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March Newsletter

2026 Edition

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope."

-- Lady Bird Johnson


The Editor's Take: Good luck during midterm season!


Happy spring, AMWA UTD!


My name is Gauri, and I wanted to start off by saying that I hope you have been enjoying the first month of school. This March, we continue to feature your favorite columns -- Spotlight and What's Poppin' -- while also continuing our exciting new column: Booked. This month, Abhi will be helping us page through the life of Henrietta Lacks in the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.


I wanted to wish you all the best of luck during midterm season. Go outside and smell the roses after your Pomodoro timer dings. Lady Bird Johnson is correct -- spring is such a hopeful and beautiful season that we cannot let pass us by! Use spring break as motivation to ace your exams and get those A's! Please continue taking care of yourselves and sleeping properly.


This month, our committee of writers includes: Abhi Saravanan, Sarah Sunelwala, Amani Ahmed, Samhitha Palla, and Sahaana Anand. Each of these writers has written an individual article about something close to their hearts as well as a column article - either paired or for Booked.


We warmly encourage all AMWA UTD members to submit their own pieces for potential inclusion in the newsletter. Whether it’s an article, reflection, or creative piece, your voice matters, and we would be proud to feature it. Please feel free to email me at gauri.guruprasad@utdallas.edu with your ideas and submissions!


I hope you enjoy getting to know the issues that are near and dear to our writers' hearts. They all did fantastic jobs this month, with so many relevant, important, and extremely informative articles.


Happy reading,

❤︎ Gauri ❤︎


Booked: The Unexpected, Uncredited Hero: A Look into The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

By: Abhi Saravanan


Read the Book! The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot


Introduction: Where Does The Polio Vaccine Come From?

In the 1950s, a polio epidemic had completely overtaken the United States, leaving many people dead, in critical condition, or fearfully wondering what they’d do if they were next. Mankind, not just the people living in the United States, was at a great risk because of this detestable disease. However, that changed in 1955, when a vaccine to combat polio was finally developed and mass produced by Dr. Jonas E. Salk and his colleagues. (Mayo Clinic, 2022) One of the most critical pieces to the puzzle that was the discovery of the polio vaccine was the usage of HeLa cells, which multiplied rapidly and were ideal for virus infection. (Turner, 2012) HeLa cells are a critical part of all kinds of research, whether for past research such as the polio vaccine, or research geared towards the future such as finding cancer treatment. But despite their importance in the medical research circle, the origin of the cells, for the longest time, was widely unknown. It is only in recent days that we’ve found out where, or rather, from whom these cells came from.

This leads us to a look at The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a recount of the life and untimely death of the woman who gave the scientific community these cells widely used across the world today. The book is a biography written by Rebecca Skloot, who diligently worked to reconnect with Lacks’ family and loved ones in order to uncover the previously hidden truth about the woman who, unknowingly, gave the world her cancer cells to revolutionize medical research.


The Historical and Ethical Context

Despite Skloot’s book surrounding something regarding a scientific topic, a core part of what she talks about has much more to do with the historical context of the social sphere at the time. The hospital that Henrietta Lacks was treated at until her death due to cervical cancer was Johns Hopkins hospital, and the time of her treatment took place in an America that still segregated people by their skintones. (Skloot, 2010) Skloot makes sure to include many recounts of both subtle and explicit racism in the medical field throughout the first part of the book, which recounts Henrietta’s last few moments before her unfortunate death. There are some miniscule details that can easily be missed, but when spotted, help to truly contextualize the time in which Henrietta was receiving her treatment. For example, the vial in which Henrietta’s blood was kept after any tests was labeled “colored” as to showcase the segregation that any hospitals that would even bother to treat black people chose to implement into their systems. There were also some more abrupt, obvious showcases of racism. For example, one of the doctors who played a key role in the initial stages of cell culture cultivation, Alexis Carrel, was a proud eugenicist; he was only pursuing cell culture development in order to discover the best way to enhance what he saw as the “superior white race.” Skloot even goes as far as to make a point that she wonders if Henrietta would have been treated with more care during her final moments at Hopkins had she been a white woman.

