fed
In February, Abbot Nutrition recalled their Similac, Alimentum and EleCare formulas after four infants fell ill and two infants died, leading to concerns about bacterial contamination in the Michigan facility. Not surprisingly, bare shelves at stores across the U.S. are causing parents of infants to worry. There are ways to ensure your infant is well-fed and healthy. According to Adam Barsella, your own pediatrician will likely have a host of solutions for you, should you be unable to find your preferred brand of baby formula. If your baby requires a specialized formula, your pediatrician can call in for medical requests to get them exactly what they need.
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Chicago Tribune
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Illinois announces first probable monkeypox case
Illinois announced its first probable case of monkeybox – one of a small, but growing number of cases across the country. Monkeypox is a rare viral illness that begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes before progressing to a rash on the face and body. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks. Though monkeypox has again spread beyond western and central Africa, global cases have not grown exponentially, said Dr. Michael Angarone, an associate professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern University. “I think we should be paying attention, but not be concerned at all,” he said.
