Page Updated: Monday, January 05, 2026 8:09 AM ET

The Conversation - Health

Midlife weight gain can start long before menopause – but you can take steps early on to help your body weather the hormonal shift - Vinaya Gogineni, Vanderbilt University and Anna Barton Bradley, Vanderbilt University

8 days ago

As millions of Americans face a steep rise in health insurance costs, lawmakers continue a century-long battle over who should pay for health care -- Robert Applebaum, Miami University

8 days ago

How C-reactive protein outpaced 'bad' cholesterol as leading heart disease risk marker -- Mary J. Scourboutakos, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University

16 days ago

The #iwasfifteen hashtag and ongoing Epstein coverage show how traffickers exploit the vulnerabilities of teens and tweens -- Anne P. DePrince, University of Denver

16 days ago

RFK Jr. wants to scrutinize the vaccine schedule – but its safety record is already decades long -- Jake Scott, Stanford University

16 days ago

Rest is essential during the holidays, but it may mean getting active, not crashing on the couch -- Stacy Shaw, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

16 days ago

The world risks forgetting one of humanity's greatest triumphs as polio nears global eradication − 70 years after Jonas Salk developed the vaccine in a Pittsburgh lab -- Carl Kurlander, University of Pittsburgh

16 days ago

My prescription costs what?! Pharmacists offer tips that could reduce your out-of-pocket drug costs -- Sujith Ramachandran, University of Mississippi and Adam Pate, University of Mississippi

18 days ago

Vaccine committee votes to scrap universal hepatitis B shots for newborns despite outcry from children's health experts -- David Higgins, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

25 days ago

Vice President Dick Cheney's life followed the arc of the biggest breakthroughs in cardiovascular medicine -- William Cornwell, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

1 month ago

FDA claims on COVID-19 vaccine safety are unsupported by reliable data – and could severely hinder vaccine access -- Frank Han, University of Illinois Chicago

29 days ago

How the NIH became the backbone of American medical research and a major driver of innovation and economic growth -- Fred D. Ledley, Bentley University

19 days ago

Health insurance premiums rose nearly 3x the rate of worker earnings over the past 25 years -- Vivian Ho, Rice University and Salpy Kanimian, Rice University

26 days ago

Off-label use of COVID-19 vaccines was once discouraged but has become common amid new guidelines -- Shannon Fyfe, Washington and Lee University and Elizabeth Lanphier, University of Cincinnati

1 month ago

Want to make America healthy again? Stop fueling climate change -- Jonathan Levy, Boston University; Howard Frumkin, University of Washington; Jonathan Patz, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Vijay Limaye, University of Wisconsin-Madison

1 month ago

Sleep problems and depression can be a vicious cycle, especially during pregnancy − here's why it's important to get help -- Jenalee Doom, University of Denver and Melissa Nevarez-Brewster, University of Denver

20 days ago

What's a 'black box' warning? A pharmacologist explains how these labels protect patients -- C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

1 month ago

Why do people get headaches and migraines? A child neurologist explains the science of head pain and how to treat it -- Katherine Cobb-Pitstick, University of Pittsburgh

1 month ago

Sugar starts corroding your teeth within seconds – here's how to protect your pearly whites from decay -- José Lemos, University of Florida and Jacqueline Abranches, University of Florida

1 month ago

Texas cities have some of the highest preterm birth rates in the US, highlighting maternal health crisis nationwide -- Kobi V. Ajayi, Texas A&M University

1 month ago

I treat menopause and its symptoms, and hormone replacement therapy can help – here's the science behind the FDA's decision to remove warnings -- Genevieve Hofmann, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

1 month ago

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

2 months ago

Fetal autopsies could help prevent stillbirths, but too often they are used to blame mothers for pregnancy loss -- Jill Lens, University of Iowa

4 months ago

3 YEARS AFTER ABORTION RIGHTS WERE OVERTURNED, CONTRACEPTION ACCESS IS AT RISK -- Cynthia H. Chuang, Penn State and Carol S. Weisman, Penn State