Another important detail regarding the tragedy surrounding the usage of Henrietta’s cells was the lack of knowledge, let alone consent, from both her and her family. At the time, Johns Hopkins hospital’s compensation for the “free” treatment they offered was your automatic agreement for your experiences to be used for research. Dr. George Gey, who was the scientist leading the lab responsible for creating the HeLa cell line, took the cells from Henrietta’s cervical tumor, unbeknownst to her and her family, well even after her death. Henrietta’s husband, David, or Day, was merely told that his late wife’s cells were being used to help create something that would help his kids in the future. While this wasn’t incorrect, plenty of the truth was missing. The successful development of HeLa cells was something the Lacks family truly had no idea about. While the world reveled in scientific breakthroughs, Henrietta’s children and husband were grieving her death miserably and being left to pick up the pieces of their now broken family. The world didn’t even properly get to know who exactly it was that gave the world her miracle cells, as Dr. Gey, knowing all too well that his acquisition of the cells was rather unethical, pushed to keep Henrietta’s name anonymous. The world was told that the namesake of HeLa cells was from a woman named “Helen Lane” rather than “Henrietta Lacks.”


Lacks’ Story at Its Core

Despite the book’s rather unfortunate premise, it was still an engaging read because of Rebecca Skloot’s masterful narration. The way the book played out, despite being biographical, was very reminiscent of a fictional story. Rebecca, speaking in the first person, describes her difficult, but rewarding journey tracking down Henrietta’s living family and friends in order to get a proper account of what it was that happened prior to Henrietta’s cells taking over the world. Rebecca becomes particularly close with Deborah Lacks, Henrietta’s daughter. Rebecca describes the hardships that she faced while trying to track down Henrietta’s family. Henrietta left behind a family that dealt with a lot of issues, both in terms of their physical health and their familial bonds. In the early stages of communication with Deborah, Rebecca found herself scrambling, unsure of what to do. Deborah had been dealt a bad hand of cards in life because of her mother’s death, and she didn't want it to cause even more hurt to her family. However, upon discovering that someone truly cared about showcasing her mother’s story, Deborah and Rebecca together worked to uncover everything surrounding her mother’s cells and what it took for them to be used around the world.

At its core, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks can be seen as a story that describes the beautiful relationship between a dedicated mom and the daughter who was left behind with nothing but her memories. Deborah’s journey towards learning about who exactly her mother was is incredibly endearing. One moment of the book particularly stands out, where Deborah and her brother, Zakariyya get to look at HeLa cells under a microscope for the first time. Deborah, overwhelmed with emotion, comments that her mother’s cells are “‘beautiful.’”


Conclusion: “Some Good For Someone”

Despite the difficulties that Henrietta and her family faced throughout life, in both the racial and ethical fronts, at her core, Henrietta was a loving person who fought off cervical cancer the best she could to take care of her family. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks showcases the resilience that both her and her family exemplified despite every single challenge that was thrown their way. It wasn’t merely her cells that kept Henrietta immortal; the deep love from her family, Deborah in particular, was what kept Henrietta alive, allowing Rebecca to tell the world her story in the most detailed way possible.

The kind of person that Henrietta was can be summed up with one key story. Despite a lack of a record officially stating that George Gey visited Henrietta to talk to her about her cells, one of Gey’s colleagues, Laure Aurelian, says that George did visit her one day. George told her that her cells would make her immortal and would save the lives of countless people, to which Henrietta smiled and said she was glad her pain would come to some good for someone.

What's Poppin': Crohn's Symptoms Improved Through 5-Day Diet

By: Sarah Sunelwala and Amani Ahmed


Crohn’s disease is a chronic illness, characterized by inflammation of the small and large intestine in the digestive tract. This long-term inflammation causes ulcers, damage along the digestive tract that requires lifelong management. Common symptoms include stomach pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and malnutrition. Crohn’s disease is usually diagnosed in young adults (under 30), and while the exact cause is unknown, genetic and environmental factors can have an impact on Crohn's disease. There is no current cure to Crohn's disease, but there are many medications, medical therapies and lifestyle modifications that can greatly improve symptoms and make Crohn’s disease easier to manage, reduce symptoms, induce remission, and prevent long-term complications.


