Monica Bertagnolli, NIH’s New Leader, Wants to Broaden Participation in Medical Research
When Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli moved into the director’s suite at the National Institutes of Health, she brought with her a single piece of art, a lithograph created by the granddaughter of a cancer patient she once treated. It depicts…
Biden Administration Warns 9 Governors About Medicaid Losses Among Children
The Biden administration on Monday warned the governors of nine states of unusually high Medicaid coverage losses among children, suggesting that officials were failing to protect young, low-income Americans while winnowing the program’s rolls. Xavier Becerra, the health and human…
Possible Ways to Ease Drug Shortages
At several congressional hearings this year, ideas to fix drug shortages were as numerous as the number of scarce drugs. The rationing of key chemotherapies added urgency to the crisis. Two of these drugs, carboplatin and cisplatin, are inexpensive and…
Mystery Amid an Anthrax Outbreak in Africa
Five African countries are battling outbreaks of anthrax, with nearly 1,200 people affected so far and 20 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. But the official tally belies confusion about the exact nature and scale of the outbreaks, which…
Bellevue Hospital Bariatric Surgery Program Is Under NY State Scrutiny
The New York State Department of Health is scrutinizing Bellevue Hospital’s use of unlicensed technicians to assist doctors in weight-loss surgeries. Bellevue, a large public hospital in Manhattan, churns thousands of low-income patients through bariatric surgery every year, The New…
Bristol Myers to Acquire the Drugmaker Karuna for $14 Billion
Bristol Myers Squibb, the global pharmaceutical giant, said on Friday that it would acquire Karuna Therapeutics, which makes drugs to treat schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s, in an all-cash deal valued at $14 billion as it looks to strengthen its pipeline of…
This Gorilla’s Caregivers Face Familiar Questions About Aging
This month, as the patient lay anesthetized on a table, a cardiologist made a half-inch incision through the skin of his chest. She removed a small implanted heart monitor with failing batteries and inserted a new one. The patient, like…
Americans Are Signing Up for Obamacare in Record Numbers
Why It Matters: The Affordable Care Act is expanding its reach. Despite a recent warning from former President Donald J. Trump, the front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, that he was “seriously looking at alternatives” to…
Gunfire Echoing Through School Grounds? Parents Are Terrified. Kids Stopped Noticing.
The gunshots rang out at 8:13 a.m., echoing across the high school football field and middle school garden. They continued for 49 minutes without interruption: an AR-15-style rifle, with .223-caliber bullets, ripping at 94 decibels through a community that did…
How Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Surgery Became a Big Business
Later in 2020, Ms. Lavelle also complained to the board, describing how she had been traumatized by her daughter’s tongue-tie release. The lactation board, which reports its disciplinary decisions, has not taken action against Ms. Henstrom. A spokeswoman for the…
Dean Phillips, an Upstart Challenger to Biden, Embraces ‘Medicare for All’
As he mounts a long-shot primary challenge to President Biden, Representative Dean Phillips says he has had an epiphany about American health care policy. Gone is his yearslong skepticism about adopting a national single-payer health care system. Now Mr. Phillips,…
Behind the Shortage Keeping Cancer Patients From Chemo
Stephanie Scanlan learned about the shortages of basic chemotherapy drugs this spring in the most frightening way. Two of the three drugs typically used to treat her rare bone cancer were too scarce. She would have to go forward without…
New Hope — and an Old Hurdle — for a Terrible Disease With Terrible Treatments
Three years ago, Jesús Tilano went to a hospital in a thickly forested valley in Colombia with large open lesions on his nose, right arm and left hand. He was diagnosed with leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that is spread in…
Jeanne Hoff, Pioneering Transgender Psychiatrist, Dies at 85
In December 1977, Dr. Jeanne Hoff, a 39-year-old psychiatrist, invited a television crew into her Manhattan home. The next day, they would accompany her to the operating room for her gender-affirming surgery. “Becoming Jeanne: A Search for Sexual Identity,” the…
Tongue-Tie Releases: What Parents Should Know
It’s an increasingly common scenario faced by new mothers across the country: A lactation consultant examines their newborn and suggests that cutting a “tongue-tie” may ease their difficulty breastfeeding. The quick procedure, known as a tongue-tie release, involves a dentist…
Michael Stone, Psychiatrist and Scholar Who Studied Evil, Dies at 90
Dr. Michael H. Stone, a psychiatrist and scholar who sought to define evil and to differentiate its manifestations from the typical behavior of people who are mentally ill, died on Dec. 6 at his home in Manhattan. He was 90….
What to Know About the Effects of Ketamine
An autopsy report released by the Los Angeles County medical examiner on Friday said the death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, who was found face down and unresponsive in a hot tub at his home on Oct. 28, resulted from…
Did Your Baby Spend Time in the NICU? Tell Us About It.
