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 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.
