Newsletters

Dad reads newspaper at the kitchen table as toddler daughter has breakfast and wife stands in the kitchen in the background

Health headlines can be confusing - these 3 questions can help you evaluate them

Kimberly Johnson, Washington University in St. Louis and Amy Eyler, Washington University in St. Louis

Pregnant African American woman sitting on the end of a bed, holding her back as if in pain.

Back pain during pregnancy is often dismissed as a passing discomfort − a nurse explains why it should be taken seriously and treated

Julie Vignato, University of Iowa

People abused by intimate partners have worse asthma – but researchers are still untangling the reasons behind this surprising link

Anne P. DePrince, University of Denver and Eileen Wang, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Young woman holding her hands to her chest and stomach as if in pain.
Atorvastatin recall may affect hundreds of thousands of patients – and reflects FDA’s troubles inspecting medicines manufactured overseas

C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

An orange pill bottle with a label that says atorvastatin next to a small metal tray containing pills.
Why are 4.7 million Floridians insured through ACA marketplace plans, and what happens if they lose their subsidies?

Robert Applebaum, Miami University

A man sits across from a man with a laptop logged on to healthcare.gov.
Why you can salvage moldy cheese but never spoiled meat − a toxicologist advises on what to watch out for

Brad Reisfeld, Colorado State University

Woman smelling strawberries from a very crowded fridge.

News in context

How autism rates are rising – and why that could lead to more inclusive communities

Joshua Anbar, Arizona State University

Boy with therapist at a table covered in colorful blocks
CDC’s ability to prevent injuries like drowning, traumatic brain injury and falls is severely compromised by Trump cuts

Greta Massetti, Georgia State University

a large pile of shattered glass lying on a road.
Health insurance subsidy standoff pits affordable care for millions against federal budget constraints

Wendy Netter Epstein, DePaul University and Christopher Robertson, Boston University

Person holding a sign saying Save the ACA
Even small drops in vaccination rates for US children can lead to disease outbreaks

David Higgins, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

A young boy with a pained look on his face gets a vaccination.

Health Policy

A doctor and nurse zombie pair

Zombies, jiangshi, draugrs, revenants − monster lore is filled with metaphors for public health

Tom Duszynski, Indiana University

How the government shutdown is hitting the health care system – and what the battle over ACA subsidies means

Simon F. Haeder, The Ohio State University

House Democrats walk down the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building
Pneumonia vaccines for adults are now recommended starting at age 50 – a geriatrician explains the change

Laurie Archbald-Pannone, University of Virginia

Man in medical clinic looking at chest X-ray with doctor
RFK Jr.’s plans to overhaul ‘vaccine court’ system would face legal and scientific challenges

Anna Kirkland, University of Michigan

gloved hand squeezes syringe but the needle is bent
Proposed cuts to NIH funding would have ripple effects on research that could hamper the US for decades

Mohammad S. Jalali, Harvard University and Zeynep Hasgül, Harvard University

Blue-gloved hands holding a slide under a laboratory microscope

Read more about health policy

Healthy lifestyles

Antioxidants help stave off a host of health problems – but figuring out how much you’re getting can be tricky

Nathaniel Johnson, University of North Dakota

A wide variety of fruits and vegetables on a table, including watermelons, plums and tomatoes.
Why your late teens and early 20s are crucial times for lifelong heart health

Jewel Scott, University of South Carolina

Woman taking her blood pressure while on a video call with doctor
Does the full moon make us sleepless? A neurologist explains the science behind sleep, mood and lunar myths

Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, University of Pittsburgh

Large, bright full moon high in the sky, shrouded by eery-looking clouds.
Breastfeeding is ideal for child and parent health but challenging for most families – a pediatrician explains how to find support

Ann Kellams, University of Virginia

Person breastfeeding baby
Read more about healthy lifestyles

Reproductive health

A naked newborn baby sleeping on its side on a soft off-white blanket

Fetal autopsies could help prevent stillbirths, but too often they are used to blame mothers for pregnancy loss

Jill Lens, University of Iowa

3 years after abortion rights were overturned, contraception access is at risk

Cynthia H. Chuang, Penn State and Carol S. Weisman, Penn State

Rear view of a woman taking a pregnancy test at home
How abortion laws focusing on fetal viability miss the mark on women’s experiences

Katrina Kimport, University of California, San Francisco and Tracy A. Weitz, American University

A couple looks anxiously at an ultrasound screen.
Hormone therapy may cut cardiovascular risk in younger menopausal women

Matthew Nudy, Penn State

Older women in an exercise class
Colorado and other states have expanded access to abortion, but not for adolescents

Kate Coleman-Minahan, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

An abortion clinic with an ultrasound machine and an empty clinic bed.
Read more about reproductive health care

COVID-19

Scanning electron micrograph image of immune cells attached to cancer cells, against a purple background.

