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On Jan. 16 of this year, I went out to dinner with some friends. And, that night, I found rock bottom under a pile of shrimp and grits, and an enormous slab of carrot cake. Before dinner, my suit barely fit. After, those buttons deserved a medal. I felt awful — physically, and emotionally. My health was off the rails and I knew it. And I resolved to make a change. Oh, I had tried to lose weight before. I was a fat kid and a fatter adult, hovering in the 250–275-pound range for years. Once, I drove my weight down to 220 pounds and told people the secret was “run farther, eat less.” (Scott Jennings, 6/13)

Chronic kidney disease is an often-overlooked public health crisis that affects an estimated 37 million Americans, 15% of the adult population, and is one of the top 10 leading causes of death. It’s most often caused by long-term diabetes and high blood pressure, but another significant cause is that of a genetic disease: Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), which affects an estimated 600,000 Americans — including me. (Greg Mainolfi, 6/14)

Reviewing 50 years of progress on medical issues relevant to women can be a daunting and sometimes exacting task. But as we learned while writing about milestones in women’s health, it can also be a personal journey, having both come of age around the same year our review began. (Cynthia A. Stuenkel and JoAnn E. Manson, 6/14)

If you see basic human needs being met in your community, you'll likely find a partnership is driving the response. Often a local hospital is involved. Our experience on the front lines of healthcare shows that to improve the health of our communities, collaboration between hospitals and health systems and community-based organizations is pivotal. (Dr. Rod Hochman, 6/11)

One image that most resonated with me throughout this pandemic: Sisyphus pushing a rock up the hill, knowing he might never make it to the top. It echoed how my colleagues and I on the front lines and beyond in the public health workforce felt. We would let ourselves take a breath and hope the worst was behind us, yet still brace for what we knew would come, carrying the weight on our shoulders. This is how many of us have felt this year — maybe all of us. For me as an emergency physician and public health advocate, at times it felt like an unrelenting assault on every front with no escape or seeming end. And we just kept pushing — with work, kids, and isolation; with worry, sadness, and exhaustion. (Priya Mammen, 6/11)

The Food and Drug Administration’s first approval of a drug to treat Alzheimer’s since 2003 should be a cause for celebration. Alzheimer’s is a scourge of aging societies that already affects more than 6 million Americans. The disease strips patients of their memory and ability to manage even basic tasks of independent living, while burdening caretakers emotionally, financially and physically. Progress against this horror ought to be cheered. But more than any potential gains against Alzheimer’s, this FDA approval — and the controversy it has sparked — underscores shortcomings in the U.S. health-care system, which too often prioritizes corporate financial interests over the needs of patients and taxpayers. (Helaine Olen, 6/11)

Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration overruled—to much criticism—its own scientific advisory committee and approved the Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm. The agency made this decision despite thin evidence of the drug’s clinical efficacy and despite its serious side effects, including brain swelling and bleeding. As a result, a serious risk now exists that millions of people will be prescribed a drug that does more harm than good. (Nicholas Bagley and Rachel Sachs, 6/11)