Health Matters

For some people, a cancer diagnosis feels like the end. For Leslie, it was a chance to make a difference while funding research to help others.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented levels of government action to slow its spread and to mitigate its effects.

In 2019, more than 25 million people ordered home genetic tests to answer one of two questions: “Where did I come from?” or “What diseases am I more likely to acquire?” You can find out just by swabbing the inside of your cheek with a cotton-tipped applicator and sending it to a company that will analyze your cells.

Coronavirus and the influenza epidemic have highlighted the need to be smart about our exposure to respiratory viruses. Two public health organizations — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) — stand out as credible resources for the latest news about these epidemics.

November saw the passing of Robert C. Norris, one of several actors to portray the iconic Marlboro Man, at 90 years of age. While Norris was never a smoker, his rugged and masculine branding in cigarette advertising enticed many folks to smoke. Like much of the Old West, the habit of cigarette smoking has faded from a high of 45 percent of adults in 1965 to a much improved 14 percent in 2017.

Regenerative medicine and unlocking stem cell biology will open many doors toward treating patients with orthopedic problems (and hopefully, one day, help patients avoid invasive surgeries). Philanthropy is pivotal in helping fund some of the important projects that sometimes cannot be funded through the NIH or other sources.