Although Crohn’s disease has no cure, several medications, and medical therapies are available to reduce inflammation, relieve symptoms, induce remission, and prevent long-term damage to the intestinal tract. Anti-inflammatory medications such as corticosteroids, and Oral 5-aminosalicylates. Corticosteroids help reduce inflammation in the body and may be used for 3-4 months to reduce symptoms and induce remission, but corticosteroids may not work on every patient, in which case a patient may take Oral 5-aminosalicylates. Oral 5-aminosalicylates are primarily used for mild to moderate Crohn’s disease affecting the colon. Oral 5-aminosalicylate will reduce inflammation but are generally less effective for Crohn’s disease affecting the small intestine. Additionally, patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease may take immune system suppressors such as Azathioprine and Mercaptopurine, or Methotrexate. Azathioprine (Azasan, Imuran) and Mercaptopurine (Purinethol, Purixan) are immunosuppressants that reduce inflammation and induce remission, however when taking these medications the patient must get their blood checked regularly as immunosuppressants cause lowered resistance to infection and inflammation of the liver, and bone marrow suppression so the patient may develop hepatotoxicity, elevated liver enzymes, or a reduced white blood cell count. Lastly, Methotrexate is the last resort for people who don’t respond well to all other medications prescribed for Crohn’s disease, as it is an antimetabolite that inhibits folic acid metabolism which reduces immune-mediated inflammation. This medication can only be taken once a week and very carefully as if taken more than one week can be fatal for the patient.


Could dietary changes work to improve symptoms of Crohn’s disease? This is a question many individuals and physicians wonder as there remains little scientific research and evidence backing improvements to Crohn’s due to dietary and lifestyle changes. Practicing gastroenterologist and researcher, Sidhartha Sinha sought to answer this question through a Stanford-led trial consisting of 97 adults with mild to moderate Crohn’s symptoms. Half of these participants adhered to a plant-based and low-calorie diet for 5 consecutive days. These participants were then asked to follow their usual diet for the remainder of the month. The results became apparent just after 3 cycles: in the group following the fasting-like diet, 70% showed improvements to Crohn’s symptoms as well as greater likelihood of clinical remissions compared to the group not following the diet. Reduced inflammation was confirmed through the testing of fecal calprotectin, a protein present in stool during intestinal inflammation. Average calprotectin levels decreased in the group following the 5 day diet, but rose in the comparison group (Stanford Medicine, 2025).


Sidhartha and his team did not expect improvements to be so widespread nor arise so quickly. Improvements to symptoms were even observed just after 1 cycle of the diet. It is important to note, however, that the participants continued their usual treatment treatment to Crohn’s as there was no drastic change to dosage or introduction of new drug therapies. Therefore, this trial highlights that improvements were best when the implemented dietary changes were in conjunction to medication, not used as a replacement. Given the low commitment of the 5-day diet, participants were able to easily implement these lifestyle changes as they were allowed to follow their typical eating patterns for the majority of the month. Sidhartha and his team seek to conduct further research into a larger and more diverse population and understand the mechanism to individuals' improvements in order to curate specific diets, similar to how individuals have specific needs of medication.


Medical therapies are also significantly beneficial for Crohn’s disease management and treatment. Infliximab, Ustekinumab, Vedolizumab, and Risankizumab all target large proteins made by the immune system and interfere with the actions of that large protein in order to reduce symptoms and induce remission for people with Crohn's disease. While medication is essential to prevent disease progression and intestinal damage, holistic, dietary, and lifestyle interventions can significantly improve quality of life and symptom control. Nutrition therapy may involve specialized liquid diets taken orally or through feeding tubes (enteral nutrition), or in severe cases, intravenous nutrition (parenteral nutrition). During flare-ups, a low-fiber diet may be recommended to reduce the risk of intestinal blockage. Working with a registered dietitian to implement an elimination diet can help identify trigger foods such as spicy foods, dairy products, high-fat foods, and processed foods that may increase symptoms or cause flare-ups of Crohn’s disease. Additionally, making lifestyle modifications such as regular exercise, adequate sleep and avoiding smoking and alcohol consumption may reduce flare-ups and make managing Crohn’s disease much easier. The 5-day diet mentioned above represents an incredible step in the right direction, offering patients with Crohn’s disease additional avenues to manage their disease along with traditional medical therapy.