Across the country, neonatal intensive care units provide critical care to seriously ill babies. That care can be lifesaving but also comes at a price, as some parents report receiving multimillion dollar bills for their babies’ hospital stays. Some researchers…
Lead Levels in Children’s Applesauce May Be Traced to Cinnamon Additive
The F.D.A. is investigating the sources of cinnamon and other ingredients produced outside the U.S. as the possible cause of lead poisoning in dozens of children. Advocates are urging mandatory testing of lead in food.
New York City Is Offering Free Online Therapy to Teens: Will It Work?
For the past month, New York City has been inviting teenagers to participate in one of the biggest experiments in the country aimed at helping struggling adolescents: a program offering free online therapy to all residents ages 13 to 17….
Mandy Cohen, New CDC Director, Tries to Foster Trust in a Battered Agency
Dr. Mandy K. Cohen dropped by the Fox affiliate in Dallas in November, just days after the governor of Texas signed a law barring private employers from requiring Covid-19 shots. If she thought promoting vaccination would be a tough sell…
Scientists Pinpoint Cause of Severe Morning Sickness
The nausea and vomiting that often define the first trimester of pregnancy are primarily caused by a single hormone, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. Researchers said that the discovery could lead to better treatments…
Morning Person? You Might Have Neanderthal Genes to Thank.
Neanderthals were morning people, a new study suggests. And some humans today who like getting up early might credit genes they inherited from their Neanderthal ancestors. The new study compared DNA in living humans to genetic material retrieved from Neanderthal…
Supreme Court Will Hear Challenge to Abortion Pill Access
The Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it would decide on the availability of a commonly used abortion pill, the first major case involving abortion on its docket since it overturned the constitutional right to the procedure more than a…
Fund for Nuclear Waste Exposure Victims in Limbo as Congress Balks at Cost
More than two decades ago, Congress declared that victims of government-caused nuclear contamination who developed cancer and other serious illnesses — including uranium miners and those exposed to radiation from Manhattan Project-era atomic tests — should receive federal compensation. “The…
How Abigail Echo-Hawk Uses Indigenous Data to Close the Equity Gap
“Transforming Spaces” is a series about women driving change in sometimes unexpected places. Data has long been in the background of Abigail Echo-Hawk’s life. Growing up in rural Alaska, she remembers hearing stories about Indigenous data gatherers, like an uncle…
The Role of Unconscious Bias in Black Women’s Pregnancy Risks
Shakima Tozay was 37 years old and six months pregnant when a nurse, checking the fetal heart rate of the baby boy she was carrying, referred to him as “a hoodlum.” Ms. Tozay, a social worker, froze. She had just…
Drugs like Wegovy Can Fix Teenage Obesity, but Young People Don’t Get Them
Dr. Edward Lewis, a pediatrician in Rochester, N.Y., has seen hundreds of children with obesity over the years in his medical practice. He finally may have a treatment for their medical condition — the powerful weight loss drug Wegovy. But…
Sign Up for Well’s 6-Day Energy Challenge
Would you like more energy as you go about your day? We’ll bet the answer is yes. Whether you’re younger or older, working or retired, raising a family or living solo, most of us could use more vigor in our…
New Sickle Cell Therapies Will Be Out of Reach Where They Are Needed Most
The Food and Drug Administration’s approval on Friday of two groundbreaking gene therapy treatments for sickle cell disease has brought a rare moment of hope and celebration to people with the agonizing blood disorder. But there is no clear path…
R.S.V. Vaccine Is Slow to Reach Its Target: Older Americans
Toby Gould was an early adopter. In September, Mr. Gould, 78, went to a pharmacy in Hyannis, Mass., to get one of the new vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus, known as R.S.V. He has asthma, which would heighten his risk…
Dr. John A. Talbott, Champion of Care for the Mentally Ill, Dies at 88
Dr. John A. Talbott, a psychiatrist who championed the care of vulnerable populations of the mentally ill, especially the homeless — many of whom were left to fend for themselves in the nation’s streets, libraries, bus terminals and jails after…
SmileDirectClub Shuts Down, Months After Filing for Bankruptcy
SmileDirectClub, a telehealth company that sold teeth-straightening devices through the mail and faced criticism from medical groups, said on Friday that it had shut down. The company, founded in 2014, sold teeth aligners online and in its shops for $1,850….
F.D.A. Approves 2 Sickle Cell Treatments, One Using CRISPR Gene Editing
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first gene editing therapy ever to be used in humans, for sickle cell disease, a debilitating blood disorder caused by a single mutated gene. The agency also approved a second treatment…
He Was Diagnosed With Lyme Disease. Why Did the Treatment Have No Effect?
