Weill Cornell Medicine

12/23/2025

Just in time for the holidays! Dr. Amanda Kravitz, pediatrician, tells us what to know about the new flu strain as cases rise.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there have been 4.6 million flu cases across the U.S. since the season began. Dr. Amanda Kravitz, a pediatrician at Weill Cornell in New York, explains what to know about rising cases, symptoms to watch for and how to protect your family.

12/19/2025

The holidays bring joy, family and celebration but they can also bring stress, especially when political differences surface.

Here are some quick, psychologically informed tips from Dr. Daniel Knoepflmacher of Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to help keep the peace and preserve relationships this season:

🔔 Set expectations: Ask to avoid controversial topics and focus on what brings everyone together.
🔔 Highlight common ground: Shared values, past experiences, and fun activities like music, games, or food.
🔔 Avoid moral judgments: Skip phrases like “you’re wrong” or “that’s stupid” — they only raise the temperature.
🔔 Listen and show understanding: Reflect on what matters most to the other person.
🔔Use curiosity to reduce conflict: Ask “Can you help me understand how that will work?”
🔔Label emotions: Calm tension by naming what’s happening: “I’m feeling defensive, but I want a calm discussion.”
🔔Disengage gently: If things escalate, switch topics or step away.
🔔Use humor to lighten the mood
🔔Take care of yourself: If needed, skip the gathering and plan something joyful and restorative instead.

12/17/2025

Forty years of research have transformed HIV into a manageable condition, but continued support is essential to find a cure.

Though antiretroviral therapy (ART) has saved more than 20 million lives since 1996, it is not a cure. ART helps people with HIV live longer and maintain their health, but they must continue taking the medication for the rest of their lives to keep the inactive virus reservoir in check.

That’s why Dr. Brad Jones and his team at Weill Cornell Medicine are leading the Innovative Strategies for Personalized Immunotherapies and Reservoir Eradication (INSPIRE) program, funded by NIH, to develop treatments that target hidden HIV-infected cells and move us closer to a cure.

Here’s What We Know:
- HIV research has already saved millions of lives.
- A cure for HIV is possible with basic research and clinical trials supported by funding.

Learn more about the groundbreaking work happening at Weill Cornell Medicine.

12/11/2025

Last week, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) updated its hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for newborns, now delaying the first dose until two months of age instead of immediately after birth.

This change may have caused uncertainty for some parents, but Drs. Laura E. Riley and Sallie Permar explain why they continue to recommend the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.

Here’s what we know:
- Hepatitis B is highly infectious. Even with prenatal screening, babies can still be at risk between tests.
- Childhood vaccines like the hepatitis B undergo rigorous safety testing.
- The hepatitis B vaccine helps protect newborns and infants from hepatitis B, a serious infection that can cause lifelong liver disease.

Parents, you deserve clear information and confidence in your choices. The hepatitis B vaccine at birth is a proven way to keep your little one safe.

Please speak with your pediatrician and obstetrician to help you make an informed decision about the best approach for your baby.

12/10/2025

Rebecca Gruber was shocked when her first colonoscopy led to a diagnosis of Stage 3 colon cancer.

Now, with the help of Dr. Felice Schnoll-Sussman of Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Rebecca is bravely sharing her story to encourage others not to delay their colonoscopies, as she did.

More people under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with colon cancer, leading doctors to recommend that people begin to get screened at age 45.

Rebecca and Dr. Schnoll-Sussman want people to know that they shouldn't fear colonoscopies and that early detection from these screenings can save lives.

12/04/2025

At 23, Anya Zach-Salon was chasing her publishing dreams in NYC when persistent headaches led to a shocking diagnosis: a brain tumor in her fourth ventricle, a critical area near the brainstem where cerebrospinal fluid flows.

"I had headaches before, so having a headache wasn't a concern," Anya recalls. "I never thought it could be a brain tumor."

With expert care from Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield of Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Anya underwent complex brain surgery and months of rehab. Her courage never wavered.

“These tumors require precise surgical technique due to their location near critical brainstem structures,” Dr. Greenfield explains. “Our goal is always complete removal while preserving neurological function.”

Ten years later, Anya is thriving: married to her college sweetheart, working in children’s publishing, biking through Minneapolis with her two poodles, and still devouring fiction.

Her advice to others facing brain surgery: “Trust the process and trust the doctors. Life will go on, and it’s going to be okay.”

12/03/2025

Protecting infants from hepatitis B starts at birth.

Since 1991, when the American Academy of Pediatrics first recommended hepatitis B vaccination for newborns, the infection rates among children and young adults have decreased by almost 99%.

Dr. Sallie Permar explains why the hepatitis B vaccine is vital for newborns: it offers lifelong protection against a serious, potentially life-threatening infection and helps prevent chronic liver disease and liver cancer.

