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In Focus

The Unwelcome and Unwell

An excerpt from a new memoir by Elizabeth Ford, who reflects on nearly two decades of treating patients in New York City’s correctional system.

On any given day, the New York City jail system, with its hub on Rikers Island, manages more than 9,500 inmates. About 1,000 of them have serious mental illnesses, a number higher than the total capacity of all inpatient psychiatric units in the city.

Elizabeth Ford serves as chief of psychiatry for New York City Health + Hospitals' Correctional...

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In Depth

The Blind Can See

Stem cells, gene therapy and devices that can beam images directly into the brain offer new hope to those without sight.

Voice of the People

When patients demand more than science can provide, high-priced, ineffective treatments can reach the market.

Living Forever

The science of senescence has struggled to translate life-extending research from animals to people. Now the pace is quickening.

Aftermath

Saving lives after a terrorist attack takes coordinated action, and hospitals are racing to improve their plans.

Lost in the Middle

Dashed expectations in midlife may be fueling a sharp rise in suicides. Several strategies seek to save people in despair.

Build a Better Painkiller

Helping patients in pain often means prescribing opioid drugs, which can be dangerous. New research looks into alternatives.

Why Plaque Attacks

A bold theory—that the brain-tangling proteins of Alzheimer’s disease may form to fight infection—could spur new research.

Whole Again

The first U.S. penis transplant didn’t save a life, but it vastly improved one, opening a frontier for complex transplants.

Made to Measure

New gene-editing techniques let researchers create precisely the laboratory animals they need—but at what ethical cost?

Dying of Neglect

Tropical diseases thrive little noticed and unaddressed in the poorest areas of the United States.

The Telltale Strand

The genomics revolution has hit the courtroom, with the first case that relies on next-generation sequencing of DNA.

Please Share

Troves of data are gathered during clinical trials, but most of it stays locked away. Could freeing it lead to new cures?

Crossing Over

Most transgender people know their gender identity as children. So how do pediatricians help them become healthy adults?

Taking It to the Streets

Doctors have a long history as fighters for social causes. What can be done to make sure that legacy isn't lost?

The Red Highway

Red blood cells are free to ferry oxygen around the body, an enviable access that can be hijacked to deliver new therapies.

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Dispatches

Bright Future for the Feces Cure

Transplanting healthy human feces became a breakthrough treatment for C. diff infection. Now researchers ask—can it do more?

Scourge of the Summer

Lyme disease cases spike in the warmer months. Research on the disease is inching forward, as the number of reported infections reaches new heights.

Cocoanut Grove, 1942

The largest nightclub fire in U.S. history became a milestone in modern medicine.

Pain for Women, Pain for Men

Males and females experience pain differently—and appear to process it differently, too. Why has it taken so long for science to find out?

Is Skipping a Child’s Vaccines Medical Neglect?

Pediatricians want to know whether they can call child protective services if a parent refuses to vaccinate. The answer remains unclear.

After Surgery, Less Pain

Changing the norms of surgery may head off the addiction that can take root during recovery.

Podcast: The Minutes After

It's a matter of time before the next bombing, shooting or violent attack. How can emergency physicians save more lives?

Safe Harbor

Scientists in unstable regions sometimes fear for their lives. Allan Goodman helps them find refuge and a chance to work again.

The Gene Drive

A new technology quickly spreads genetic mutations in the wild. Who will keep it from getting out of hand?

Near Death, New Life

More children survive cancer, but infertility is often the cost. New techniques offer hope.

Diagnosis on the Go

A portable detection system can identify disease-causing bacteria far from the laboratory.

An Ocean to Cover

A woman navigates a foreign hospital to support her sister.

When Industry Funds the Advocates

Patient advocacy groups play a role in the approval of drugs. Should their donors come under scrutiny?

The Blood Depot

An invention for the battlefields of World War I led to the modern blood transfusion.

A Lost Generation

A low ebb in funding for young scientists resists easy answers.

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From Mass General

Untangling Chromatin

More than marvels of biological architecture, structures within the cell nucleus may be intertwined with aging itself.

Marching for Science

Peter L. Slavin discusses why funding research is key to America's future.

A Dream Deferred

Atheendar Venkataramani explores the detrimental effects that immigration policy can have on the mental health of undocumented immigrants.

Where Lost Diseases Go

A new, nationwide team of experts gives the toughest medical cases a chance at a breakthrough.

Second Chances

The Food and Drug Administration tries a fresh approach to medical devices suspected of falling short.

Still Restless

Restless legs syndrome continues to puzzle, even with the recent publication of the first clinical guidelines for the disease.

Hope in the Face of Addiction

Peter L. Slavin and Thomas J. Lynch Jr. discuss the hospital’s responsibility in treating opioid addiction.

The Data Revolution

Peter L. Slavin & Thomas J. Lynch Jr. discuss the growing "open data" movement and its implications for scientific research

A Nudge for Neurology Drugs

New therapies for stroke, multiple sclerosis and other conditions may get a boost from interhospital cooperation.

Clinicians and Social Responsibility

Peter L. Slavin and Thomas J. Lynch Jr. discuss the role of clinicians in promoting health beyond the hospital.

The Big (Data) Picture

Medical images are the next frontier for the data revolution, and a new research center plans on taking a closer look.

Medical Theater

An artist and physician team up to examine the role of acting in the clinical setting

Treating Black Lives

The health care system still delivers poorer care, on average, to African American patients. What can be done?

Lightning in a Bottle

Although nitric oxide helps relieve certain lung conditions, it is expensive and cumbersome to use. A new invention produces the substance from thin air.

The Digital Hospital

Peter L. Slavin and Thomas J. Lynch Jr. weigh in on the promise and challenge of adopting new technologies in hospitals.

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Charts & Data

In Passing

How does a hospital keep patient details from getting lost in the shuffle?

To Catch a Protein

The world of protein imaging undergoes a chilly revolution.

The Next Zika

Vaccines are most helpful before an epidemic hits. So which diseases should researchers prepare for next?

ResearchKit

A software platform from Apple is helping medical researchers collect health data from any iPhone user

White Coats

The standard garb of the physician comes with surprising risks and benefits.

Unsound the Alarm

Hundreds of alarms compete for a clinician's attention. Can less noise mean better care?

Babel in the ICU

Machines in an ICU can't speak to one another—but what if they could?

The Changes We've Seen

Proto looks at trends in health care during the last 10 years.

Born Too Soon

Despite steady declines over the past decade, the U.S. still has one of the highest preterm birthrates in the developed world.

An Outbreak Told in Genomes

Rapid genetic sequencing maps an Ebola outbreak in fine detail.

20 Years After Apartheid

In the 1980s physician Miguel Ribeiro took stunning photographs of his South African patients. How has the nation’s health care fared in the years since?

Grand Theft Medical

The move to electronic medical records may be helping identity thieves.

Living Anatomy

Artist Danny Quirk paints the living structures of the body on live models.

The Lost Ward

Beds for psychiatric care are steadily declining. What can be done?

From MRI to Bronze Sculpture

Artists use medical scans of tumors to make stunning, informative sculptures

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