Here, we’ll go in-depth with Chicago-area medical pros and community leaders you can trust.
Hear directly from the doctors, researchers, and healthcare workers who make Chicago a medical leader, in conversation with Chicago Health’s editorial team. You’ll hear from cardiologists on longevity, researchers on news overload, and our own editors and journalists on why we cover the stories we do. All to give you the context, so you can sort through the noise and make more informed decisions that impact your health and keep you ahead as an industry leader.
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Episode 4 – The Composting Hospital
How does composting impact human health? Well, it cuts methane emissions — a greenhouse gas — from landfills. And it improves soil health, which improves the health of the food we grow in that soil. Composting also saves water, because using compost in agriculture helps the soil retain more water, meaning farmers use less water to keep their plants growing.
Chicago is increasing access to composting through the city’s Food Scrap Drop-Off Program, where you can drop off food at certain local libraries. Since its launch in October 2023, nearly 8,000 households have diverted more than 1 million pounds of food waste from landfills. And at Rush University Medical Center on Chicago’s West Side, Ian Hughes, director of environmental sustainability, kicked off the medical center’s own composting program.
Guest:
- Ian Hughes, director of environmental sustainability at Rush University Medical Center
Related reading:
Production support from Wolf Point Media | Intro and outro music by Dan Leu
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Episode 3 – Nutrition and the Body
The foods we eat have a significant impact on how we live — from heart disease and cancer to brain and hormonal health. And our audience loves to learn about these connections. In this episode, we go behind the scenes with a look at how we decided on and developed our fall/winter 2025/2026 issue theme: nutrition and the body. During an uncertain time in our society, when much feels out of our control, we use this issue to focus on the choices we can control: the foods we eat. Yet, there are also choices our broader food systems make for us, often contributing to health issues. Hear how we used this issue to examine all aspects of health, through a food lens.
Guest:
- Katie Scarlett Brandt, editor-in-chief of Chicago Health and Caregiving magazines
Related reading:
Fall/Winter 2025/2026 issue: Nutrition and the Body
Individual stories:
- Nourishing the Mind, Body, and Beyond
- Nutrition at a Glance
- Hormones in Menopause
- Menopause Meal Plan
- What’s in a Diet?
- Healing Foods
- Supplements, Superfoods, and Snake Oil
- Food Insecurity in Chicago
- Weight Loss Drug Revolution
Production support from Wolf Point Media | Intro and outro music by Dan Leu
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Episode 2 – Extending the Human Lifespan
The longest-living human ever recorded made it to 122 years old. Is that age a fantasy for most, or an increasingly realistic possibility? In this episode, we explore the ethics of aging, factors that influence how we age, and what the future may hold — from research on biological vs. chronological age, to aspects within our control.
Guest:
- Douglas Vaughn, MD, cardiologist and director of the Potocsnak Longevity Institute at Northwestern Medicine
Related reading:
Background story: Live Long and Prosper
Past coverage:
Production support from Wolf Point Media | Intro and outro music by Dan Leu
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Episode 1 – Coping with News Overwhelm
What makes people vulnerable to news overwhelm? How can we stay grounded amid the media chaos — and avoid polarization? Chicago Health contributor Dan Dean talks with media researchers about medical misinformation and disinformation, and how to protect your mental health during a stressful news cycle.
Guests:
- Stephanie Lynn Edgerly, PhD, Professor, Associate Dean of Research, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University
- David N. Rapp, PhD, Walter Dill Scott Professor, School of Education and Social Policy & Department of Psychology, Northwestern University
Related reading:
- Background story: How to Stay Calm in a Stressful News Cycle
- Past coverage: Health Disinformation Abounds Online
Production support from Wolf Point Media | Intro and outro music by Dan Leu
An award-winning journalist, Katie has written for Chicago Health since 2016 and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief.