Here's What We Know:
- Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for babies within 24 hours after birth and for pregnant women to reduce the risk of transmission.
- Boosters are recommended for infants at one and six months of age to ensure stronger lifelong protection.
- Newborns and infants infected with hepatitis B have about a 90% chance of developing chronic infection, compared to only about 5% of adults who contract hepatitis B.

If you have any questions or concerns, talk to your obstetrician and pediatrician.

Watch Dr. Permar's video to learn more.

11/30/2025

Stomach cancer often flies under the radar but it shouldn’t.

It’s more common in men, especially those with reflux, obesity, or chronic stress. Early signs like abdominal pain, feeling full too soon, or unexplained weight loss can be easy to ignore. Don’t.

Prevention starts with:
• Treating H. Pylori infections
• Eating more fruits & veggies
• Managing reflux and weight
• Knowing your family history (Lynch Syndrome, CDH1 mutations)

The good news? Targeted therapies, such as Zolbetuximab, and immunotherapy are changing the game even for advanced cases.

Talk to your doctor. Ask about endoscopy screenings. Stay ahead of the curve.

11/26/2025

This Thanksgiving, we reflect on the shared passion that unites Weill Cornell Medicine as we work together to improve the lives of those we serve.

We are thankful for the exceptional people and bonds that make our community special. Happy Thanksgiving!

11/23/2025

Ever notice a weird bulge when you stand up?

It might be a hernia and it’s more common than you think.

A hernia happens when part of your insides (like your intestine or stomach) pushes through a weak spot in your muscle wall.

Dr. Anton Kelly explains, “Hernias either stay the same, or they grow. Most of them grow, and eventually, they’ll reach a point where they require medical attention.”

The good news? Surgery is usually quick, outpatient, and has an extremely high success rate, ranging from 95% to 97%.

11/19/2025

Imagine empowering every home health aide with the tools and training to deliver specialized, quality care for patients with heart failure.

As our population ages, the demand for home health care workers is increasing, and they lack the support they need. For example, in New York City alone, about 65% of home health aides report receiving little to no training in monitoring patients with heart failure, and nearly half say they can't reach nurse or doctor when they need help managing patients at home.

Dr. Madeline Sterling of Weill Cornell Medicine is leading a training program to offer specialized training for home health aides on heart failure, which is one of the most common conditions among home care patients.

The program also introduces technology to the workforce, including a way for aides to securely message nurses in real time. She found that these efforts lead to fewer 911 calls among home health aides and ER visits among patients.

Here's What We Know:
• Better training and tech-based communication tools for home health aides can improve patient care.
• Better care means healthier patients at home, fewer hospital readmissions, and lower costs for the health care system.

This study was made possible through collaboration with VNS Health, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell Tech, Yang-Tan WorkABILITY Incubator at the Cornell ILR School’s Center for Applied Research on Work, and funding from the National Institutes of Health, and the dedication of home health aides.

11/18/2025

Dr. Arnab Ghosh was an ER doctor in Australia when he treated many patients with severe burns from bushfires that swept through the region. At the time, evacuations were not mandatory.

"For the fires that hit those communities, they were faster and stronger than anyone expected. Many people perished in their homes," recalls Dr. Ghosh, an internal medicine physician at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Those experiences shaped Dr. Ghosh's career as a doctor and set him on the path as a researcher who focuses on climate and health policies that can save people's lives.

"Our role as doctors, healthcare systems, communities and governments that implement policies is to reduce extreme weather event risks from climate change for the most vulnerable populations," he says. "The science is only part of what we do. We need to garner trust and connect with patients."

Dr. Ghosh's work shows the importance of lasting connections. His recent study examined older adults residing in areas that flooded during Hurricane Sandy. It found that they faced a 5% higher risk of heart disease for up to five years after the hurricane.

"Weather disasters don't just have short-term impacts -- these are problems that will echo through people's lives," he says.

Dr. Ghosh's unique background makes him well-suited to both respond to disasters and understand the human side of them.

The son of an Indian immigrant and Burmese refugee, Dr. Ghosh grew up in Australia. In college, he studied Latin and Greek, served in the military, and later worked in peacekeeping for the United Nations. He did the majority of his medical training in the Australian outback, learning to practice medicine with few resources.

In 2018, he joined the NewYork-Presbyterian team that went to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to provide care in a field hospital with limited supplies.

As extreme weather, fueled by climate change, becomes more frequent, Dr. Ghosh says we need to envision what that means for health care in the future.

"How can we take science and research and transform the policy landscape to influence the well-being of people?" he says.

📷 Dr. Ghosh and Dr. Oliver Fein at the David Rogers Health Policy Colloquium
📷 Dr. Ghosh speaking at Climate Week NYC
📷 WCM presentation on the climate crisis
Last 📷 Dr. Ghosh doing community outreach with seniors at a NYC Housing community in East Harlem