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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Studies are linking the pandemic to higher rates of fatal heart disease and stroke, deaths from addiction-related problems and more. With heart health, part of the problem is that people often avoided or delayed treatment because of COVID-19 fears, said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, a cardiologist, epidemiologist and chair of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
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Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago studied 1,149 women who received at least one dose of a vaccine from Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson between 30 days of contraception and 14 weeks into gestation, which is when the fetus is most vulnerable to developing birth defects due to medications taken by the mother. Women vaccinated shortly before or early in pregnancy were not at a higher risk for having an abnormality in the fetus detected.
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Some Illinois providers may have to cut back on COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics for vulnerable groups as federal funding dries up – a situation that healthcare leaders fear could leave the state ill-prepared for another COVID-19 surge. For now, many major Chicago-area providers say they’re continuing to give people without health insurance free COVID-19 tests and vaccines, including Walgreens, CVS Health, Northwestern Medicine, Duly Health and Care and Sinai Chicago, among others.
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Doctors have been urging their pregnant patients to get as much protection as possible against COVID-19. A new study published by Epic Research showed that pregnancy doubles the risk of breakthrough COVID-19 infections. According to Dr. Melissa Simon, a Northwestern Medicine OB/GYN, “Their immune system is working hard to protect the baby and sometimes makes the pregnant person more vulnerable to infections.”
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MIS-C, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, is a rare but serious condition that typically shows up several weeks after COVID-19 infection. The syndrome can involve inflammation of the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs. Ami Patel, assistant professor of pediatrics in infectious diseases, says she saw an increase in MIS-C cases from late December into January and early February. According to Patel, “It was not nearly the volume of cases that we saw in late 2020.”
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A clinical psychologist shares the importance of getting direct natural light as soon as possible after waking up. The psychologist’s simple life hack reflects a growing body of scientific evidence linking ample exposure to bright light early in the day to everything from better sleep and clearer thinking to improved mental health and reduced risk of obesity and diabetes. Researchers at Northwestern University found that people who got most of their bright light exposure before noon weighed a little less – 1.4 pounds, on average – than those exposed to bright light in the evening.
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Northwestern Medicine, among others, earned a score of 100 and designation as “LGBTQ+ Health Equity Leader” in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s fifteenth anniversary edition of the Healthcare Quality Index. “Driven by our patients first mission, we believe it is vital to create a safe and open environment throughout our health system for our LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees,” shared Dean M. Harrison.
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According to several health experts, BA.2 appears to be more transmissible than omicron. Northwestern’s Dr. Michael Angarone, associate professor of medicine in infectious diseases, said the increased transmissibility could be particularly strong in close contacts of those infected, but it’s still to early to tell. According to Angarone, the symptoms for BA.2 are similar to those seen in many COVID infections. Northwestern Medicine’s Center for Pathogen Genetics and Microbial Evolution said the subvariant was found in a Chicago resident who tested for COVID-19 on January 18.
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Bruce Willis will step away from his acting career due to a recent aphasia diagnosis. Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour, a behavioral neurologist with Northwestern Medicine, said about one million people in the United States currently had aphasia, which disrupts the ability to speak, read and write. They may also have trouble remembering the words for certain objects, said Dr. Bonakdarpour, which leads them to pause for long periods of time, often in the middle of their sentences.
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The United States senate recently passed a bill known as the Sunshine Protection Act to may daylight saving time (DST) permanent, but the move may be harmful to our human health. According to Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “Of the three choices-permanent daylight savings time, permanent standard time or where we are now, which is switching between the two-I think permanent DST is the worst solution.”