Crohn’s disease is a lifelong inflammatory condition requiring comprehensive and individualized management. Although there is no cure, advancements in medicine have greatly improved outcomes for patients with Crohn’s disease. When combined with appropriate nutrition, lifestyle modifications, and regular medical monitoring, individuals with Crohn’s disease can achieve remission, reduce complications, and maintain a high quality of life. Results such as the ones described in Sidhartha’s research study have been long overdue because of the vast underfunding in nutritional research compared to drug development. If effective, not only can dietary changes bring about relief for patients, but they can be easy to implement and are uncostly options- a huge pro when existing treatments on the market cost up to thousands! This research study can pave the way to a shift in approach to not just treating Crohn’s, but other disorders as well. Through increased research we can provide patients with more flexible and tailored options to support their overall wellbeing and health.

Spotlight: Dr. Lisa Mosconi

By: Sahaana Anand and Samhitha Palla


As of 2026, two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease are women, becoming a statistic that remained a mystery for decades. While age is always considered a factor in determining if an individual is affected by Alzheimer’s or dementia related diseases, scientists began to wonder if one’s genetics, lifestyle and diet affects the emergence of such diseases. While scientists continue to ponder this idea, Dr. Lisa Mosconi’s research became a key figure on how we perceive early cognitive decline detection and brain health, especially in women. Dr. Lisa Mosconi has dedicated her career to understanding why women’s brains are more vulnerable to neurodegenerative diseases. Her research challenges decades of neuroscience studies that primarily focused on male subjects. Dr. Mosconi's work argues the assumption that hormonal changes throughout a woman's lifespan is the key to understanding cognitive decline.

Born and raised in Italy, her interest in investigating neurodegenerative diseases has been prominent since her childhood. One of her motivations for studying Alzheimer's disease in women stemmed from the realization that Alzheimer's disease runs in her family and has affected her grandmother and her grandmother's two sisters. After receiving a five-year university degree in Experimental Psychology and Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Nuclear Medicine, specializing in brain imaging and cognitive disorders, from the University of Florence, she focused on researching how the brain changes during aging and disease. Dr. Mosconi further researched how metabolic and structural shifts in the brain occur long before the emergence of neurodegenerative diseases.

After recognizing that biological factors are only a piece of the dementia puzzle, she pursued additional training in clinical nutrition. This additional research allowed her to understand how diet and lifestyle play a role in brain function and overall cognitive health. By combining her neuroscience expertise with nutritional science, Dr. Mosconi pursued an alternative angle— the brain is not only shaped by genetics and hormones, but also affected by daily habits and overall diet.

Today, Dr. Mosconi serves as an Associate Professor of Neuroscience in Neurology and Radiology, and director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Her NIH funded research investigates early detection of cognitive decline and prevention of Alzheimer's disease among high risk individuals, especially women. Her work directly challenges the notion that men's and women's brains function identically and show similar patterns of cognitive aging. Her out of the box perspective investigates how factors, such as menopause, genetics and chronic stress affect women and their brain. In doing so, she aims to develop dementia prevention strategies and programs that are customized for women's health.

To say more on her extensive research, it is crucial to look at the overarching theme within her scientific work: challenging the norm and honing in on the intersection between women’s brain health and its connection to abnormal activity. Through the usage of brain imaging techniques in multiple long-term projects, she showed that menopause has a significant neurological shift in its norms, and that this was not limited to our otherwise well-known knowledge of reproductive change. This pioneered and showed biological evidence that women face a much higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, which created light on the necessity to look into the both hormonal and metabolic factors that were otherwise overlooked when looking into the presentations, development, and therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease. More specifically, coming up with these findings allowed Dr. Mosconi to create a critical window within which brain health should be of utmost importance, and started educating others on this very education. Her dedication to this education was done through her multiple TED talks, being an author on influential books such as “Brain Food”, and much more. Her work has thousands of citations in other scientific work and literature, thus solidifying her place as a leader in women's health and neurodegenerative disease research.

All in all, Dr. Lisa Mosconi is still working on her neuroscience-heavy research at Weill Cornell Medicine located in New York City, with a heavy focus on the detection in the critical window and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, she is also spearheading as the director of the Women’s Brain Initiative, which is aiming to understand the extensive biology behind women’s aging process and assessing risk factors. Many of the findings coming from her show that there are vast differences between female and male brains, which urges scientists to put importance in the contrasts between the two to understand such neurodegenerative diseases better. One of the most significant phenomena that she has helped normalize, “brain fog”, is commonly spoken about in conversations of mental health and burnout, but there seems to be a much more serious relation to it and actual alterations within the brain's anatomy. All of these findings by Dr. Mosconi and her team have increased awareness within these sectors, and continue to inspire more generations of scientists to include the nuances within women’s brain health.

