Health
December 14, 2020
The Families of Children With Unexplained Disabilities Are Finally Getting Answers
In Houston, genetic testing innovations are helping doctors solve decades-old mysteries.
Health
Reporting and analysis about the innovation, trends, and business of medicine and health care
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101-150 of 502 Articles
Health
December 3, 2020
The COVID-19 Vaccines Are Coming. Is Texas Ready?
Escaping an unprecedented health crisis will require an unprecedented effort for the state’s chronically underfunded public health system.
Health
December 2, 2020
How a Llama and a University of Texas Lab Led to the Most Promising COVID-19 Treatment Yet
Researchers Daniel Wrapp and Jason McLellan owe a scientific honor they won this week to a Belgian camelid named Winter.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Health
December 2, 2020
This ER Doctor and Brownsville Native Is Advising Biden’s COVID-19 Response
Robert Rodriguez tended to patients in the Rio Grande Valley as cases surged last summer, and he’s taken that experience to serving on the president-elect’s pandemic task force.
Health
November 17, 2020
COVID Is Everywhere, Even in “the Last COVID-Free County”
In Loving County, residents still feel the specter of the pandemic.
Health
November 17, 2020
El Paso Natives Face a Holiday Season Far From Home as Their City Suffers
For those who hail from the COVID-19 hot spot, isolation from family this Thanksgiving and Christmas is especially painful.
Health
November 16, 2020
I Live in the Middle of Nowhere. I Still Got COVID.
Eight miles from the nearest town, our ranch felt like a sanctuary. Until it didn’t.
Health
November 11, 2020
Texas Hits 1 Million COVID-19 Cases—More Than Any Other State
A new surge in infections is underway, though transmission rates are down in some areas, and new treatments are reducing the death rate.
Health
October 30, 2020
During COVID, San Antonio’s Botánicas Saw an Uptick in Customers
Follow writer Peter Holley as he explores some of the city's traditional-medicine and faith-healing establishments.
By Peter Holley![Peter Holley's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
October 1, 2020
Nobody Likes a Tattletale—Except in a Pandemic
But in a state where violations are many and consequences are few, reporting reckless neighbors might not make a difference.
Health
September 15, 2020
Desperate for a Coronavirus Cure, Uninsured San Antonians Flock to Healers and Psychics
As COVID-19 spreads, some Hispanic San Antonians are relying on sage, psychics, and prayer.
By Peter Holley![Peter Holley's Profile Photo]()
Health
September 2, 2020
On Texas Time: Davina Davidson, Founder of the Melanin Yoga Project
The Houston teacher and nonprofit leader talks about dismantling racism in yoga.
Health
September 2, 2020
In Port Arthur, Creating COVID-19 Medical Equipment Puts Residents’ Health at Risk
Local petrochemical facilities pump out essential plastic goods—for gloves, masks, gowns, and more—as well as harmful pollutants.
Health
August 25, 2020
Zoos, Aquariums, and Theme Parks Have Reopened Across Texas. But Is Visiting Worth the Risk?
I visited the Houston Zoo in search of normalcy and nostalgia. But filtered through my foggy face mask, the experience was unsettling.
Health
August 20, 2020
Texas A&M Hopes a High-tech Kiosk Will Address a Health Care Crisis in Milam County
The rural area lost both its hospitals. Can a telehealth station in Cameron fill the urgent-care gap?
By Jason Heid![Jason Heid's Profile Photo]()
Health
August 19, 2020
What’s Harvard’s Beef With Texas A&M?
Nutritionists have debated for decades the risks and benefits of eating red meat. But now the fight is getting ugly, with each side accusing the other of conflicts of interest.
By Jason Heid![Jason Heid's Profile Photo]()
The National Podcast of Texas
July 23, 2020
With Students Returning to Campuses This Fall, Contact Tracing Is Key
Texas A&M epidemiologist Dr. Rebecca Fischer on the critical systems being put in place to maximize safety in an uncertain time.
Health
July 16, 2020
How Robots Are Revolutionizing Nursing
Automated helpers, like Diligent Robotics’ Moxi, could reduce the risks to frontline medical workers.
By Jason Heid![Jason Heid's Profile Photo]()
The National Podcast of Texas
July 10, 2020
Dr. Peter J. Hotez on How the Federal Government Failed Texas on the Coronavirus
On the National Podcast of Texas, the pioneering vaccine scientist explains why he believes the White House has put Texans in grave danger.
Health
July 9, 2020
Mr. Westbrook’s Last Song
He was a high school band director and the cornerstone of a lively music scene in southeast Texas—and then a Saturday night gig exposed him to the coronavirus.
Health
July 2, 2020
When COVID-19 Hit the Smith County Jail, One Tyler Activist Became a Citizen Watchdog
Dalila Reynoso, who started a friendship with Sheriff Larry Smith at Whataburger, now monitors local jails to keep him accountable.
Health
July 2, 2020
Why Dallas Is Testing the Recently Deceased to Combat COVID-19
To trace the disease’s spread, the Dallas County medical examiner has set out to screen all of those who end up in his morgue.
By Jason Heid![Jason Heid's Profile Photo]()
Health
July 1, 2020
What Pandemic? Houstonians Party, Shop, and Ice-skate as COVID-19 Surges.
As public health experts warn that ICUs in the city might soon be overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, shops and restaurants remain packed.
By Peter Holley![Peter Holley's Profile Photo]()
Health
June 24, 2020
Virtual Fitness May Be Here to Stay
How the rise of living room calisthenics is challenging boutique gyms and fitness titans like Gold's Gym.
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2020
Greg Abbott Invites You to Figure Out What His Coronavirus Executive Orders Allow
A month and a half after telling local officials they couldn't mandate masks, the Texas governor congratulated a local official on realizing that, actually, they could.
