Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has been named to the Honor Roll for the 11th consecutive year. It also tied for #1 in California and Los Angeles.

Cedars-Sinai Health System affiliates Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Huntington Health also earned high state and local rankings. Torrance Memorial Medical Center ranked #7 in California and #4 in Los Angeles, while Huntington Health was #10 in California and #5 in Los Angeles.

“These strong results are a credit to the dedicated healthcare professionals and staff who work every day to advance our four-part mission of healing, discovery, education and community service,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Health System.

The U.S. News rankings, released Tuesday, are based on patient outcomes, patient experience, ability to handle complex medical conditions and a variety of other health-related measures.

U.S. News identified the nation’s top 20 hospitals for the Honor Roll based on their high rankings and ratings in multiple specialties, procedures and conditions.

The publication also ranked the top hospitals by clinical specialties in the U.S.

Ten Cedars-Sinai Medical Center specialties were ranked among the best in the nation, including three that ranked in the top five:

• Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery (#4)
• Gastroenterology & GI Surgery (#3)
• Orthopedics (#5)

In addition to the above specialties, Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#9) was ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Three specialties also were #1 in California (highest U.S. News ranking in the region):

• Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery
• Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
• Orthopedics

Those three were #1 in Los Angeles along with Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Three Cedars-Sinai Health System affiliate hospital specialties also ranked nationally:

• Torrance Memorial Medical Center Orthopedics (#27)
• Torrance Memorial Medical Center Obstetrics & Gynecology (#44)
• Huntington Health Obstetrics & Gynecology (#33-tie)

Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital ranked as “High-Performing” in Common Adult Procedures and Conditions, including Back Surgery, Diabetes, Heart Failure, Hip Fracture, Hip Replacement and Pneumonia.

Slavin said the strong rankings reflect Cedars-Sinai’s patient-care philosophy, even during a time of profound change in the healthcare industry.

“We are driven by an enduring commitment to improve the health of patients in Los Angeles and across the globe,” he said. “That is our most important priority.”

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

Gilliam, 32, suffered sudden cardiac arrest, an electrical malfunction of the heart that causes it to abruptly stop beating. The odds were stacked against him: Sudden cardiac arrest kills about 90% of those who experience it outside of a hospital. Survival depended on a chain of people acting within minutes.

A fellow dancer immediately started CPR. Other dancers ran out of the dance studio in search of an automated external defibrillator (AED) and found one at a nearby dentist’s office. A speech pathologist who had just completed CPR recertification and happened to be nearby used the AED to revive Gilliam’s heartbeat.

Paramedics then rushed Gilliam to the Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department, where he had another cardiac arrest. Surgeons placed Gilliam on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a form of advanced life support that temporarily took over the work of his heart, giving it time to recover—or, if necessary, bridging him to a transplant.

Cedars-Sinai experts say Gilliam’s case illustrates the importance of bystander CPR and quick medical response.

“The key to G’bari surviving sudden cardiac arrest was the fast-acting individuals who provided CPR, facilitated the use of an AED, and the Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department and cardiothoracic surgery teams who began ECMO within the hospital,” said Evan Kransdorf, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute and one member of Gilliam’s team of physicians and surgeons.

During cardiac arrest, blood stops circulating, explained Pedro Catarino, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai.

“The cells of the body, particularly the brain, will die within a few minutes without circulation,” Catarino said. “Gilliam’s heart was in and out of a rhythm that doesn’t sustain circulation, so the surgery team put him on emergency life support.”

Gilliam’s heart had ceased working, so he was listed in the organ donation system. After 12 days on life support, Gilliam received the news every transplant candidate hopes for: A donor heart had become available.

“Heart transplantation offers a new chance at life for patients like Gilliam,” Catarino said. “Gilliam is an athlete and can look forward to going back to his career with a heart that has a long lifespan.”

A pathology report showed Gilliam had a severe form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited condition that causes the heart muscle to thicken so that the heart cannot contract and pump blood properly. The condition likely caused Gilliam’s sudden cardiac arrest, his medical experts say.

“Many people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy don’t have symptoms, and athletes who are used to pushing themselves to be out of breath might not realize they have it,” Kransdorf said.

Geneticists in the Smidt Heart Institute tested samples of Gilliam’s heart and found that he had a genetic variant associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Experts encourage anyone with a family history to be screened for the condition, which affects about 1 in 500 people. Gilliam’s close family members are undergoing genetic testing.

Gilliam, whose credits include performing with Bad Bunny and on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is now in physical therapy and preparing to return to dance.

“With dancing, it feels like I'm able to be my most authentic self and be the most vulnerable version of myself. It makes me feel alive,” he said.

Prior to his medical emergency, Gilliam’s schedule consisted of dance classes and gym training five days a week. He hopes to return to intense days and to continue teaching dance to elementary school students and choreographing dancers on TV and film sets. His mother and girlfriend are supporting him, as are many friends, family members and fellow dancers.

“What I learned from this experience is everyone should be trained in CPR because you never know what's going to happen,” Gilliam said. “Even more so, be a person of service. If you have the opportunity to help someone, do it.”

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights—Sudden Cardiac Arrest: Genetic Cause More Common in Younger People

But one of the unwanted consequences of spending lots of time in the water is ear infections, commonly known as swimmer’s ear. The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom spoke to Abhita Reddy, MD, a pediatric otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s, about what causes swimmer’s ear, how parents can protect their children, and how physicians diagnose and treat the condition.

What is swimmer’s ear?

Swimmer’s ear, properly known as otitis externa, is an infection of the ear canal where you often have drainage. You can have fluid sitting in the ear canal. Sometimes it looks like fluffy tissue that drains. It can cause discomfort and can also cause hearing impairment if left untreated.

What causes swimmer’s ear?

Swimmer’s ear occurs most commonly in the summertime when people are swimming in contaminated water like lakes or rivers, even sometimes in the ocean. We also see it a lot when people go surfing or do water sports, or when kids are going under water frequently or diving deep. Swimming in chlorinated or saltwater pools is less likely to cause swimmer’s ear.

How do you know if your child has swimmer’s ear?

Parents usually know when their child is getting an external infection like swimmer’s ear when they see drainage coming out of the ear, not something brown that looks like wax, but oftentimes it’s white or yellow, and it can smell bad. Swimmer’s ear is often associated with children having pain in their ear, and sometimes it can be associated with small children not letting you touch their ear, so if you tug at their ear or pull their ear it hurts a lot.

How does swimmer’s ear differ from other ear infections?

The biggest difference between a middle ear infection, known as otitis media, versus an outer ear infection, known as otitis externa, or swimmer’s ear, is that middle ear infections, which are behind the eardrum, do not have drainage coming out unless your child has ear tubes. Usually when children have middle ear infections they tug or pull at their ears, which makes it feel better. They also may develop a fever. The opposite is true with swimmer’s ear, or otitis externa, which hurts when you tug on the ear.

How are these infections treated?

Swimmer’s ear is often treated with ear drops because it’s very easy for the drops to get to the area where the infection is. With middle ear infections we often must treat it with antibiotics because unless you have ear tubes, it’s very hard for the drops to reach the infected area.

How can you prevent swimmer’s ear?

When parents ask me how to prevent their kids from getting swimmer’s ear, it often has nothing to do with swimming at all. I just tell them not to use cotton swabs such as Q-tips in their kids’ ears. When you use Q-tips in your children’s ear, it can offset the pH balance inside the ear canal, or cause small breaks in the canal skin, which can then increase the risk of getting ear infections. It is also helpful to consider using earplugs or swim caps for children. Parents can also try to dry the ear if the ear is very wet after a swim. Parents can use a hair dryer around a shoulder length away from their child’s ear on the lowest setting for about 10 seconds at a time, and that can dry out the ear canal and help prevent swimmer’s ear.