Possibility of Alzheimer's Disease Reversal

By: Amani Ahmed


An Alzheimer diagnosis can be heart wrenching. Imagine seeing your loved one having difficulty performing everyday tasks, misplacing objects in strange places, and even forgetting family members’ names. Although many years and billions of dollars have been dedicated towards research, a cure for the disease is yet to be uncovered. Current treatments are aimed towards prevention and slowed disease progression as Alzheimer's is largely believed to be irreversible - until now. A new study by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland VA Medical Center shines light on the exciting possibility of Alzheimer’s disease reversal.


One focus of this study is on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a coenzyme which plays a vital role in cellular respiration. Specifically, NAD+ functions by carrying electrons to power the electron transport chain which ultimately results in the production of ATP which is used to power several cellular functions across the human body, including neuronal activity. As we age, our NAD+ levels decline, however; this decline is significantly greater for those with AD. This decrease in NAD+ results in a host of problems including neuroinflammation, disruption in synaptic transmissions, and cognitive decline. However, the Peiper lab at Case Western Reserve University has developed a compound, P7C3-A20, designed to restore NAD+ homeostasis.


Mice models were utilized to study the effect of NAD+ restoration. These mice were genetically engineered to express mutations known to cause AD in humans. Specifically, 5xFAD mice were used as they possessed mutations resulting in accumulation of amyloid plaque proteins, thus reflecting the pathology of AD in humans. Furthermore, to evaluate prevention of AD, a cohort of 5xFAD mice were given a dosage of P7C3-A20 everyday between 2-6 months of age (the time when symptoms of cognitive impairment become first apparent). To evaluate reversal of AD, another cohort of 5xFAD mice were administered dosages of P7C3-A20 everyday between the age of 6-12 months (timing which allowed for significant disease progression). Towards the end of the experiment, these mice underwent behavioral analysis (via object recognition, swim tests, mazes) and had their brains analyzed through microscopic imaging.


The results were astounding: P7C3-A20 proved to result in not only prevention of AD but reversal as well. Specifically, the treated mice showed prevention and reversal of blood-brain barrier deterioration, neuroinflammation, DNA and oxidative damage, and diminished accumulation of amyloid plaque. Furthermore, the P7C3-A20 prevented and reversed cognitive impairments in memory and spatial learning in these mice as well. Additionally, the P7C3-A20 treated mice showed to have normal levels of phosphorylated tau 217, an approved biomarker for detecting AD, thus further confirming disease reversal.


This study underscores the potential of restoring NAD+ homeostasis to allow for reversal of AD. More research is to be performed to determine if these results from the mice models can be translated to human patients. Not only does this study mark a shift in how Alzheimer’s can be treated, but it also offers a glimpse of hope for patients and their loved ones: Alzheimer's may not be permanent and that a chance of normalcy may be within reach once again.

Work-Life Balance for Women in Healthcare

By: Sahaana Anand


The concept of work-life balance is a phrase we have heard of for so long- the second we had to start figuring out who we want to be when we grow up, thinking of what major to put down when we applied for colleges, and of course, the inevitable doom in our hearts when we realize that making such decisions may as well define the rest of our lives. This is of course, far from the dramatized truth, as the future is truly in our own hands and can be changed or redefined in any given moment when one realizes what it is they truly want their careers and lives to look like! Work-life balance is discussed in these contexts heavily, but honing in on how it is discussed within the career tract of medicine, science, and healthcare is mainly the construct of this article. It is beneficial to think, where did this concept even stem from? Why is it so heavily scrutinized when a woman thinks she can “do it all”? Work-life balance, while holding different scales of value for different people, is a heavily thought-of idea in modern society, and the standards within which women are expected to meet or demeaned upon for not meeting are all the social constructs within which we are learning from.


Historically, after the rise of women being able to move from opportunities that only allowed them to be at home to moving into the workfield, the assumption that they were only supposed to do household work shifted. For a while now, rather than to push one way or another, modern feminism encourages women to pursue whatever they desire out of their life, whether that be fully in household work, fully in the workfield, or some balance between both.


