health lab Articles

Logan raises his arms and smiles widely
Health Lab

Logan’s Michigan Answer: A living donor liver transplant at just 15 months old

Like many newborns, Logan and Connor experienced mild jaundice after birth. As the weeks passed, Amy and Nick noticed Connor’s jaundice appeared to resolve, but Logan’s skin and eyes still appeared yellow. At nine weeks when Logan’s jaundice still hadn’t gone away, Amy and Nick grew concerned.
Health Lab

Feeling anxious? Try this breathing technique

Diaphragmatic breathing exercises are an effective tool for mental health and cultivating a healthy brain-gut connection. Dr. Megan Riehl explains and demonstrates the proper technique.
ecmo machine
Health Lab

ECMO offers sickest COVID patients a chance to survive, but a slimmer one than previously thought

ECMO life support can save the lives of about half of the critically ill COVID-19 patients who are placed on it by their ICU teams.
Father and daughter sitting in office talking to doctor
Health Lab

Meet the team that’s changing cancer experiences for teenagers, young adults

Focused on addressing health disparities, the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program (AYA) at Michigan Medicine centers on more inclusive cancer care for this age group and dedicates its research to health equity for AYA cancer patients.
Sierra works with a device in the lab
Health Lab

Sierra’s Michigan Answer: Researching bold breakthroughs for diabetes

Imagine two patients. Both the same age and height. The same gender and race. Both have a similar medical history. Two people, almost identical in every way. So, why does one of them, seemingly at random, develop diabetes?
Chris Connelly with a patient
Health Lab

Chris’ Michigan Answer: Creating a way for himself and others

It was December 2017, and Chris Connolly was four months into medical school, when he discovered it was difficult for him to hold onto a cardiology stethoscope when reaching across a patient’s hospital bed. It was time to take a trip to the hardware store.
Dr. Allison Lin holding a telehealth appointment with a male patient
Health Lab

Dr. Lin’s Michigan Answer: A telehealth approach to mental health

As the fight to combat the spread of COVID-19 took center stage internationally, its effect on mental health slowly began to tighten its grip on many in quarantine. But an emerging tool — considered only a year ago by many to be impractical and too difficult to use — has now become widely accepted.
Meredith smiles while wearing her scuba gear
Health Lab

Meredith’s Michigan Answer: Getting back to her greatest passion

For 53-year-old Meredith Hoag, scuba diving was a source of pure joy. But over the last decade or so, Meredith began experiencing bone loss in her spine and later injured her back. Luckily, she knew just who to turn to.
Michael Asher's prosthetic leg with a black car with the license plate "I Lived" in the background
Health Lab

Michael’s Michigan Answer: A prosthetic leg built for speed

After losing half of his leg in a car accident in 2016, Michael was determined to get back to normal - and to get back to car racing.
Dr. Lori Isom looking into a microscope
Health Lab

Amber’s Michigan Answer: A breakthrough clinical trial to help her become a mom

After being diagnosed with Antiphospholipid Syndrome, Amber was determined to fight many challenges and become a mother.
Emma smiles while standing in front of a colorful work of abstract art
Health Lab

Emma’s Michigan Answer: Surviving ovarian cancer and finding a new outlook on life

After surviving ovarian cancer at age 26, Emma found healing through a lifelong passion for art and an adventurousness to try new things she might not have before.
Travar Pettway in MiDEN (Michigan Immersive Digital Experience Nexus)
Health Lab

Travar’s Michigan Answer: Helping shape the future for people with disabilities

In 1995, Travar was struck in the neck by a bullet while driving with his cousin near his home in Detroit. The bullet missed his spine, but the subsequent shockwave caused severe damage.
Baby Amaris, who has a tube in her nose, smiles with mother at her side
Health Lab

Amaris’ Michigan Answer: Many answers

During a scan, Johana’s OB/GYN noticed a rare and complicated defect called situs inversus whereby the baby’s liver and stomach were on the opposite side of where they were supposed to be. To make matters worse, further complications were discovered affecting the heart, lungs, spleen and intestines.
Scales healthcare money on a weigh scale with red background
Health Lab

What happens when preventive care becomes free to patients?

Preventive services such as mammograms, birth control, immunizations and colonoscopy have no out-of-pocket costs under the Affordable Care Act.
Baby sleeping in hospital bed with tubes holding moms hand
Health Lab

A 1-year-old’s journey after severe COVID sickness

After her 17-month-old daughter got a life-threatening case of COVID, Andrea Bell is encouraging others to continue protecting those that can’t get vaccinated.