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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New York Times
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Why Kids’ Medication Shortages Aren’t Going Away
Medication shortages aren’t just an American problem, they aren’t limited to children’s medications, and in some instances were becoming a concern before 2020. In the meantime, we may continue to see medication shortages, which is particularly gutting when it comes to our children. Due to the confluence of the flu, RSVP and Covid, shortages have been common. That’s coupled with the outsourcing of production of most active pharmaceutical ingredients in drugs, something that’s been connected to the current amoxicillin shortage. If there are hold ups in getting those active ingredients into the global supply change, that can lead to shortages of essential medications. Sterling Elliot, a clinical pharmacist and assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of medicine who has described the shortages of medications in the United States as “a very ugly scenario” that’s been ongoing for years, said the shortages have bubbled up into our consciousness because seeing little kids in harm’s way is so poignantly awful for parents. “There’s no worse feeling on the planet as a parent than the feeling that I cannot help my kid,” he said.
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Yahoo! News
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Vaccination rates for kindergarten students are falling. Here’s why doctors say that’s ‘really bad news.’
Childhood vaccination rates have fallen for the third year in a row, according to the CDC. Experts say there are a few potential factors at play. “During the first year of the pandemic, well child care visits dropped dramatically, starting this downward trend in immunization rates,” said Michael Bauer, MD, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. At the same time, the pandemic became politicized and encouraged “a simultaneous rise in public health policies coming into question and distrust in government decisions – leading to an increase in anti-vaccination sentiment,” Bauer says. Along with the distrust, Bauer notes “an increase in the number of states enacting laws allowing patients to refuse to vaccinate their children aside from medical reasons.” He adds that “states that have the strictest laws have the highest rates of vaccine compliance.” Both the unvaccinated and those around them can be at risk for getting sick. “Even a slight drop in vaccination rates can lead to dramatic increases in these preventable illnesses, as evidenced by recent outbreaks of measles, which is highly preventable,” Bauer says.
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US News & World Report
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Appendicitis Often Spotted Later in Black Patients
While appendicitis is a common emergency, Black people experiencing its symptoms often have a delayed diagnosis. But that doesn’t happen in lower-quality hospitals that serve more Black patients, according to new research. There, Black people are diagnosed more quickly. “There is clearly a benefit to patients being treated in predominantly minority-serving hospitals when they are having symptoms of appendicitis,” said senior author Anne Stey, MD, surgeon and assistant professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago. Symptoms of appendicitis include sudden pain that begins on the right side of the lower abdomen; pain that worsens if you cough, walk or make other jarring movements; nausea and vomiting; and loss of appetite. The researchers found that diagnosis delays were less common in hospitals serving populations that were greater than 50% Black or Hispanic people compared to those where they represented less than 25%. “It may be hospitals that are more used to serving racial-ethnic minority patients are better at diagnosing them, because they’re more culturally informed and have a better understanding of these patients,” Stey said.
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Yahoo! News
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As a parent, how worried should I be about my gas stove? Experts weigh in.
Gas stoves have come under scrutiny after a new study linked the common appliance to nearly 13% of cases of childhood asthma. The latest study’s finding that 12.7% of current childhood asthma nationwide is attributed to gas stove use seems extreme – it’s similar to the childhood asthma burden linked to secondhand smoke exposure. “This may not be a true representation of what is happening, and there is uncertainty around how many children with asthma are truly because of those emissions,” said Dr. Deeba Maswood, health system clinician of allergy and immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She further says, “Asthma is a multifactorial disease.”
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WebMD
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Raise Your Voice About Your Metastatic Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a common diagnosis for women of all races. But there are differences along racial lines when it comes to early detection, treatment and survival rates. The disease is deadliest for non-Hispanic Black women. They’re more likely than women of other races or ethnicities to get diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, and they have higher odds of having triple=negative breast cancer, which is a hard-to-treat form of the disease that spreads fast. In order to prevent this it is important for patients to ask about national treatment guidelines. Grace Suh, MD, health system clinician of hematology and oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, says she understands why people are worried their race or ethnicity might affect their treatment. Studies show people of color often get a lower quality of care compared to other races. “I try to bring in objective treatment guidelines that are accessible to everybody, not just doctors or people who have money,” Suh says, “so they feel comfortable that they’re receiving the proper care that’s expected for their condition.”
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The Washington Post
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Seasonal affective disorder can last for months. Here are the signs.