The concept of having a work life balance, however, seems to be pushing that perfect half and half of the “in-between” heavily, to the point of creating unrealistic expectations for women who fall under any level within the spectrum of this arbitrary balance line. If a woman “having it all” means she must be fully present at both a home-life and work-life, is that truly what the idea of feminism and freedom of choice really means? The very concept of balance implies a few opposing ideas. If one does truly give their all into their career, or their all in a family home life, then why is it that they are not seen as ambitious enough in one or the other? I think these rhetorical questions push us to not know where to ever feel satisfied. If one does find that balance of putting equal effort to both work and home, then they are seen as not doing enough for one or the other. These unruly expectations truly do concoct a recipe for burnout and not feeling good enough, creating more issues than just letting individuals decide what is enough for them or not.


This leads to the discussion of actual conversations many women have had with others when they inform them they are pursuing a career in STEM and medicine. A lot of the time, they are met with shock and disbelief disguised as amazement, and the line of “what about a family?” can be found somewhere within that conversation or the words unspoken. It is a loaded conversation that does much more than just discuss the logistics of your future- it implies that you need to think about prioritizing one or the other, and finding a balance between the both is too much. This can be discouraging for those who truly do want both, but later on find themselves never fully being satisfied despite being super hard workers who try to do it all. The stress. According to the NIH, female healthcare workers have a consistently higher level of burnout of 55% compared to a rate of 42% for male healthcare workers. This accounts from the very concept of work-life balance, less workplace flexibility, and higher demands for reaching high levels of achievement.


Continuing on with this discussion about expectations and burnout, it is important to think about what “balance” means within a woman’s personal work life. It must mean different things for different people, of course, such as choosing a specialty that gives you more flexibility to have more time to spend at home instead of being called up for emergencies at any given moment. Another instance could be a woman who knows that her life's pure joy comes from giving her all to her career, and society should let that woman stand on what she likes without looking down on the fact that she wants to dedicate her time to that said passion and career. All in all, instead of concern and judgement, leading these conversations with grace and understanding that we are all just trying to figure out what brings us joy in this life should be the norm. Coming to these conclusions and findings comes from years of trial and error, and uplifting women pursuing what makes them happy is all we can do!

Crucified Despite Cruciality: The Impact of Immigrants in Healthcare

By: Abhi Saravanan


Introduction

Near or far, old or young, from all walks of life, people come to the United States to make a life for themselves. Whether to chase that American dream and make it come true, or to give their family a new home, immigrants come to the USA to begin a new life. With the amount of people who come to the United States, there also comes a large wave of medical talent ready to use their skills to make a positive impact on Americans’ well being. In today’s political climate, the state of immigration is rather shaky. A lot of industries are being affected, and the healthcare industry is no exception.

When discussing the impact of immigration, and even immigrants themselves, in the healthcare industry here in the United States, there are two things that must be considered: the immigrants working in healthcare who treat others, and immigrants being treated by healthcare professionals.


By the Numbers

Immigrants are very significant contributors to the American healthcare system. Madeline Zavodny, an economist from the University of North Florida, says that “‘foreign-born workers make a vital contribution to health care in the United States.’” (Anderson, 2025) Around 20% of healthcare workers in the U. S. are not born in the U. S. This statistic represents a large variety of healthcare workers, including but not limited to physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and more. 26% of physicians and surgeons are foreign born, 22% of dentists are foreign born, and 17% of registered nurses are foreign born.

When one says that immigrants play an important role in all aspects of the healthcare system, they mean all aspects. Immigrants also play a key role in the research side of medicine, with them making up roughly half of the people in the United States who work as bioengineers, biomedical engineers, or medical scientists. One-third of Americans who have, since 2000 won a Nobel Prize in medicine are also foreign born.

Despite the statistics emphasizing the importance of having a diverse work force, the United States immigration system is making it increasingly difficult for potential healthcare professionals to come and work in the United States. Many nurses are struggling to acquire H-1B visas. The termination of parole programs by the Trump administration is forcing healthcare organizations to scramble to make up for the sudden loss of their staff who lost authorization to work. This is merely the tip of the iceberg.


An Unjust Struggle

Many people have a misguided, preconceived notion that immigrants, specifically those who come to the United States undocumented, are taking away a large amount of healthcare services for Americans despiste not having to contribute to the payment of those services via taxes. However, contrary to popular belief, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for any federally funded public health insurance programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. (Alarcon, 2022) Even though they do pay the taxes for them, they do not reap the benefits that these programs have to offer. They only receive care from these programs in the case of an “emergency situation” under the condition that they meet the program’s other requirements aside from those concerning immigration status.