3 months ago

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

2 months ago

COVID-19 vaccines for kids are mired in uncertainty amid conflicting federal guidance -- David Higgins, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

4 months ago

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

9 months ago

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

9 months ago

5 ways schools have shifted in 5 years since COVID-19 -- Rachel Besharat Mann, Wesleyan University and Gravity Goldberg, Wesleyan University

9 months ago

'Are you married?' Why doctors ask invasive questions during treatment -- Jill Inderstrodt, Indiana University

10 days ago

Doulas play essential roles in reproductive health care – and more states are beginning to recognize it -- Adetola F. Louis-Jacques, University of Florida and Seun Mauton Ajoseh, University of Florida

25 days ago

Buying a gift for a loved one with cancer? Here's why you should skip the fuzzy socks and give them meals or help with laundry instead -- Ellen T. Meiser, University of Hawaii at Hilo

30 days ago

How food assistance programs can feed families and nourish their dignity -- Joslyn Brenton, Ithaca College; Alyssa Tindall, Ursinus College, and Senbagam Virudachalam, University of Pennsylvania

1 month ago

Best way for employers to support employees with chronic mental illness is by offering flexibility -- Sherry Thatcher, University of Tennessee and Emily Rosado-Solomon, Babson College

20 days ago

How to keep dementia from robbing your loved ones of their sense of personhood – tips for caregivers -- R. Amanda Cooper, University of Connecticut

1 month ago

Why you can salvage moldy cheese but never spoiled meat − a toxicologist advises on what to watch out for -- Brad Reisfeld, Colorado State University

2 months ago

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

2 months ago

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

2 months ago

PFAS in pregnant women's drinking water puts their babies at higher risk, study finds -- Derek Lemoine, University of Arizona; Ashley Langer, University of Arizona, and Bo Guo, University of Arizona

25 days ago

Zombies, jiangshi, draugrs, revenants − monster lore is filled with metaphors for public health -- Tom Duszynski, Indiana University

2 months ago

Recent studies prove the ancient practice of nasal irrigation is effective at fighting the common cold -- Mary J. Scourboutakos, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University

1 month ago

FDA recall of blood pressure pills due to cancer-causing contaminant may point to higher safety risks in older generic drugs -- C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

1 month ago

Atorvastatin recall may affect hundreds of thousands of patients – and reflects FDA's troubles inspecting medicines manufactured overseas -- C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

2 months ago

Focused sound energy holds promise for treating cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases -- Richard J. Price, University of Virginia

2 months ago

How 3D printing is personalizing health care -- Anne Schmitz, University of Wisconsin-Stout and Daniel Freedman, University of Wisconsin-Stout

7 months ago

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

1 year ago

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

1 year ago

Exposure to neighborhood violence leads some Denver teens to use tobacco and alcohol earlier, new study shows -- Anna Maria Santiago, Michigan State University and Iris Margetis, Michigan State University

24 days ago

How one Florida program reduced preterm births – and how it could serve as a model for other communities -- Loveline Chizobam Phillips, George Mason University and Faye Taxman, George Mason University

24 days ago

Protein powders and shakes contain high amounts of lead, new report says – a pharmacologist explains the data -- C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

2 months ago

Strict school vaccine mandates work, and parents don't game the system − new research -- Y. Tony Yang, George Washington University; Anthony Bald, California State University, Fullerton , and Samantha Gold, Cornell University

1 month ago

How germy is the public pool? An infectious disease expert weighs in on poop, pee and perspiration – and the deceptive smell of chlorine -- Lisa Cuchara, Quinnipiac University

11 days ago

AI's errors may be impossible to eliminate – what that means for its use in health care -- Carlos Gershenson, Binghamton University, State University of New York

23 days ago

More Americans meet criteria for high blood pressure under new guidelines -- William Cornwell, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

21 days ago