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: How to Treat Sleep Apnea in Children

The Pinedas were worried about their baby’s future. Often, if left untreated, cleft lip and palate can lead to speech and socioemotional developmental delays. Some babies also face feeding issues.

However, even before the parents reached their home, Victor Chien, MD, a pediatric plastic surgeon and director of Pediatric Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's, called the Pinedas to reassure them and offer a novel solution: robot-assisted surgery.

“We left the ultrasound feeling really sad with the news,” Marisol Pineda said. “But Dr. Chien reassured us that everything was going to be okay. He explained that although Luka has a cleft lip and palate, he would be able to fix it.”

July marks National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month. A cleft lip typically occurs when the tissues that make up the upper lip don’t join properly before birth. Children born with a cleft lip can also have a cleft palate—a condition in which the roof of the mouth doesn’t fuse properly. About 1 in every 1,031 babies in the United States is born with cleft lip with or without cleft palate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Luka was born prematurely at 33 weeks of gestation and was immediately admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s. In addition to being a preterm baby, Luka experienced breathing difficulties due to his cleft lip, which made it hard for him to close his mouth. He also gained weight more slowly because he struggled to latch onto the bottle, so he required a temporary feeding tube.

At first, Luka’s parents were apprehensive about a robot assisting with the surgery. But Chien reassured them by explaining the procedure. However, he recommended waiting until Luka weighed at least around 10 pounds or was 3 months old.

Robot-assisted cleft lip repairs are still under Food and Drug Administration review and have been used only in a handful of cases. Surgeons control the robot remotely, facing a screen away from the patient, performing the surgery using chopstick-like instruments, which allows for finer movements in small spaces like an infant’s mouth.

“The robot-assisted approach takes about the same time as the traditional approach, but it offers surgeons enhanced precision, especially when carefully separating delicate tissue and suturing. We’re using the robot for key fine sutures in three critical layers of the lip repair and now superfine dissection,” Chien said. “The main thing we are trying to reduce with all the finer techniques a robot offers is the amount of trauma and scarring on the smallest, delicate tissues.”

Furthermore, robotic assistance reduces awkward operating positions for surgeons working on the smallest patients. Chien noted that the robot’s precision eliminates hand tremors, making the procedure “gentler on the tissues.”

The family put their trust in Chien—and the results amazed them.

Following his robotic cleft lip repair, Luka was smiling, thriving and finally able to gain weight as feeding became easier.

“Physically, the surgery made a big difference. My son’s lips looked really good. The scarring was barely noticeable,” Pineda said. “He’s such a happy baby. He smiles a lot.”

Earlier this year, Luka underwent his second surgery to repair his cleft palate, an opening in the roof of the mouth that made eating solid foods and swallowing difficult. While the robot was not used for that procedure, the operation was successful, marking another important milestone in his care.

Today, at 18 months, Luka is active and playful just like any other toddler and is meeting developmental milestones. Pineda said she is relieved his early feeding struggles are behind him.

“The thing about a cleft lip and palate is there are so many emotions and worries that come with it, but we’re grateful for the advancements in technology and the care Luka received,” Pineda said. “He loves to eat; he’s such a happy eater. You would never know everything he’s been through.”

Chien is optimistic about what robotic surgery can offer and is eager to train future surgeons to adopt the technology.

“This technology could transform the way we perform delicate pediatric procedures,” he said. “It’s a new frontier for plastic surgery.”

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate FAQ

Although polio has largely receded from public health concerns in the U.S., where it was eliminated more than four decades ago, strains of the virus that causes the disease still circulate in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. At home, measles outbreaks have recently been reported in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Utah, pushing the total number of cases in the U.S. during 2026 to more than 2,220—already more than last year’s count, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“More than anything, it’s a good reminder that staying up to date on vaccinations is critical to staying safe and healthy while traveling,” said Michael Ben-Aderet, MD, associate director of Hospital Epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai.

The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom spoke with Ben-Aderet about what travelers should know about polio and measles and how to stay safe this summer.

Where does polio still exist?

Polio is caused by a highly contagious virus that has essentially been eliminated from most of the world through vaccination. Wild strains still persist in a handful of countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, which means the vast majority of international travelers are at relatively low risk, particularly if they’ve been vaccinated. In recent years, roughly 30 countries in Africa, Europe and Asia, including the U.K. and Germany, have shown signs of the virus circulating. However, those signs are not necessarily tied to outbreaks. For example, public health officials in the U.K. have detected the virus in wastewater tests, which likely points to some degree of asymptomatic polio.

How does polio spread?

The poliovirus typically spreads when an infected person doesn’t wash their hands after using the restroom and contaminates water, food or other surfaces that others touch. It usually causes a mild illness that most people recover from quickly. What makes polio historically frightening is that a small percentage of infections can progress to paralysis, typically affecting the legs and feet, when the virus invades the nervous system. That’s why vaccination is so important. It has essentially eliminated that fear in populations where immunization rates are high.

How big of a threat is polio to international travelers?

Almost everyone in the U.S. received the polio vaccination series as a child. For vaccinated travelers, the risk is minimal. For older adults concerned that their immunity may have waned over the years, a booster is worth considering before visiting regions where polio transmission remains a possibility. The polio vaccine has minimal side effects, so there is little harm in getting the vaccine. You won’t receive the full benefit of immunity until four weeks after vaccination, but you’ll start receiving some protection immediately.

Where is measles a concern?

Measles is, in many ways, a more immediate risk to summer travelers, especially in crowded or enclosed spaces. It’s far more contagious, spreading through airborne particles from an infected person’s cough or sneeze, and it can stay in the air for up to two hours after that person leaves.

Recent clusters have emerged in parts of California, Texas and Oklahoma, and the largest outbreaks have been reported in India, Bangladesh, Yemen, Mexico and Pakistan. Measles outbreaks are happening in multiple countries throughout the world. You could try to avoid known measles outbreaks as you travel, but the chance of encountering someone with measles has risen as fewer people get vaccinated, and you don’t know when you’ll be exposed.

How protected are those who have been vaccinated?

Most fully vaccinated individuals are well protected for life. Adults who are uncertain whether they ever received the two doses of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, should consider getting at least one dose. Adults at high risk should consider two doses at least 28 days apart. Children are recommended to receive two doses: one at 12 to 15 months and one at 4 to 6 years old. Babies 6 to11 months old should get one dose before they travel and two more doses after their first birthday.

It’s always a good idea to check your vaccination records and to consult your primary care provider or a travel medicine clinic four to six weeks before traveling abroad.

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: 8 Expert Tips to Avoid Getting Sick When You Travel

The new

“The generosity and foresight of the Cayton Goldrich Family Foundation gave us the resources to conduct outreach and coordinate care for these patients,” said Cristina Ferrone, MD, chair of the Jim and Eleanor Randall Department of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. “By bringing together our dedicated physicians and recruiting top talent from around the country, we are making this centralized BRCA center unlike any other.”

Individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and those with family history of breast, ovarian, prostate or pancreatic cancer, or people who have been diagnosed with one of these cancers, should be screened for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, Ferrone said.

Cancer Screenings

“This center will provide every relevant service: comprehensive risk assessment, state-of-the-art surveillance, prevention strategies, clinical trials, and access to the latest scientific discoveries,” said Farin Amersi, MD, a surgical oncologist who treats patients with BRCA mutations. “More importantly, it will create a true home for patients and families facing hereditary cancer risk.” 