For millions of Americans, the winter months – when the days get shorter and the nights grow colder – are a time of sadness and struggle. It’s called winter-pattern seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Signs of SAD include excessive sleep, overeating and avoiding social activities. Sunlight is so important to our brain and body that the retinas in our eyes have specialized photoreceptors that send signals to the brain’s perihabenular nucleus, which regulates mood. These receptors also send signals to our central circadian clock, which regulates our circadian cycles in behavior and physiology, said Phyllis Zee, MD, PhD, a neurologist and director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Scientists do not know for certain why some people are more susceptible to SAD, but one theory is that they may have less-sensitive photoreceptors in their eyes, meaning they are not taking in enough sunlight to keep these clocks aligned
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Chicago Tribune
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New ‘kraken’ mutation is most contagious subvariant of COVID yet. Here’s what the Chicago area needs to know.
Medical experts say the new COVID-19 mutation dubbed “kraken” is the most contagious subvariant of the virus to emerge since the pandemic began – and it’s becoming the dominant strain in the United States. While the so-called kraken subvariant only accounts for about 7% of cases in Chicago, the city’s top doctor forecast that its prevalence will likely be increasing here in the coming weeks. But Dr. Elizabeth McNally, director of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Center for Genetic Medicine, had a generally optimistic outlook about the COVID landscape, noting that “things look much better this year than they did last year at this same time.” Further she says, “I don’t think we need to be pressing the panic button since case numbers over the last 14 days have been only modestly up or steady,” McNally said. “It’s true we each may know people who got COVID recently, but many of these people had only mild cold symptoms.”
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NBC 5 Chicago
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Dr. Jill Biden Just Had It and Many Others Have Too. So What is Mohs Surgery?
Jill Biden underwent a common outpatient procedure known as Mohs surgery to remove and examine cancerous lesions, but what exactly is the procedure and who needs it? The procedure she underwent is a common one, typically performed on basal or squamous cell carcinomas. “Mohs surgery sounds very complicated, but Mohs surgery is a very simple procedure that is designed to take out small non-melanoma skin cancers, and sometimes melanoma, in a way that will ensure that all of the cancer cells are out, but as much normal skin as possible is preserved,” said Murad Alam, MD, professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer, but also the most curable form. It’s considered highly treatable, especially when caught early. With six million cases of skin cancer diagnosed every year in the U.S., Alam says it’s important to know that skin cancer is often curable when treated early. “Squamous cell carcinomas absolutely can move to other parts, they can go to other organs cause grave harm,” Alam said. “It’s really important to catch these things when they’re small.”
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NBC 5 Chicago
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Experts, Residents Discuss New Childhood Obesity Treatment Guidelines
After struggling with weight gain in her early teens, a girl underwent a form of bariatric surgery known has gastric sleeve surgery. Now, 21 years old and in nursing school, the woman says she’s been of prediabetes medications since her surgery and hasn’t needed an inhaler for her asthma in years. Dr. Caren Mangarelli is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She said it’s possible children who start weight loss medications could need to take them for the rest of their life, but says that such a move would still be medially-prudent. “You wouldn’t question if that a kid developed, you know, high blood pressure, or if they had a seizure disorder,” she said. “I feel like the medical community as a whole is starting to recognize obesity as a chronic disease. Like any chronic disease, there are medications available, but there is a problem with access.” Mangarelli says that those limitations come through spotty insurance coverage of drugs and due to socioeconomic factors, and hopes that the new guidance will help spur changes. “They’re not covered by most insurance plans, even private insurance plans,” she said. “We know obesity disproportionately affects lower socioeconomic patients. They really need to be available to all patients.”
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New York Times
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Gas Stoves Are Tied to Health Concerns. Here’s How to Lower Your Risk.
For the last 50 years or so, researchers have demonstrated that exposure to gas stoves can be harmful to humans. When you use a gas stove, it emits poisonous gases called nitrogen oxides, including nitrogen dioxide, a respiratory irritant thought to trigger asthma. A study published last year found that families who use gas stoves in homes with poor ventilation, or without range hoods, can blow past the national standard for safe hourly outdoor exposure to nitrogen oxides within just a few minutes. It’s important to lower your risk if you have a gas stove by ventilating your kitchen, using the exhaust hood every time you use your stove, using your stove less often or buying an air purifier. An air purifier with a HEPA filter can help reduce the level of nitrogen oxides concentrating in the home, said Ravi Kalhan, MD, MS, a pulmonary medicine specialist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. IF you’re able to purchase one, place it in or near your kitchen he said.