Despite immigrating to the United States and feeding into its tax system, undocumented immigrants in particular get absolutely no benefits out of them. This is particularly frustrating because no one should be denied potentially life-saving medical care because of immigration status. Everyone deserves the right to healthcare. Access to healthcare should not be a privilege, because it is a human right. But a concerning amount of people are not able to reap the benefits of this human right because of what a small set of documents say about where they reside.


Conclusion

What will happen to the future? Will innocent people have to work tirelessly to feed into a system that gives them nothing in return? Or will the government put more effort into covering care for immigrants, undocumented and documented alike? Only time will tell the state of matters for immigrants in the US, both healthcare workers and those receiving healthcare. It’s up to us to support those in our community in trying times. Because one thing is true: at the end of the day, we are all the same. Despite potential differences in our origins, we all have one thing in common. We are all trying to achieve the American dream.

TrumpRx

By: Sarah Sunelwala


TrumpRx was a federal website launched in February 2026 by the Trump Administration which aimed to significantly lower prices on high-cost brand name prescription drugs, such as drugs targeting cancers, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and certain blood thinners (classes of medications at the highest prices). TrumpRx was launched offering discounts for 43 medications which were priced using international pricing through “Most-Favored-Nation” (MFN) which deals with manufacturer websites for coupons and purchases. Through the international pricing the price of the 43 medications on the website are aligned with the lowest rates in other developed nations. The Trump administration has described this initiative as a historic step towards addressing the rising cost of healthcare and prescription drug prices, with President Trump saying, “This launch represents the largest reduction in prescription drug prices in history by many, many times. And it's not even close. You’re going to see numbers that you’re not going to believe.”

TrumpRx was introduced with 43 medications including insulin, GLP-1s, Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and fertility treatments like Gonal-F and Cetrotide. In order to access these discounts, an individual would have to log into the TrumpRx website, and click the button stating they are not enrolled in a government assistance program, such as Medicare and won’t seek reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs or count them towards a deductible. Afterwards, a person can search for a prescription drug and get the discounts offered through the TrumpRx website. Most discounts are offered from participating manufacturers like Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Novo Nordisk in which after choosing the discount, that individual will either have to bring the offered coupon or discount to a pharmacy to get their prescription drug. The Trump administration initially claimed savings as high as 578% for certain Novo Nordisk drugs which is an impossible figure as that would require pharmaceutical companies to pay patients into taking their medications which is a highly improbable situation. The website itself lists discounts around 74%-85%, however some patients have reported finding larger discounts on competing platforms and noted that the advertised 74%-85% savings do not apply to all medications, but are only applicable for certain medications.

While the concept of TrumpRx is appealing in that it would help patients who are uninsured or self-pay individuals paying in cash at pharmacies for their medications, it does not help the larger American population, which for the most part are insured. Because TrumpRx requires users to forgo insurance reimbursement, insured individuals, even those with high deductibles who pay significant healthcare costs out-of-pocket, may not be able to use the website in a way that would be beneficial to them. Furthermore, the initial drug list offered on the platform is small, which further restricts its potential effect on the overall cost of prescription drug affordability.

Healthcare economists also question whether TrumpRx meaningfully simplifies the already complex U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Rena Conti, an associate professor at Boston University states “Healthcare is really complicated in America, and even the supply of prescription drugs is really complicated in America, and this has added to the complexity, instead of reducing complexity,” She along with other business and healthcare professionals believe that while TrumpRx is a start it has a very small impact on the overall cost of rising drug prices and is of very little benefit to the over 85% insured Americans nationally. TrumpRx would not be fundamentally changing anything about the Pharmaceutical or Healthcare industry and does very little to address the underlying systematic dividers that influence high drug prices, patent protections, pharmacy benefits, and healthcare costs.

In the short term, TrumpRx’s impact appears very limited in both the price discounts it offers and the population benefitting from the discounts. Without expansion of the discounts offered or further negotiation with pharmaceutical companies to offer discounts, the initiative's initial impact is very insignificant on overall healthcare costs. However, in the long term, if additional pharmaceutical companies participate and the medication list expands substantially, TrumpRx could evolve into a more influential pricing model. The website’s long-term success will ultimately depend on how well the administration is able to bring about that change and whether consumers will perceive the platform as offering better prices than existing discount services.