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could unlock the next revolution in cancer treatment – new research

Adam Grippin, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Christiano Marconi, University of Florida

COVID-19 vaccines for kids are mired in uncertainty amid conflicting federal guidance

David Higgins, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Children stick their heads out of a stopped yellow school bus and waving.
5 years on, true counts of COVID-19 deaths remain elusive − and research is hobbled by lack of data

Dylan Thomas Doyle, University of Colorado Boulder

A wall painted with hearts of varying sizes, with a person leaning against it, looking forlorn.
5 years of COVID-19 underscore value of coordinated efforts to manage disease – while CDC, NIH and WHO face threats to their ability to respond to a crisis

Katherine A. Foss, Middle Tennessee State University

Inside a white tent, doctors wearing masks test a patient for COVID-19.
5 ways schools have shifted in 5 years since COVID-19

Rachel Besharat Mann, Wesleyan University and Gravity Goldberg, Wesleyan University

Four green pop up tents are arranged in a classroom with students seated inside them.
Read more about COVID-19

Caregiving

Doctors are joining unions in a bid to improve working conditions and raise wages in a stressful health care system

Patrick Aguilar, Washington University in St. Louis

A female doctor waves a megaphone aloft while standing among a group of doctors outside a hospital.
Colorado has one of the nation’s highest suicide rates − an ER doctor explains how to bring it down

Emmy Betz, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

A man's hand is on the back on another man in a yellow sweatshirt.
Parenting strategies are shifting as neuroscience brings the developing brain into clearer focus

Nancy L. Weaver, Saint Louis University

A little boy pouts next to a row of shopping carts.
How federal officials talk about health is shifting in troubling ways – and that change makes me worried for my autistic child

Megan Donelson, University of Dayton

Headless man in suit jacket holding an army green baseball cap that says "MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN"

Read more about caregiving

Mental health

Young child sitting at a table and looking up toward the sky as if daydreaming.

Yes, ADHD diagnoses are rising, but that doesn’t mean it’s overdiagnosed

Carol Mathews, University of Florida and Stephen V. Faraone, SUNY Upstate Medical University

Navigating mental illness in the workplace can be tricky, but employees are entitled to accommodations

Julie Wolfe, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

woman's reflection in laptop shows her closing her eyes and massaging her temples
Can you really be addicted to food? Researchers are uncovering convincing similarities to drug addiction

Claire Wilcox, University of New Mexico

woman sitting at a table with colorful pastries and fried food.
2 shootings, 2 states, minutes apart − a trauma psychiatrist explains how exposure to shootings changes all of us

Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University

Rows of small American flags with yellow tape reading CRIME SCENE in the foreground.
Adding more green space to a campus is a simple, cheap and healthy way to help millions of stressed and depressed college students

Chanam Lee, Texas A&M University; Li Deng, Texas A&M University, and Yizhen Ding, Texas A&M University

With green trees in the background, a young woman lies on the grass while working on her laptop.
Read more about mental health

Mind and body

A sign advertising flu shots on the counter of a pharmacy

Flu season has arrived – and so have updated flu vaccines

Libby Richards, Purdue University

How pollution and the microbiome interact with Tregs, the immune system regulators whose discovery was honored with the Nobel Prize

Prakash Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina and Mitzi Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina

A blue-gloved hand holding a test vial of blood with a sticker that reads 'Regulatory T cell'
Calling deaths ‘preventable’ can obscure barriers to health care access and shift blame to individuals

Zachary W. Schulz, Auburn University

Computer monitor showing images and scans for heart surgery.
Drugged driving – including under the influence of cannabis and prescription drugs – is quietly becoming one of the most dangerous road hazards

Andrew Yockey, University of Mississippi

Black and white image of sunglasses, spilled pills and keys sitting on a counter
How does your body make poop?

Brian Robert Boulay, University of Illinois Chicago

A tubular object with lots of carpet-like protrusions.
Read more about the mind and body connection

Technology in health care

Focused sound energy holds promise for treating cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases

Richard J. Price, University of Virginia

Illustration of glowing circles entering a tunnel of concentric circles
How 3D printing is personalizing health care

Anne Schmitz, University of Wisconsin-Stout and Daniel Freedman, University of Wisconsin-Stout

a girl with brightly colored prosthetic hands walks beside a woman pushing a baby in a stroller
Are you one of the millions about to have cataract surgery? Here’s what ophthalmologists say you need to know

Allan Steigleman, University of Florida and Elizabeth M. Hofmeister, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

A close-up photograph of a green eye.
Several companies are testing brain implants – why is there so much attention swirling around Neuralink? Two professors unpack the ethical issues

Nancy S. Jecker, University of Washington and Andrew Ko, University of Washington

Brightly colored threads in the outline of a brain shape float against a dark background with constellation-like patterns.
Read more about technology in health care

Research insights

Protein powders and shakes contain high amounts of lead, new report says – a pharmacologist explains the data

C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

Businesswoman preparing a protein shake in her kitchen before heading to work
Seasonal allergies may increase suicide risk – new research

Shooshan Danagoulian, Wayne State University

Person sitting at a table with a tissue box, with tissues covering their face.
Why chromium is considered an essential nutrient, despite having no proven health benefits

Neil Marsh, University of Michigan

Illustration of fork with the tip of its tines melting against a pink background
New report ranks Philadelphia and Allentown among toughest cities in America for people with asthma

Ana Santos Rutschman, Villanova University

Nurse in blue scrubs helps little girl patient with asthma inhaler
Read more health research