Health
June 18, 2020
How the Pandemic Revealed an Unexpected Benefit of Telehealth
Heart failure nurse Suzanne Ohlmann finds intimacy in challenging circumstances.
Health
June 18, 2020
The Key to Mending the Economy? Expanding Health-Care Access
No, Medicaid expansion isn’t a perfect solution. But it’s the best way to ensure more workers can return to their jobs.
Health
June 12, 2020
How a Texas Expert on Swine Flu Had to Change Her Game
UT epidemiologist Lauren Ancel Meyers spent her career planning for infectious disease outbreaks. She has had to rapidly adapt to the very different challenges posed by the novel coronavirus.
By Jason Heid![Jason Heid's Profile Photo]()
Health
June 9, 2020
Is Texas Headed Toward a Second Wave of COVID-19 Infections?
All of the trend lines in Texas are going the wrong way.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Health
June 3, 2020
“We Can’t Rely on the Systems That Everybody Else Relies On”: Trans Texans Struggle With Health Care Access During COVID-19
Before the pandemic, trans Texans experienced higher rates of poverty and uninsurance than others in the state. The coronavirus crisis is exacerbating inequalities.
Health
June 3, 2020
A New Texas COVID-19 Tracker Offers a Ton of Useful Information
The Texas 2036 project organizes information from the state, Google, and the media to provide a clear picture of the state of the pandemic in Texas.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The National Podcast of Texas
May 29, 2020
Congressman Michael C. Burgess on Balancing Public Health and the Economy
On a special edition of The National Podcast of Texas, the legislator and medical doctor weighs in on Texas’s reopening, masks, and Trump’s reelection chances.
News
May 28, 2020
The West Texas Basketball Tournament at the Center of a Coronavirus Outbreak
A high school competition in Levelland brought fans from across the Panhandle and South Plains in March. Seven would come down with COVID-19.
News
May 25, 2020
“If People Want to Take a Chance, It’s Their Prerogative”: Inside One Bar on the First Day of Reopening
Over Memorial Day weekend, locals and tourists flocked to the Poop Deck in Galveston as Governor Greg Abbott allowed Texas bars to open at limited capacity.
Health
May 20, 2020
The Dr. Fauci of South Texas
Laredo cardiologist Ricardo Cigarroa is on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, making house calls and “dealing hard doses of truth.”
News
May 19, 2020
Texas Has Decided to Roll the Dice on the Coronavirus
Governor Abbott’s phase two reopenings signal a hope from leaders that maybe this all will just work out, somehow.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
May 18, 2020
Matthew McConaughey’s Numerous Pandemic Public Service Announcements, Ranked
The Uvalde native and patron saint of "alright" just keeps makin' videos.
Health
May 18, 2020
How the Pandemic Turned Brené Brown Into America’s Therapist
But for heaven’s sake, the best-selling author, unapologetic cusser, and fifth-generation Texan would rather not be called that.
The National Podcast of Texas
May 15, 2020
Dr. Hana El Sahly on Remdesivir and How Little We Still Know About COVID-19
On a special edition of The National Podcast of Texas, the Baylor College of Medicine investigator takes us inside the high-stakes world of coronavirus research and trials.
Health
May 15, 2020
What Public Health Experts Are Saying About the Coronavirus in Texas Right Now
As our understanding of the disease has evolved, so have the models and advice from experts.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The National Podcast of Texas
May 6, 2020
Mattress Mack Believes Houston Can Pull Together and Persevere. Again.
The high-profile philanthropist and furniture retailer says the time is right for Texas to carefully reopen for business.
The National Podcast of Texas
May 1, 2020
Yoga With Adriene in the Time of Quarantine
On a special edition of the National Podcast of Texas, the YouTube star on how a renewed concern for wellness—our own and one another’s—might wind up as one of the pandemic’s silver linings.
Health
April 29, 2020
Dr. Mark McClellan on COVID-19 and Reopening the Texas Economy
One of Governor Greg Abbott's top aides says more testing and contact tracing should have been in place before restrictions were lifted.
Health
April 28, 2020
She Placed Her Elderly Mother in a Nursing Home. Days Later, COVID-19 Arrived.
Karan Janes was trying to keep her mom safe when she placed her inside a Brenham elder care facility, but then it was struck by a major coronavirus outbreak.
By Peter Holley![Peter Holley's Profile Photo]()
Health
April 28, 2020
A Rural Nurse Has Just About Had It
Suzanne Ohlmann is a heart failure nurse based in San Antonio, serving rural Texas. On Facebook, she’s waging a war against misinformation.
Health
April 28, 2020
What It’s Like Getting Paid to Risk Catching the Coronavirus
A professional shopper, who delivers groceries for those who can afford to stay at home, shares her story.
Health
April 24, 2020
The Majority Agrees: Lifting Stay-Home Orders Won’t Bring Normalcy (But It Will Get People Killed)
Despite the loud protests, very few Americans are ready to go back to work.
Health
April 24, 2020
How FDA Chief Stephen Hahn Found Himself Between a Rock and a Hard Place
President Trump elevated him from MD Anderson Cancer Center to the FDA just in time for the untested federal official to face a global pandemic.
By Jason Heid![Jason Heid's Profile Photo]()
Health
April 23, 2020
What You Should Know About the Coronavirus in Texas
Check back each day for updated figures about the number of COVID-19 cases in our state.
Health
April 23, 2020
“We Touch Everything That You Touch”
I’ve been employed with Austin Resource Recovery for sixteen years. I’ve always wanted to work for the city. It’s good benefits: it’s a job that a lot of people want. It’s steady, and you know it’s something that you can depend on and your family can depend on.