Billions in research funding survive Trump crackdown, benefiting Pitt, CMU
The Trump administration is accepting legal defeat in its effort to limit critical funding for research institutions, including the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, after its window to petition to the U.S. Supreme Court closed this week. In February 2025, the National Institutes of Health announced a cap...
Trump administration temporarily blocks Minnesota’s historic wage floor for nursing home workers
Unprecedented minimum wages for thousands of nursing home workers in Minnesota are delayed again. Leah Solo, executive director of the state’s Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board, said at a board meeting Thursday that the Trump administration has reset to day one its 90-day clock to review the wage floor. Under...
Trump administration admits a glaring error in its accusations about New York health care fraud
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s administration this week acknowledged it made a significant error in figures it used to help justify a fraud probe into New York’s Medicaid program, a glaring mistake that undercuts a federal campaign to tackle waste, mostly in Democratic-led states. The error, one of at...
Updated rules for CDC vaccine advisory panel reflect Kennedy skepticism
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has updated the charter of a key federal vaccine advisory committee in ways that may increase the voices of anti-vaccine activists, the latest in a series of moves that critics say are undermining confidence in life-saving shots. The changes published Thursday come after a recent...
U.S. abortion opponents want Trump’s FDA to act on abortion pill restrictions
/ U.S. abortion opponents are increasingly frustrated with the lack of action by President Donald Trump’s administration to stem the flow of abortion pills prescribed online that they view as undermining state abortion bans. A court ruling this week in a lawsuit the Louisiana attorney general brought against Trump’s Food...
AHN radiologist turns ‘The Pitt’ into teaching tool on TikTok
Bathed in the blue light of a radiology reading room, Dr. Matthew Hartman and three of his medical students spent Wednesday morning analyzing X-rays, CT scans and ultrasounds at West Penn Hospital. The images being reviewed by the class were real, but Hartman finds fiction can be just as powerful...
American Red Cross teams up with ‘The Pitt’ for series of blood drives
Viewers watch the doctors and nurses of the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center save lives every Thursday on the HBO Max series “The Pitt.” Now, the American Red Cross is teaming up with the show to help everyday Pittsburghers save some lives of their own. The organization is holding a...
Judge refuses to block sending abortion pill by mail for now, but says FDA must finish review
A federal judge Tuesday refused to block filling prescriptions for the abortion pill mifepristone by mail across the U.S. — at least for now — in a setback to Louisiana’s effort to stifle groups that send it into states where abortion is banned. U.S. District Judge David Joseph, who sits...
How often should I replace my running shoes?
Q: I’ve heard a lot of different things about how long running shoes should last. How do I know when it’s time for a new pair? A: Once you find the right pair of running shoes, it can be hard to part with them. It’s a frequently cited rule of...
Menopause products are having a hot minute. But doctors urge women to be wary of the marketing surge
DALLAS — Women suffering through the hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes and sleep problems that can come with menopause — all while looking in the mirror and noticing signs of aging — are being bombarded with products. More open conversations about menopause and the period leading up to it...
What to consider before switching antidepressants
Elizabeth, 64, a former lawyer in Ontario, Canada, had taken the antidepressant Celexa for two decades. It helped her cope with the stress of being a full-time caregiver for her two sons, who are autistic. But last year her medication wasn’t working very well. Her sons, now both in their...
For many patients leaving the ICU, the struggle has only just begun
The accident happened in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16. Joseph Masterson, a lawyer who was just days from retiring at age 63, suffered cardiac arrest while driving, plowed into a guardrail and lost consciousness. Other drivers stopped, broke the car window and pulled him to safety. A passing volunteer firefighter performed...
Aid groups warn Iran war is hindering food and medicine from reaching millions
TEL AVIV, Israel — Aid groups are warning that the war in the Middle East has upended their ability to get food and medicine to millions of people around the world in need, and that the suffering will deepen if the violence continues. Not only has the conflict cut off...
Colorado SNAP soda ban on hold, but Gov. Polis plans order to end state spending on sugary drinks and alcohol
DENVER — Colorado’s proposed ban on allowing the largest food assistance program to pay for soft drinks is on hold while a lawsuit against the federal government plays out, but Gov. Jared Polis is planning an executive order to limit state soda purchases. The proposed change would prevent the Supplemental...
Pittsburgh biotech company Lipella Pharmaceuticals files for bankruptcy protection
Lipella Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, filed for bankruptcy protection Monday following more than two decades of developing medications that never made it to market. The drugmaker is winding down operations just 10 months after being delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange, which choked off access to...
Sen. Dave McCormick, NIH Director Jay Battacharya tour Pittsburgh medical, research facilities
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick said Monday he would oppose any White House push to reduce funding for the National Institutes of Health, the largest biomedical research agency in the world. Roll Call, citing sources in the medical research industry, reported last week that the White House could seek to cut...
Scientific review finds e-cigarettes likely cause lung, oral cancer
E-cigarettes are likely to cause cancer, including in the lungs and mouth, according to a sweeping review of scientific evidence that challenges their positioning as a safer alternative to smoking. Published on Monday in the journal Carcinogenesis, the review concludes that nicotine-based vapes are “likely to be carcinogenic to humans,”...
AHN sets up medical support for fans during NFL Draft
With hundreds of thousands of visitors expected in Pittsburgh for the upcoming NFL Draft, Allegheny Health Network announced Monday that it will provide medical care throughout the event. The walk-in AHN Downtown Express Care Clinic, located at Highmark’s Penn Avenue Place, will expand its hours and capacity during draft week....
Dietary supplement makers push the FDA to allow peptides and other new ingredients
WASHINGTON — Makers of dietary supplements are pushing the Food and Drug Administration to expand the types of ingredients they can put in their products, a change that could open the door to more marketing of peptides, probiotics and other trendy wellness offerings. The FDA was holding a public meeting...
The AI doctor is in: Survey suggests nearly one-third of Americans rely on chatbots for medical advice
An estimated one-third of U.S. adults are asking artificial intelligence to play doctor, according to a survey released Wednesday by KFF. The health policy nonprofit recently collected answers from more than 1,300 Americans as part of wider poll on how people sought medical information over the past year. The results...
Tango therapy: How the dance of passion is helping Parkinson’s patients
Tango is the national dance of Argentina, known for its passion, precision and heart. At a hospital in Buenos Aires, it has another purpose: as a therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease. Once a week, about a dozen patients come to Ramos Mejía Hospital to dance — a session that...
Trump to delay nominating new CDC director
The White House plans to delay naming a candidate to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency that has been roiled by a string of high-level departures and has had three different leaders since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, according to people familiar with...
Means’ surgeon general nomination is stalled as senators question her experience and vaccine stance
NEW YORK — Wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means’ nomination to be U.S. surgeon general is stalled a month after senators of both major political parties grilled her on vaccines and other health topics during a tense confirmation hearing, deepening doubts about her ability to secure the votes she needs for...
World Food Prize goes to food safety scientist for preventing millions of cases of foodborne illness
DES MOINES, Iowa — A scientist who pioneered the modern food processing safety standards used around the world was awarded this year’s World Food Prize, the organization announced Wednesday, crediting his work for averting millions of cases of foodborne illness and reducing food waste. Huub Lelieveld of the Netherlands earned...
Highmark lost $175M in 2025, battered by high insurance claims
Highmark took a $175 million net loss last year as rising health insurance usage battered the Pittsburgh-based company. Financial results released Tuesday also showed a $674 million operating loss for Highmark, even as revenue rose year-over-year to $32 billion from $29 billion. Highmark Health Plans, the organization’s insurance division, was...