The couple couldn’t quite remember when the 61-year-old man started to get sick. Was it before he retired the previous spring? No — it was later, the man insisted. But both men agreed that they knew something was seriously wrong…
Bellevue Hospital Rushes Patients Into Weight-Loss Surgery
Early one morning in February, a guard clanged on the door of David Mustiga’s jail cell on Rikers Island. Soon, the 43-year-old was shackled and put on a bus to Bellevue. Rikers detainees often struggle to get even rudimentary medical…
White House Delays a Decision on Banning Menthol Cigarettes
The Biden administration delayed a decision on Wednesday about whether it would ban menthol cigarettes amid intense lobbying from tobacco companies, convenience stores and industry-backed groups that contend that billions of dollars in sales and jobs will be lost. The…
How to Protect Your Dog From the ‘Mystery’ Respiratory Disease
As an unidentified canine respiratory illness continues to pop up in clusters around the United States — causing symptoms like cough, fever and lethargy, and in more serious cases, hospitalization or death — many dog owners are wondering what steps…
‘Medical Freedom’ Activists Take Aim at New Target: Childhood Vaccine Mandates
For more than 40 years, Mississippi had one of the strictest school vaccination requirements in the nation, and its high childhood immunization rates have been a source of pride. But in July, the state began excusing children from vaccination if…
William P. Murphy Jr., an Inventor of the Modern Blood Bag, Dies at 100
Dr. William P. Murphy Jr., a biomedical engineer who was an inventor of the vinyl blood bag that replaced breakable bottles in the Korean War and made transfusions safe and reliable on battlefields, in hospitals and at scenes of natural…
Brain Implants Helped 5 People Recover From Traumatic Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries have left more than five million Americans permanently disabled. They have trouble focusing on even simple tasks and often have to quit jobs or drop out of school. A study published on Monday has offered them a…
Homeless Advocate Takes On A.C.L.U., and It’s Personal
On the last Thursday of August, Jennifer Livovich spent the morning simmering beans and cheese sauce in her Boulder, Colo., apartment, preparing nachos. Then friends helped her load a truck with the food, along with donations she had secured —…
Why Anonymous Sperm Donation Is Over, and Why That Matters
In many states, if you are part of a couple raising a child, and you never marry or you get a divorce, and your partner wants to sever the connection, you can be deemed a legal stranger to a child…
Fate of Billions for Opioid Victims From Sacklers Rests With Supreme Court
The speed with which the court scheduled the case may reflect its awareness of the opioid problem. But legal experts said its ruling would be unlikely to dwell on the public health crisis. The court, they said, will focus narrowly…
What to Know About Home Care Services
Most older Americans want to live at home as long as they can, but finding and affording the help they need often isn’t easy. There are severe shortages of home health aides in many parts of the country. Hiring them…
Desperate Families Search for Affordable Home Care
It’s a good day when Frank Lee, a retired chef, can slip out to the hardware store, fairly confident that his wife, Robin, is in the hands of reliable help. He spends nearly every hour of every day anxiously overseeing…
Climate Change Drives New Cases of Malaria, Complicating Efforts to Fight the Disease
There were an estimated 249 million cases of malaria around the globe last year, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, significantly more than before the Covid-19 pandemic and an increase of five million over 2021. Malaria remains a top…
What to Know About Long-Term Care Insurance
If you’re wealthy, you’ll be able to afford help in your home or care in an assisted-living facility or a nursing home. If you’re poor, you can turn to Medicaid for nursing homes or aides at home. But if you’re…
Abraham Bergman, Doctor Who Sought Answers on SIDS, Dies at 91
Dr. Abraham B. Bergman, a pediatrician who was instrumental in passing a federal law to combat sudden infant death syndrome, a once misunderstood loss that caused not just parental heartbreak but guilt and blame, and who put his stamp on…
U.S. Rate of Suicide by Firearm Reaches Record Level
The rate of suicides involving guns in the United States has reached the highest level since officials began tracking it more than 50 years ago, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate…
France to Ban Smoking in Forests, on Beaches and Near Schools
France will ban smoking on beaches, near public buildings like schools and in public parks and forests next year, the French government said on Tuesday, as it unveiled plans to curb the habit by making it slightly more expensive and…
U.S. Life Expectancy Creeps Up as Covid Deaths Fall
Life expectancy in the United States has begun to climb again as the threat of Covid-19 has receded, increasing by more than a year between 2021 and 2022, according to data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and…
CAR-T, Lifesaving Cancer Treatment, May Sometimes Cause Cancer, FDA Says
A Number That Sums It Up: Thousands of lives have been saved with CAR-T. CAR-T involves removing a type of white blood cell — T cells — from a patient’s blood, then genetically engineering to make proteins — chimeric antigen…
Egypt Wiped Out Hepatitis C. Now It Is Trying to Help the Rest of Africa.
For seven years, Sulemana Musah put almost every bit of money that came his way into his war with hepatitis C. His student loans for graduate school, his salary from his job as a high school teacher and the cash…
Could Longevity Drugs for Dogs Extend Your Pet’s Life?
Longevity drugs are intended for healthy dogs, which changes the risk-benefit calculus. “It’s one thing if a dog is on death’s door and you’re giving them some late-breaking treatment,” said Bev Klingensmith, a Great Dane breeder in Iowa who also…