A patient’s first visit to the center begins with genetic counseling to help patients understand their unique cancer risk. For women, the initial visit also includes a breast MRI or mammogram, and a pelvic ultrasound and blood test to screen for ovarian cancer. Men undergo imaging to screen for breast cancer and an exam and blood test to screen for prostate cancer. For pancreatic cancer, both men and women may have abdominal imaging and discuss the possibility of endoscopy screening, depending on their individual risk.

“At many other institutions, patients diagnosed with a BRCA mutation have to make appointments for each of these screenings separately, with different physicians,” Amersi said. “Our patients will have all their screenings—and receive their test results—in one visit. This will help relieve the anxiety of juggling multiple appointments and waiting to learn the results of these tests.”

The process condenses what could be eight to 12 different appointments into a single day, Ferrone said.

“For patients with BRCA mutations, these screenings are repeated every six to 12 months, so you can imagine how disruptive separate appointments are for patients, many of whom work and have families,” Ferrone said.

Based on their test results, patients meet with a team of specialists about the best path forward, taking into account the patient’s age, fertility goals and individual cancer risk.

Preventive Treatment

For breast and ovarian cancer prevention, patients and their care team discuss the need and timing for possible preemptive surgery.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations have slightly different risks associated with them, said Marla Scott, MD, a gynecologic oncologist.

“People with BRCA1 mutations have roughly a 40% higher risk for gynecologic cancers, and are a younger average age when cancer tends to appear,” Scott said. “This means we have a discussion about removing the fallopian tubes and ovaries, as well as consideration for hysterectomy and mastectomy, between ages 35 and 40.”

A reproductive endocrinologist is on-site to discuss fertility preservation—including egg and embryo freezing and in-vitro testing and fertilization—as well as hormone replacement options to manage symptoms of surgically-induced menopause, Scott said.

For people with BRCA2 mutations, there is a slightly lower increased risk of gynecologic cancer, and age of cancer onset tends to be about 10 years later, allowing doctors to delay preventive surgeries, Scott said.

“With the exception of regular breast exams, patients may get to ‘graduate’ out of further screening for gynecologic cancers if they have a risk-reducing surgery and show no signs of cancer,” Scott said.

Scott added that while managing cancer risk can be challenging for people with a BRCA mutation, having a place they can go for guidance is empowering. The hope, Ferrone said, is that community outreach efforts will bring these benefits to even more patients.

“We are incredibly fortunate to be able to offer free genetic testing in high-risk populations in the near future,” Ferrone said. “This will help us identify more at-risk patients and get them enrolled in the appropriate programs to help them manage their risk and preserve their health.”

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

Andrew Hendifar, MD, professor of Medicine and medical director of the Cancer Clinical Trials Office and the Gastrointestinal Oncology Disease Research Group at Cedars-Sinai, was a principal investigator on the trial and a co-author of the study, which was sponsored by Revolution Medicines, makers of the new drug. He sat down with the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom to talk about the study results.

How does this new drug work?

The medication, called daraxonrasib, is the first drug that targets cancer-causing mutations in pancreas cells.

The drug targets a mutation in the KRAS gene, part of the RAS genetic family. KRAS mutations are present in 92% of pancreatic cancers. KRAS genes normally act as an “on-off” switch for cell growth. Mutated KRAS genes are stuck in the “on” position and send out a signal that causes cells to divide and grow uncontrollably, allowing cancer to form.

Daraxonrasib blocks the KRAS signal by fitting into a keyhole-type spot on the gene. That spot has a complex shape and is difficult to reach within the cell. The drug gets around this problem by using a “passenger protein” as a Trojan horse. When the cell allows this protein in, daraxonrasib tags along.

Why are these clinical trial results so groundbreaking?

There are no targeted treatments approved for pancreas cancer, and we haven’t had any significant progress for a long time. We've only come up with different chemotherapy combinations, and those are only moderately effective. This new treatment is staggeringly better than chemotherapy. Usually, when we think of an improvement in pancreatic cancer survival, we think of 25% improvement. This medication actually doubled survival in patients with advanced disease. We have patients who participated in the trial who are still alive, which is unheard of because the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients is only 13%-14%. If the drug is approved by the FDA, it will most likely become the new standard of care for advanced pancreatic cancer and could replace chemotherapy as a first-line treatment.

What comes next?

We are now testing the drug in patients with earlier-stage pancreatic cancer, prescribing it while their tumors are still operable and before their cancer spreads.

Could daraxonrasib be effective against other cancer types?

RAS mutations are one of the most common cancer-causing genetic mutations, and the drug is now being studied in several cancer types. I think it's going to work especially well in tumors that are primarily RAS driven, including colon cancer and lung cancer. It might also work in other cancer types in combination with drugs targeting other genetic mutations, but further research is needed.

How will this discovery change cancer science?

This is a win for the field. Until now we have been focused on immune therapies that might make tumors more vulnerable to the body’s immune system, and on finding new chemotherapy combinations that kill cancer cells.

This new treatment has given us a new focus, and I think it will spur a lot of scientific discovery over the next few years. There have only been a handful of KRAS researchers and their relevance to therapy was always questioned. That is about to change.

The most important next step for the field is to better understand the biology of cancer. We know that many pancreatic tumors will eventually become resistant to daraxonrasib, and we need to understand how this happens. We also need to identify additional genetic pathways and treatments that can target them. That’s how we will turn pancreas cancer from a deadly, deadly cancer into something we can manage—and one day, even cure.

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

At the crib side, a guitarist and singer serenades newborns hooked up to loud, beeping and flashing monitors. The sounds of gentle humming and guitar strumming do more than soothe a fussy baby—they stabilize vital signs, aid neurological and auditory development, and enhance the overall wellbeing of infants in the NICU.

“Music therapy is a clinical and evidence-based practice using music to address nonmusical goals,” said Laura Cellini, Guerin Children’s board-certified music therapist. “Listening to music can help lower and stabilize heart rate, improve oxygen saturation levels and support a more regulated, calming state for newborns.”

According to Cellini, research has shown that music therapy can also help reduce NICU stays by as many as 12 days.

During a typical session in the NICU, Cellini works one-on-one with each infant, tailoring the therapy to meet every baby’s individual needs. She carefully monitors each newborn’s response to the music, including signs of overstimulation, and adjusts her music accordingly.

The music therapy program was made possible through a generous donation from 14-year-old twins Joey and Ryder Corleto, who spent considerable time in the NICU at Cedars-Sinai shortly after birth. Wanting to give back to the Cedars-Sinai community, the siblings chose to dedicate their bar and bat mitzvah gifts to help launch the program.

Their mother, Melissa Corleto, vividly remembers the challenges of spending time in a noisy NICU with the twins.

“When they look back at pictures of themselves as babies, it’s hard for them to imagine that this is where they started—at just 2.5 and 3.5 pounds,” Melissa said. “The idea of giving back to the NICU really resonated with them. As a family, we decided this was the meaningful way they wanted to give back.”

Music has always played a major role in the twins’ lives. Ryder is an avid drummer, while Joey is a competitive dancer. The twins said it felt natural to use their funds to help launch a music therapy program, especially one designed to soothe babies and support early brain development.

The bedside therapy sessions are also a welcome change of pace for parents and medical staff.

“The NICU can be a very traumatic and stressful environment, and music therapy helps create a sense of calm for the babies, their families and even the staff,” said Ashley Richardson, RN, assistant nurse manager of the NICU at Guerin Children’s.

For Jason Park, whose son Logan Park has spent more than two months in the NICU, watching his baby remain calm and relaxed as Cellini sang and played music at his bedside brought a sense of much-needed comfort and relief.