TrumpRx represents an attempt to address the rising costs of healthcare and medication prices, and while beneficial for certain uninsured patients requiring certain medications the savings offered through TrumpRx may be beneficial. However, given its limited scope and not offering patients an alternative if they are insured, the platform doesn't currently transform the overall healthcare industry within the U.S. and if fundamental change is not brought about then TrumpRx’s impact will be insignificant.

Shadow CDC: When Public Health is in the Dark

By: Samhitha Palla


Since its establishment in July 1946, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been the forefront of public health guidance and the leading voice in fighting deadly disease outbreaks. However, over the past year, the policies of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration have significantly affected the CDC’s funding, programs and staff, becoming a drastic consequence for the future of public health in the United States. Reports from works, such as the Annals of Internal Medicine, explain that a plethora of public health databases, especially datasets pertaining to vaccines, have gone offline. As a result, state and local governments are taking on the task of strengthening the weakened public health infrastructure and vaccine databases— thus becoming a “shadow CDC.”


The shadow CDC, an alliance of regional governments, organizations and scientific communities, aims to continue the public health functions that initially operated under the CDC. The emergence of this movement sparked from disruptions in federal data reporting, leading to concerns on the nation's ability to monitor disease trends and implement effective initiatives. Rather than simply relying on federal guidance, local and state governments began strengthening their regional public health and data-sharing partnerships, leading to a collective response to disease outbreaks. Medical societies, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, have also strengthened their stance by reinforcing evidence-based vaccination schedules and lifestyle or clinical recommendations for children and teens. Such organizations have formed cross-state strategies to improve the access to public health services and initiatives.


While the shadow CDC isn’t a formal organization, it represents the notion of local organizations filling the data void caused by events within the federal government. For instance, events such as the government shutdown from October 1 to November 12, 2025 has kept a plethora of organizations and functions in limbo. Within the CDC, the shutdown has stalled the national flu reporting. Such delays along with staffing cuts have made it difficult for the CDC to maintain data entries. However, the delays are not the only hindrance for the CDC. Political pressure has led to significant budget and labor cutbacks. Political figures, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been vocal about antivaccine ideologies and has implemented several policies to limit access to vaccines since his appointment. As a result, CDC has scaled back its childhood vaccine schedule, thus reducing the number of diseases covered from 17 to 11. When health recommendations and schedules loosen, local organizations are joining forces to fill the public health data void.


As pre-health students, we have been exposed to data and research that has shown how dangerous the emergence of diseases occurs in our communities. Furthermore, we have learned the disastrous consequences of childhood mortality prior to the development of life saving vaccines. As a result, there is no medically justifiable reason to underplay the recommendations for battling such diseases. During major public health crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, states have relied on the CDC for social distancing initiatives and deploying epidemiologists to track the sources of infections and deliver vaccines to vulnerable communities. When political pressure and government policies impact the work of such organizations, local organizations and medical societies have taken on the leadership to decrease the growing health divide and provide efficient access to care.


By exploring this topic now rather than later, current and future healthcare professionals as well as community leaders are able to join forces to strengthen the already weakened public health infrastructure. In doing so, communities can heal the fractured healthcare system and prevent health disparities from worsening. Ultimately, in order to keep our futures happy and healthy, the initiatives of mending the broken gaps in public must begin sooner than later.


Sources

Booked: The Unexpected, Uncredited Hero: A Look into The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Mayo Clinic. (2022). History of Polio: Outbreaks and Vaccine Timeline. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/history-disease-outbreaks-vaccine-timeline/polio


Skloot, R. (2010). The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Crown.


Turner, T. (2012). Development of the Polio Vaccine: A Historical Perspective of Tuskegee University’s Role in Mass Production and Distribution of HeLa Cells. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 23(4a), 5–10. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2012.0151

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Alarcon, F. J. (2022). The Migrant Crisis and Access to Health Care. Delaware Journal of Public Health, 8(4), 20–25. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9621574/#:~:text=Chronic%20conditions%20like%20diabetes%2C%20high

Anderson, S. (2025, November 19). Immigrant Health Care Workers Vital Despite U.S. Immigration Policies. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2025/11/19/immigrant-health-care-workers-vital-despite-us-immigration-policies/


 
 
 

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