“Mental illness in a dish” stem cell model
Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have genetically engineered human stem cells to harbor mutations in a known risk gene for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and autism.  Read more >>

Insurance Plan Selection Factors: 5-Star Ratings, Costs, Benefits and More
Rachel Reid, MD, MS, of the Department of Medicine, and fellow researchers have examined the relationship between publicly reported Medicare Advantage plan features (i.e., costs, quality and benefits) and brand market share, and patients’ enrollment decisions. Read more >>

Mental Health Funding for Developing Countries
Chunling Lu, PhD, of the Division of Global Health Equity, and colleagues report that in developing countries, less than 1 percent of total development funding for health goes toward mental health, even though mental and substance-use disorders are a leading cause of the global burden of disease. Read more >>

Using Genomics to Detect Antibiotic Resistance
Investigators in the Center for Clinical and Translational Metagenomics in the BWH Department of Pathology have developed rapid genomic methods to analyze multi-drug resistant pathogens cultured from patients. Read more >>

Premature Birth and Sensing Pain
Mieke Soens, MD, of BWH’s Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, and colleagues in the Strichartz lab have found – using a preclinical model – that progesterone levels in utero may contribute to abnormal pain response during adulthood. Read more >>