“I think the music brings a lot of joy to parents, especially for families like ours who have been here in the NICU for a long time,” Park said. “When the session ended, I was actually sad to hear it stop.”

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: Strengthening Children’s Health

The federal agency annually rates more than 2,000 hospitals nationwide on a one-to-five-star scale, giving patients a widely recognized way to compare hospital performance. The ratings, published on Medicare's Care Compare website, evaluate hospitals on more than 50 quality measures across five areas: mortality, safety of care, readmissions, patient experience, and timely and effective care.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Torrance Memorial Medical Center each earned five-star ratings, the highest mark of excellence. Only 12.5% of the 2,277 hospitals rated nationwide achieved five stars.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center earned a five-star rating for the ninth consecutive year. Torrance Memorial advanced from four stars last year to five stars this year.

Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital earned a four-star rating for the third consecutive year, joining only 29% of hospitals nationwide to reach that mark in 2026.

Huntington Hospital did not receive a published rating for 2026 after it asked to exclude some data due to the impact of the nearby Eaton Fire and its transition to a new electronic medical record system. However, CMS quality and patient experience data publicly reported across each of the five CMS domains reflected Huntington’s ongoing commitment to excellent care for its community.

“These extraordinary results reflect our sustained efforts to provide excellent, safe, timely and effective care at each of our hospital sites,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Health System.

Slavin pointed to advances made by teams at the hospitals who worked to lower readmission rates for the most vulnerable patients, reduce hospital-associated infections and improve patient experience.

“I feel tremendous pride in our achievements across Cedars-Sinai Health System,” Slavin said. “I am deeply grateful to all our healthcare professionals for their daily commitment to our mission of healing and to the health and wellbeing of our patients and communities. It is a privilege to work among colleagues driven by such strong dedication.”

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: Creating a Lasting Legacy

Behind the scenes, that preparation includes building a vast, coordinated medical system designed to support not only the elite athletes taking part in the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but the coaches, staff, volunteers and spectators.

The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom recently spoke with Casey Batten, MD, chief medical officer for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and co-director of Nonoperative Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, to discuss what it takes to plan medical care at the scale of the Olympic and Paralympic Games—and what it means for athletes, fans and the Los Angeles community.

What is the role of the chief medical officer for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games?

Ultimately, the role of the chief medical officer is to oversee all of the medical infrastructure delivered to all stakeholders—including athletes, coaches, their entourages and spectators.

Medical care for the Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place across multiple settings. One of the central hubs is the polyclinic in the Olympic and Paralympic Village, which primarily serves athletes and those living there, including coaches and support staff.

Beyond that, care extends to training locations and competition venues spread across the region, each requiring its own coordinated medical presence. Ensuring that all of these environments are properly staffed, connected and prepared is a key part of delivering care at this scale.

What types of injuries do you expect to be treating?

As with any major sporting event, we expect to see common overuse injuries, along with strains and sprains—especially as athletes ramp up training closer to the Games.

But one of the biggest concerns isn’t injury—it’s illness. When you think about it, most of these athletes have been training their entire lives for this moment. For many, this is their one shot at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Even something as simple as a common cold can completely derail years of preparation and impact performance on the world stage.

That’s why, from a medical planning perspective, so much focus is placed on preventing and managing illness. Respiratory infections, gastrointestinal bugs and other viruses are among the biggest risks during the LA28 Games.

What is the main challenge gearing up for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games?

The scale is unlike anything else.

When I first stepped into this role, one of the most eye-opening aspects was just how much detailed planning is required—and how many different teams and functional areas are involved in every decision. Delivering medical care at the LA28 Games isn’t about making decisions in isolation. Every choice requires coordination.

Even something that seems straightforward—like deciding where to place an X-ray machine—can impact multiple departments, from venue operations to logistics to athlete flow. Now multiply those types of decisions across roughly 50 venues, and it quickly becomes a massive, interconnected puzzle.

Having worked in sports medicine for two decades and having supported large-scale sporting events, I can say that nothing compares to the Games. A common comparison is that it’s like putting on seven Super Bowls a day for several weeks—and that really captures the magnitude of what we’re preparing for.

What are you most excited about?

It’s hard to overstate how special the LA28 Games will be.

For most athletes, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the culmination of years, often decades, of training and sacrifice. Being able to witness that level of intensity, focus and emotion in person is incredibly powerful. There’s an energy at the Olympic and Paralympic Games that’s hard to describe unless you’ve experienced it, it’s something you feel across every competition, every race and every moment.

I’d especially encourage people to watch the Paralympic Games—the level of competition, the determination and the passion are extraordinary.

Even if you’re not familiar with a particular sport, I think people will find themselves drawn in. Whether it’s Olympic or Paralympic competition, there’s something universally compelling about watching individuals push the limits of what’s possible. 

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: Safety Tips to Get the Most Out of Exercise

Cedars-Sinai has unveiled the largest artwork in its extensive collection, and it’s located on the façade of the new Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital, now under construction in Marina del Rey. Measuring 120 feet wide and 16 feet tall, the mural is the only mosaic in Cedars-Sinai’s collection.

It is also a solution to an unusual challenge.

“The side of one of the support buildings to the main tower was going to have a big blank wall facing the community,” said John T. Lange, curator of the Cedars-Sinai Art Collection. “We saw an opportunity to engage the community with this mural.”

Lange said Cedars-Sinai put out a call to local artists to propose artwork that could fill the massive 1,900-square-foot space on the side of the new hospital’s energy center. The goal was to select a design that would resonate with those who live and work in the area.

Hospital leaders, staff and community members reviewed the submissions, ultimately selecting a vibrant sunburst reflecting off water, designed by artist Jay Yan, who has spent the past decade sailing in the harbor off Marina del Rey.

“My favorite part of the day is the return home when you see the sunset on the water and that beautiful kind of half-sun sinking into the ocean, making the sky this kind of magenta, pink, dark blue shade,” Yan said, while seated at his desk in the cavernous studio he shares with other artists. “There is something just so beautiful about those colors that a digital camera just cannot capture. I was very inspired by trying to create that in tile.”

Yan found further inspiration in the colorful mosaics lining the underground walkways between terminals at Los Angeles International Airport, just a few miles south of the hospital.

“They are just absolutely spectacular and an icon of Los Angeles,” Yan said, gesturing to a photo of one of the mosaics pinned behind his desk.

Building the Sky, Tile by Tile

To re-create the vivid hues of the Marina sky, Yan worked with Cerámica Súro, a ceramics studio and factory in Guadalajara, Mexico, renowned among artists, designers and architects for its custom work. Over five visits, Yan selected colors from the studio’s vast library, working with a pigment specialist to refine the palette. The factory mass-produced tens of thousands of rectangular and curved tiles, glazing them on a giant conveyor belt.

“Making this piece from glazed tile means that the brightness and beauty of the color will last for decades despite exposure to weather and the salty Marina air,” Yan said.

With the help of computer software, Yan created tile patterns within the mural that are never repeated, grouping the bouncing sunrays into jigsaw panels glued to a fine netting to simplify installation. To make the half sun, the artisans produced large, curved ceramic plates, cutting them into wide slices.

The factory hand packed the plates and panels into custom boxes, shipping them to Los Angeles, where a skilled crew laid out large swaths of the mural in a warehouse.  

Finally, the crew hauled boxes of tile onto scaffolding 30 feet high to install the jigsaw pieces and plates on the hospital’s energy center.

Honoring Hospital Staff

The finished mural gives commuters a brilliant welcome as they exit the 90 Freeway, heading west on Mindanao Way.  

