On November 2, 2023, the Chicago Department of Public Health launched its first Public Health Vending Machine at Harold Washington Library as part of a one-year pilot program aimed at providing harm reduction and opioid overdose prevention supplies. This pilot... More »
Teletherapy became increasingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, an estimated 21% of U.S. adults used a teletherapy service, while mental health startups collectively raised $5.5 billion in funding. Websites such as BetterHelp, Cerebral, Ginger, ... More »
Climate change, environmental pollution and ecological degradation have been linked to undeniable and debilitating consequences on human health outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000... More »
A year after the first vaccines for COVID-19 were administered, the United States is still struggling to reach herd immunity, which scientists estimate to occur when 70% of the population is vaccinated (Robertson et al, 2021). The main challenge in reaching he... More »
Public health officials have long sought to improve health outcomes by influencing bad behaviors, like smoking or lack of exercise. Such behaviors are very clearly detrimental to health, so much so that it seems like no one would perform them—but people inevit... More »
Since 2000, the Chicago area has witnessed 20 hospital closures, a loss of nearly a quarter of the city’s hospitals. In the past three years alone, there were four scheduled hospital closures in the South and West sides, though one—Mercy Hospital—was saved at ... More »
After a century of increasing life expectancy in the United States, 2020 witnessed a decline of 1.5 years. Although primarily attributable to COVID-19, the pandemic only exacerbated the persistent health crises of the “before-times,” further contributing to th... More »
Tamara Pilot is an Assistant Vice President at the University of Chicago, Global Initiatives and Strategy (Uchicago Global). The young woman covered her face with a shaking hand. She was exhausted and scared. The metal birthing chair did not have a cushion or ... More »
An education should prepare students to engage in a meaningful, productive way with the world. While academic achievement takes center-stage in our approach to this education, we often fail to provide adequate support for social development. In the United Stat... More »
Abhishek Yadav contributed to this article.After soldiering through the first COVID-19 wave with a national lockdown and a relatively low death count, India lost a devastating battle with the second wave. Total deaths, which peaked in April, have climbed up to... More »
Sara Bovat ‘21 graduated with a MA in Social Work, Social Policy, and Social Administration at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and the Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy . She can be reached ... More »
Natalia Khosla ‘22 is a MS 4 at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She can be reached at nkhosla@uchicago.edu or natalia.khosla@uchospitals.edu.During one of my medical rotations, my team and I were taking care of a patient stuck in a vicio... More »