Bridging the eye-care gap in Baltimore city schools
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports BALTIMORE, Md.– Pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Megan Collins took her clinic on “house calls” for the first time nearly seven years ago. Instead of examining children’s eyes and vision in the comfort of her office space, where there were ample tools for screening and private space to talk to the kids […]
Field Museum showcases health benefits of Chicago gardens
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports Among skyscrapers and industry, another landscape designs Chicago’s urban footprint: community gardens. Tucked away in many of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods, each holds its own cultural significance. Plants offer immigrants and refugees a way to maintain their cultural identity through familiar culinary and medicinal practices. Meet the people cultivating gardens and […]
Scientists applaud President Biden’s White House science team and commitment to science
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports President Joe Biden’s White House science team faces cascading crises as it takes command amid COVID-19, escalating climate change and crippling public doubts about science. But scientists across the country are confident the new administration is up to the challenge, especially under the leadership of science adviser Eric Lander, the […]
Your COVID-19 test came back negative – unfortunately, it might be wrong. Here’s what to do
Many of us have found a new normal amid the coronavirus pandemic: getting tested for COVID-19 early in the week and hoping for a negative result by the weekend so we can gather safely with a few friends. But public health experts say that people are getting too comfortable with a negative test result, using […]
New legislation addresses long-standing Black maternal health crisis in America
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports Amid a global pandemic and a year of social unrest, a long-standing public health crisis was highlighted: racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. Black and Native American women are three to four times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than a white woman, according to the most recent […]
Dr. Richard Novak: The man behind UIC’s COVID-19 vaccine Phase III clinical trial
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports As COVID-19 unraveled the world, many scientists and leaders struggled to find direction amid unprecedented uncertainty. For Dr. Richard Novak, though, the situation was all too familiar. Novak, 66, heads the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Illinois-Chicago and has led HIV clinical care and vaccine research efforts […]
The race for COVID-19 vaccines: A deep dive into Moderna’s frontrunner candidate
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports COVID-19’s sudden emergence as a catastrophic global pandemic, and the absence of medical treatment, left scientists grasping for any means to meet the overwhelming demand for care. In the historic race to develop a vaccine, Moderna Therapeutic’s candidate, mRNA-1273, stands out as a frontrunner. The biotechnology company went from genetic […]
Melting glaciers on Mount Everest could threaten freshwater for millions and world economies
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports Amid this year’s global pandemic, the world is also fighting more frequent and severe hurricanes, larger wildfires and prolonged heat waves—indicative that climate change is real and it’s happening now. “We’re at the blinking yellow light,” said Laura Mattas, a graduate research student at the University of Maine’s Climate Change […]
A presidential election and a new Supreme Court justice: What’s at stake for reproductive health
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports After last week’s confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the nation’s highest court, reproductive health advocates across the country say they fear a serious threat to equitable health care access. Barrett was confirmed exactly one month after President Trump nominated her to fill late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s seat, one […]
Climate change continues as a global crisis amid COVID-19—and it’s the greater threat
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports COVID-19 swept the world, with little regard for anyone who stood in its path. Within weeks, the virus killed thousands, isolated people in their homes and sent economies plummeting. Not only did COVID-19 overwhelm the United States health care system during the first surge, but our political leaders failed to […]