“As the sun rises from the east, it will hit the sun motif on the right side of the façade,” Yan said. “As the day goes on transitioning toward evening, the sun will shine on the other end of the mural, where the color of the tile will match the night sky.”

Yan named the mural “Tlaquepaque” after the neighborhood in Mexico where the tiles were made, to honor all the people who have worked on the piece—the artisans who mixed the pigments by hand, the women who assembled all the tiny pieces and the Los Angeles crew who installed the tiles—all of whom are from Guadalajara.

“I wanted to honor their labor while also recognizing all the people who labor at the hospital,” Yan said.

Healing Power of Art

While the nine-story hospital has been under construction, staff members and physicians driving or walking by the site have texted photos of the progress to Joanne Laguna-Kennedy, MSN, RN, vice president of Hospital Operations and chief operating officer of Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital.

“They are so excited, and this massive new mural is going to instill so much pride,” Laguna-Kennedy said. “They’re going to see this piece on the way into work and think, ‘That’s my hospital.’”

Laguna-Kennedy is also looking forward to the paintings, prints, photography and sculptures that will fill the hospital’s hallways, waiting areas and patient rooms.

“When I was a nursing leader at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, I used to take patients for walks to the artworks because they were everywhere,” she said. “I'm so excited that we will have that same opportunity here at the Marina campus as well. There is just such a healing component to artwork, and we are really fortunate to have such incredible artists sharing their masterpieces with us.”

She also sees the art—and especially the mural—as symbols of Cedars-Sinai’s enduring commitment to the local community.

Yan hopes the bright sun and its chromatic rays provide comfort to patients and their loved ones.

“When we come to the hospital, it's typically not our happiest day,” he said. “I want to bring some joy to people as they enter, to relieve some of the tension they feel and some of their fears when they step through the hospital’s doors.”

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: The Healing Powers of Art

But when the former collegiate long-distance runner struggled to conceive, she didn’t expect the journey to motherhood to become a grueling marathon.

“I was in my early 30s, and we’d been trying for about two years,” said Lagat-Fischer, a nurse in Tucson, Arizona. “I started thinking that something was not right and that we needed help.”

Rather than finding help, she said she endured two years of shuttling from one specialist to another, with visits to several OB-GYNs and fertility specialists who immediately wanted to start costly in vitro fertilization (IVF).

One physician erroneously told Lagat-Fischer that she had endometriosis. Another doctor told her that she had benign uterine fibroid tumors, a more common condition among Black women that often leads to higher rates of fertility issues. She later found out that her fibroids were small and not the cause of the couple’s fertility challenges.

“It was frustrating and discouraging. My husband and I are both healthcare professionals, and we felt the care we received was all over the map. I didn’t feel like our difficulty conceiving was being fully assessed, and there was never a deeper conversation about what might be causing it in my individual case,” Lagat-Fischer said.

Her experience as a Black woman seeking fertility care is common, according to recent studies.

Difficulty conceiving among Black women and men has been understudied. But research published in Fertility & Sterility found that Black women in the U.S. are significantly less likely to seek or receive a fertility evaluation or treatment compared with white women. Despite having a higher or equivalent prevalence of infertility, Black women appear to face barriers that result in delayed care and lower utilization of services.

Lagat-Fischer also noticed that when her husband, Keith, who is white, started accompanying her to every visit, whether he was having tests or not, there was more focused attention from the specialists. When her husband asked the questions, she felt the information they were given was clearer and more direct.

“I felt like I was being heard differently when he was there,” she said. “That was very difficult for me to experience, and the emotional toll was significant. There were times I would be driving and just crying.”

The emotional toll their fertility journey was taking on his wife was very difficult for Irine’s husband.

“We struggled to conceive, which was stressful,” said Keith Fischer, a physical therapist. “Then, when we sought help, we were met with incomplete answers, a lack of attention to our needs and poor guidance from the medical experts.”

“It was hard to navigate a situation where you have a partner that is sad, frustrated and fearing she’ll never have a family. It was gut-wrenching for me,” Fischer said.

After two years of frustration and $20,000 of unsuccessful IVF attempts, a friend in Arizona suggested the couple go to Los Angeles to seek fertility care at Cedars-Sinai.

“Even though Irine had already been through IVF, I took a step back and tried to evaluate from the beginning, with a fresh perspective. Every couple deserves an individualized plan that is tailored to their specific health needs,” said Jessica Chan, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and clinic director of the Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Center at Cedars-Sinai.

Chan said that after reviewing all of their testing, she recommended they try a less invasive option before returning to IVF. After discussing the options, the Fischers and Chan agreed upon a treatment plan.

“When we came to Cedars-Sinai, it was a completely different experience. From the moment we walked into the clinic, I felt like someone was really listening and taking the time to understand the full picture,” Lagat-Fischer said. “Two weeks after treatment, I found out I was pregnant. I honestly couldn’t believe it after everything we had been through.”

Does Chan believe racial bias can play a role in the kind of fertility evaluation and treatment a patient might receive?

“Communication and building trust between the doctor and the patient are critical in the fertility care process, as is a thorough understanding of a patient’s medical and social history,” Chan said. “But we know that implicit bias is also a significant factor that can lead to disparities in care and outcomes.”

It was a very long journey, but the couple says that their now 3-year-old twins, Lily and Liam, were well worth the difficulties they had.

“I would go through that journey again to have my children. It was all worth it,” Lagat-Fischer said. “My advice to other Black women is to advocate for yourself. Ask questions, seek thorough answers, and if you feel like you’re not being heard, get care somewhere else.”

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: How Cedars-Sinai Is Working to Improve Black Maternal Health

Within weeks, though, Angelica’s world came crashing down.

“I started getting swelling in my ankles, losing a bunch of weight and just generally not feeling very good,” Ponce said. “I went in for a blood test and knew quickly something was wrong.”

It was a major flare-up of ANCA vasculitis, the autoimmune disease she had been diagnosed with in her teens but had been in remission for several years. Doctors now told her she had more than 60% damage to her kidneys and there was nothing they could do to reverse it. She would need to begin dialysis and, eventually, would require a kidney transplant.  

“It is very unusual for people in their 20s to go into renal failure. Typically, kidney failure is related to diabetes and high blood pressure in patients in their 50s and older,” said Tsuyoshi Todo, MD, a kidney transplant surgeon at Cedars-Sinai. “In Angelica’s case, she was a college athlete and as healthy as they could come. It was very unfortunate she had her kidneys shut down due to her autoimmune disorder.”

Ponce didn’t want to be on dialysis for her wedding, so she put planning on hold and began searching for a kidney donor.

She didn’t have to look very far. Angelica’s younger sister, Miranda Ponce, immediately volunteered to get tested to see if one of her kidneys might be a good match.

When the test results came back, the sisters were a perfect six out of six match.

“That six out of six number indicates the number of matches that Miranda’s body shares in common with Angelica’s body,” said Justin Steggerda, MD, kidney transplant surgeon at Cedars-Sinai who served as the surgeon for Miranda Ponce. “This means Angelica’s body is less likely to react adversely to the transplant and less likely to form some sort of immune response that may later on lead to problems.”

Miranda Ponce said she didn’t hesitate when she found out she was the perfect living donor for her sister.

“I was happy that I had such a good match so that she could have the longest, healthiest years with the best kidney for her,” Miranda Ponce said. “And I knew it would be comforting for us, to go through this whole process together.”

The Ponce sisters went through their kidney transplant surgery at Cedars-Sinai in November 2025. They spent the next few weeks recovering together at their parents’ home in Bellflower, California.

“Anytime a living donor transplant is between siblings or family members, it’s always a really special occasion,” Steggerda said. “In this case, it facilitated Angelica being off dialysis, and I think that’s a really special story.”

Todo said that Angelica’s determination and positive outlook fueled her recovery.

“[Angelica] was determined to not walk down the aisle while she had a dialysis catheter hanging out of her chest,” Todo said. “And the fact that her sister stepped up to help her with a kidney donation for the biggest day of her life is very touching.”

April marks the recognition of Donate Life Month, which promotes awareness about organ donation and honors those who gave the gift of life. To acknowledge this occasion, the Ponce sisters will participate in the annual Donate Life flag raising ceremony at Cedars-Sinai on Wednesday, April 1.

“This month means so much to me, personally. This has become our story now, and being a transplant patient, I feel like I have a voice to raise awareness,” Angelica Ponce said. “By donating a kidney, you give someone their life back, and I feel like my sister gave me my life back because of this.”

With Angelica’s health challenges in the rearview mirror, the Ponce sisters are looking forward to brighter days to come, including Angelica’s wedding in 2027. Miranda will be her sister’s maid of honor.

“This will be my first time being in a wedding so I'm extremely excited,” Miranda Ponce said. “My biggest goal after the transplant was for her to get that wedding and to hopefully one day be a mother and give me nieces and nephews. That’s my biggest dream, honestly, just to be an aunt. So yeah, I'm really excited.”

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: After Lung Transplant, a Return to Running

The fourth annual Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit, hosted by Cedars-Sinai, gave students hands-on exposure to careers in medicine through interactive demonstrations, mentorship and panel discussions.

“We have students here from across the greater Los Angeles area and even as far away as Palm Springs,” said Nicole Mitchell, chief diversity, inclusion and wellbeing officer at Cedars-Sinai.

Throughout the day, attendees rotated through activity stations where they explored medical technologies and techniques used by healthcare professionals. Students practiced surgical suturing, learned about respiratory therapy, examined medical imaging and extracted DNA from strawberries. Students also participated in panel discussions featuring leaders in medicine, academia and sports performance, who shared insights about their journeys into the field.

For 11-year-old Marcell Jones, a student at Los Angeles Adventist Academy, the summit has quickly become a favorite annual event.

“My favorite part of today was the strawberry DNA and the breathing practice,” Jones said, referring to activities where students learned how to extract DNA and intubate a mannequin.  

Jones attended the summit last year and returned this year with excitement—not just for the activities, but for the opportunity to reconnect with one of the doctors he met previously.

“I took a picture with a doctor last year and I saw him again this year,” Jones said. “So I think I’ll see him again next year.”

The experience is already shaping his future ambitions.

“When I grow up I’d like to be a surgeon,” Jones said. “Because I want to save lives.”

Mitchell said the event gives students an opportunity to explore the many possibilities within healthcare.

“Until young people can actually see it and experience it, it’s hard to imagine yourself in these roles,” Mitchell said. “Events like this give students the opportunity to explore what healthcare really looks like—from physicians and nurses to researchers and leadership roles—and hopefully spark a passion that leads them toward a career in the field.”

The event has grown dramatically since Cedars-Sinai hosted its first summit, with fewer than 100 participants. This year, nearly 2,000 registered.

“Programs like this are an important part of our mission to serve the community,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, Cedars-Sinai’s president and CEO. “By exposing young people to careers in healthcare, we can help inspire the next generation of physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals. At the same time, investing in students today helps ensure we have the skilled and compassionate workforce needed to care for our communities in the future.”

For many participants, the event provided an opportunity to see themselves reflected in the healthcare professionals they met.

Kennady Ardines, a junior at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, said the experience reinforced her ambitions.

“I want to be a pediatric ICU nurse—or maybe an obstetrician,” Ardines said. “Not a lot of pregnant women have support, especially young teen moms. I’ve always wanted to be that person for someone.”

Ardines said representation plays an important role in shaping how she envisions her future.

“It’s not a normal thing to see a Black female doctor,” she said. “I look for a Black doctor even when I go to the doctor, because I know they understand me, because they are me.”

Mitchell said the summit is also an opportunity for Cedars-Sinai employees to build a healthy future for the Southern California community.

“Cedars-Sinai is one of the largest employers in Los Angeles, and it’s important for us to show up for our community,” Mitchell said. “Our physicians, nurses and staff volunteer their time to mentor students because we believe in investing in the next generation of healthcare professionals.”

For Jones, the experience already is helping him imagine his future.

“I feel like it’s important to come here,” he said, “to learn all the stuff to be successful.”

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

program to residents of 39 states, giving people across the U.S. fast, convenient, at-home access to expert medical insights on treatment options for more than 600 health conditions.

The expansion comes at a pivotal moment in medical history: Many regions are experiencing shortages of medical specialists, people are increasingly comfortable using online health resources, and more people are seeking reliable information as they take active roles in their healthcare decisions.

“People feel more comfortable asking for a virtual second opinion when they know the process will be fast, convenient, and of high quality,” said emergency medicine physician Shoma Desai, MD, executive director of Digital Innovation at Cedars-Sinai. “A virtual second opinion from a national center of excellence like Cedars-Sinai gives participants confidence and empowers them to make decisions about their treatment.”

A Participant Finds Answers

For Gregory Rothaus, of Nevada, Cedars-Sinai’s Virtual Second Opinion program provided much-needed clarity. In early 2024, after several weeks of illness, Rothaus’ local physician suggested he “probably” had ulcerative colitis.

“I didn’t want ‘probably,’” Rothaus said. “I wanted certainty.”

With limited specialists in his area, Rothaus found the Virtual Second Opinion option especially appealing. Being able to quickly get a written second opinion report from a Cedars-Sinai specialist was a valued option. He also appreciated the optional virtual education session to clarify his questions about the written report.

“It gave me peace of mind that nothing was being overlooked,” said Rothaus, who, with the support of his local, treating physician, underwent additional tests referenced in the virtual second opinion report.

Within a month, the treating physician was able to give Rothaus a more accurate diagnosis: Crohn’s colitis.

His condition is now in remission.

Rothaus said the virtual second opinion made him feel more in control of his healthcare.  

“It’s about having the security that you’re on the right treatment path,” Rothaus said. “I’m the CEO of my health.”

How Virtual Second Opinion Works

More than 150 Cedars-Sinai specialists across key areas—including cancer, digestive diseases, heart and vascular conditions, lung conditions, neurology, orthopedics, pediatrics, spine conditions, and women’s health—provide virtual second opinions through a secure and private platform.

Participants begin by completing a short questionnaire and speaking with a Cedars-Sinai nurse coordinator, who collects relevant medical records. The Virtual Second Opinion program then identifies a physician specialist whose expertise aligns with the participant’s area of concern. That physician reviews the prior medical records and prepares a detailed written report analyzing the participant’s medical history and prior recommendations and answering any specific questions.

Participants also may choose to join an optional 30-minute virtual education session with the Cedars-Sinai specialist to ask questions related to the report.

Most participants receive their full written report within five days of completing their medical record collection. Satisfaction is high—94% in recent surveys—with participants citing convenience and speed as key benefits.

National surveys highlight the growing need for quicker, easier-to-access second opinions. The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship reports that roughly one-quarter to one-third of U.S. cancer patients seek a second opinion, though many hesitate because of concerns about potential treatment delays or geographic barriers.

Virtual second opinions help overcome these challenges by efficiently and quickly identifying specialists who have expertise in a participant’s area of concern.

At present, Cedars-Sinai’s Virtual Second Opinion program is available to residents in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. 

There is a one-time fee to access a Virtual Second Opinion at Cedars-Sinai. Although it is not covered by insurance, most FSA and HSA plans may reimburse the cost.

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: Virtual Second Opinion—Healing the Heart With Every Step

For nearly two years, the Cedars-Sinai Kidney Transplant Program has been performing living-donor nephrectomies—the surgical procedure of removing a kidney from the donor—fully robotically, but, until now, the recipient procedure had not been robot-assisted.

“The stakes are quite a bit higher when it comes to putting a kidney in,” said Justin Steggerda, MD, who performed the Comprehensive Transplant Center’s first fully robotic kidney transplant. “The risk of bleeding increases because you’re not just cutting and stapling vessels but actually opening them up and sewing them together to get the transplanted kidney positioned well to where it can be reperfused and maintain good blood flow.” 

Cedars-Sinai is one of only a handful of institutions in the United States to have performed a fully robotic kidney transplant, placing it on the leading edge of transplant innovation.

Steggerda recently spoke with the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom about robotic kidney transplantation and who can benefit from the minimally invasive surgery.

How is robotic transplant surgery helpful to patients?

The primary advantage of a robotic approach is a smaller incision, which means less pain and lower risk of infection. This leads to a faster recovery, faster return to work and reduced reliance on pain medication. These are all big advantages for patient-centered outcomes.

There is a misconception that robots are doing the surgery itself, and that is not true. Robots do not act autonomously. We are controlling them every step of the way, so, in fact, it may be more appropriate to refer to it as robot-assisted surgery. But the advantage of using the robot is that the instruments can be much more dexterous, allowing the procedure to be more minimally invasive.

How does the incision for robotic surgery compare to a traditional procedure?

A kidney is about the size of a human fist, so any incision needs to be at least wide enough to get the organ in. For a robotic procedure, that incision is approximately the length of my palm. In a standard, open procedure, the incision is wider—closer to the length of my entire hand—so you can not only get the kidney in, but you can also see around it and get your instruments in to complete the operation.

What are the risks associated with robotic kidney transplant?

The biggest challenge of a robotic transplant procedure is getting into the abdomen safely and operating around other organs that may be in the way. This is different from a traditional, open procedure. … In a robotic transplant, we must be cognizant of the other organs that may be in our operative field, making the procedure more highly specialized.

Who will benefit most from robotic transplant procedures?

Patients with a body mass index over 35 or 40, are at an increased risk for wound infections, which have been associated with worse kidney transplant outcomes in the long term. By reducing some of those risks, we expect to see better outcomes in that population of patients.

What is next for the robotic transplant program?

Robotic kidney transplant at Cedars-Sinai is a program that we want to continue to grow. It will allow us to expand the number and types of patients that we transplant, with better outcomes. It’s really the future of transplantation in general.

It’s important to note, however, that we are working with a fragile population with end-stage kidney disease, and robotic surgery may not be the right technique for every patient. We will always evaluate every case individually to make sure we personalize the best possible care for each patient. In the short, three-to-five-year view, we hope to be performing up to 40% of these transplant procedures robotically as we continue to drive innovation further and stay on the leading edge of kidney transplantation surgery.

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: What Is Robotic Surgery? How It Works and When It’s Used

“Too often, when a young woman has heart disease symptoms, a physician will ignore those symptoms and tell her that she needs to lose weight,” said Bairey Merz, director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. “That’s because heart disease symptoms in women can be very different from what men experience. So it’s crucial that women know what to look for.”

Although heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most heart disease research has been conducted on men. And even though rates of heart disease and heart attacks are increasing among women 35 to 54 years old, they are less likely to receive evidence-based treatments such as statins and more likely to be told they are “too young” to have heart disease, Bairey Merz said.

“These delays and dismissals have had serious consequences,” she said. “The Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation [WISE] study that I led for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute helped us better understand that heart disease doesn’t always look the same in women. That insight ultimately pushed the field to rethink and improve how we diagnose and treat it.”

Despite these advances, women with heart disease are still more likely to be misdiagnosed, underdiagnosed or undertreated—sometimes delaying care that could save their lives.

“The good news is that heart disease is largely preventable,” Bairey Merz said. “And for women in particular—who may not experience obvious symptoms or whose symptoms are subtle—knowledge is a powerful prevention tool.”

To explain what women should watch for, the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom spoke with Bairey Merz about what women can do to protect their hearts and advocate for the healthcare they need.

What are some of the biggest myths about heart disease?

Many people believe that heart disease primarily affects men, that heart attacks always involve crushing chest pain, or that cancer is the top cause of death. In reality, heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined, yet fewer than half of women recognize it as their greatest health threat.

While men tend to develop cardiovascular disease earlier, women are more likely to experience poorer outcomes.

Why are heart attack rates increasing among younger women?

For decades, heart attack death rates declined sharply, thanks to improved research, standardized treatment guidelines, and widespread use of effective medications and procedures. While heart attack deaths are still much lower than they once were, the increase in heart problems among younger adults is concerning.

Researchers are looking into exact causes for the increase, but we know that contributing factors include low levels of physical activity and prolonged sedentary behavior, rising rates of diabetes and obesity, chronic stress, and environmental exposures such as air pollution.

What does a heart attack feel like for women?

The so-called “Hollywood heart attack”—tingling in the left arm that leads to sudden, crushing chest pain—is common in men and can occur in women as well. But many women experience subtler symptoms, including shortness of breath, nausea, unusual fatigue, back or jaw pain, or chest discomfort that doesn’t feel severe or dramatic.

Because these symptoms don’t match common expectations of a heart attack, they may be overlooked or dismissed. Anyone experiencing them should seek medical care immediately.

What causes heart attacks in women?

An increasing number of heart attacks are occurring in people without significant blockages in the major coronary arteries, a pattern seen more often in women. While men’s heart disease more commonly involves blockage in large arteries, women are more likely to experience dysfunction of the heart’s smaller blood vessels. This condition—called ischemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease [INOCA]—can cause reduced blood flow to the heart even when major arteries appear clear.

Even women who are physically fit can develop INOCA. In the past, if a woman had heart attack symptoms but a “normal” angiogram showing clear major arteries, her condition might not have been recognized. Continued awareness and ongoing education around INOCA are helping clinicians better diagnose and treat these patients.

What is a normal heart rate for women?

A normal resting heart rate for most adults is between 60 and 100 beats per minute, according to the American Heart Association. Because women’s hearts are typically smaller, their resting heart rate may run slightly higher than men’s. Women should consult their doctor if their resting heart rate is below 60 or above 100 beats per minute when not exercising.

How can women protect heart health and prevent heart disease?

Heart disease develops silently over decades. While heart disease can be managed with highly effective treatments, prevention is the most powerful strategy.

An estimated 80% of heart disease cases are preventable with lifestyle modifications. These include staying current with annual screenings and knowing cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels; exercising at least 30 minutes daily; breaking up prolonged sitting because a sedentary lifestyle is considered as strong a risk factor as smoking; managing stress; getting seven to nine hours of sleep; avoiding smoking; and following a nutritious diet.

A Mediterranean-style, largely plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, olive oil and lean proteins is recommended. Parents are encouraged to help ensure their children make healthy food choices, too.

Heart health isn’t about deprivation. It’s about building lifelong habits that prevent disease before it starts.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: High Blood Pressure—What Women Need to Know

“This new academic alliance between these premier Los Angeles institutions will advance scientific and academic achievements for the broader Los Angeles community and beyond,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Health System.

The partnership features joint translational discovery grants, as well as co-hosted symposia, shared training opportunities, and joint student and faculty appointments.

“Our partnership with Cedars-Sinai provides an important new pathway to clinical impact,” said Caltech Provost David A. Tirrell, PhD, the Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and the Carl and Shirley Larson Provostial Chair.

Shlomo Melmed, MB, ChB, executive vice president of Medicine and Health Sciences and dean of the Medical Faculty at Cedars-Sinai, said the goal of the partnership is to reshape patient care and biological understanding, together.

“Recognizing the unique strengths of each institution, we feel confident this partnership will benefit the greater field of science,” Melmed said.

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University combines a robust basic, translational and clinical sciences enterprise with a large and diverse patient population, along with an expanding biospecimen repository. Caltech brings exceptional expertise in engineering, computational modeling, chemistry, and quantitative biosciences, along with advanced research in molecular, cellular and systems biology.

“Better healthcare for all requires bold innovation. This partnership brings together Cedars-Sinai’s clinical leadership and Caltech’s scientific excellence to deliver it,” said  Viviana Gradinaru, PhD, the Lois and Victor Troendle Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and director and Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair of the Merkin Institute for Translational Research.

The official partnership has been years in the making, with investigators like Ueli Rutishauser, PhD, director of the Center for Neural Science and Medicine and professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai, holding faculty appointments at both institutions. Those joint faculty positions opened the door for thoughtful discussions on how the two entities could increase their collaborations.

Ophir Klein, MD, PhD, executive director of Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s, executive vice dean of Children’s Health and the David and Meredith Kaplan Distinguished Chair in Children’s Health, recognized the potential synergy when he joined Cedars-Sinai in 2022.  Klein then initiated co-hosted programs to foster greater collaboration.

The first joint symposium, in 2024, concentrated on developmental and stem cell biology. The second, in 2025, focused on computational and experimental neuroscience. Both events sparked enthusiasm and spurred the impetus for further collaborations.

“The opportunity to engage regularly through these events will lead to a more profound partnership between the two institutions and deeper connections among faculty and trainees,” Klein said. “There’s a unique energy in the room when two complementary forces have a shared desire for the best in science and accelerated application.”

Another element of the strengthened partnership involves a pilot grant program to catalyze research that unites clinical insight, engineering and fundamental biological discovery.

The joint grant program will award up to four recipients with support for a one-year project and an opportunity for a second year. Funds will be split between investigators at Cedars-Sinai and Caltech.

“We are eager to stimulate interdisciplinary collaborations that support research and integrate biomedical, clinical, computational and engineering approaches,” said Jeffrey A. Golden, MD, executive vice dean of Research and Education and director of the Burns and Allen Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai. “Leveraging the scientific and technological ecosystems of both institutions will help advance the broader research landscape and bring advances in healthcare to individuals in our community and beyond.”

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

“After 35 years of marriage, my heart still sings when I look at her,” Philip said. “My cancer was much worse on Linda than it was on me, and her cancer was worse on me than it was on her. Whichever one of us was sick, the other one filled in the gaps. But that’s the way we normally live our lives. Whatever one needs, the other one provides.”

Philip’s pancreatic cancer was detected in early 2024 during an unrelated MRI of his kidneys. Arsen Osipov, MD, medical director of the Pancreatic Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic and Multidisciplinary Cancer Programs and Integration at Cedars-Sinai, Philip’s oncologist, said it was a stroke of luck.

“He was diagnosed at a curable stage, before the cancer had spread,” Osipov said. “Only 10 to 20% of patients with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed this early.”

Philip was one of the first patients to visit the multidisciplinary clinic, where in a single day he met with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, gastroenterologists and other experts, and agreed on a treatment plan: four months of chemotherapy, followed by radiation and a complicated surgery called a Whipple procedure.

“This is a complex operation where we remove what’s called the head of the pancreas, the first part of the small intestine, the gallbladder and the bile duct,” said Nicholas Nissen, MD, director of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery. “After removal, these structures are reattached to restore normal function.”

This procedure once required large incisions, but because radiation and chemotherapy successfully shrank Philip’s tumor, Nissen was able to perform the procedure robotically.

“This allows us to make smaller incisions, with lower risk of complications and a shorter recovery time for the patient,” Nissen said.

After four days in the hospital and two more months of chemotherapy, Philip was declared cancer-free in June.

But the couple had just a few days to celebrate.

Less than a week after Philip learned he was cancer-free, Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer after undergoing a routine mammogram.

“As a health system, we focus on screening and are always developing new ways to detect cancer early,” said Robert Figlin, MD, interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “For both of these patients, early detection was key to the best possible outcome.”

Still, the diagnosis was a bit of a shock to Philip and Linda.

“It was sort of unbelievable,” Linda said. “But we had been through the whole process with Phil, and his surgery was much more serious than mine, and he did so well that I felt much more comfortable.”

And she, too, was lucky, said Armando Giuliano, MD, director of Breast Surgical Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer and Linda’s surgeon.

“She had a screen-detected cancer that has no symptoms. You can't feel it. It causes no pain, no discharge,” Giuliano said. “The only way you can detect a cancer like that is with breast cancer screening. And those cancers are the smallest cancers—the cancers that are the easiest to cure.”

Giuliano was able to perform a breast-sparing therapy known as a partial mastectomy or lumpectomy.

“We remove the area of the breast that has cancer, all the way around so that we have clean margins,” Giuliano said. “And then we do an internal reconstruction to make the breast look as natural as possible.”

Giuliano also performed a procedure he pioneered, which he continues to develop at Cedars-Sinai, called a sentinel lymph node biopsy, removing one or two lymph nodes to be certain the cancer had not spread beyond the breast.

“He did such a beautiful job that if you were to look at my breast, you would not know I had had surgery,” Linda said.

Linda’s cancer was an infiltrating ductal carcinoma, a cancer that starts in the breast ducts and can spread throughout the body. It was also HER2 positive, so it required further treatment.

“Around 20% of cancers have this overexpression of the HER2 protein, which makes them more aggressive and at higher risk of spreading,” said medical oncologist Philomena McAndrew, MD. “For this reason, after Linda’s surgery we treated her with chemotherapy and immunotherapy. We followed that with radiation therapy, and Linda did incredibly well throughout each of these steps.”

One important element for Linda was McAndrew’s recommendation to use a cooling cap to help avoid hair loss during chemotherapy.

“I'm so thrilled that I did,” Linda said. “Dr. McAndrew told me that when women lose their hair, it's very traumatic. When they look in the mirror, they realize how sick they are. Fortunately, that didn’t happen to me, and I was so grateful.”

Linda completed her final radiation treatment in January and will continue preventive therapy for five years. She and Philip will also have regular follow-up screenings.

But for now they are headed from their “city house” in Culver City to their main house in Lake Arrowhead, to spend time with friends they haven’t seen in a while.

Then they’ll continue their journey, in sickness and in health, together.

“We’re going on a cruise to Hawaii at the end of February,” Linda said. “We're just trying to pack some fun into the next 20 years.”

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

The 39-year-old father, who plays softball and ice hockey and spends weekends off-roading, was no stranger to minor injuries. But the anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed by his primary care physician only gave Starsiak temporary relief. Over the next few months, his hips stiffened, and he began to lose sensation and muscle mass in his leg.

Then, during a business trip, the pain caused Starsiak to reach a breaking point.

“I could not walk from one gate to the next at the airport and ended up having a breakdown, crying because I was in so much pain,” Starsiak said.

After multiple doctor visits, including a trip to the emergency room, an MRI revealed the cause: a 2-centimeter cyst lodged on the front side of a nerve, tucked beneath a joint in his spine. Its location made it particularly difficult to treat.

A physician near his home in Orange County referred Starsiak to Corey Walker, MD, an assistant professor of Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics at Cedars-Sinai, who specializes in minimally invasive and complex spine cases.

Starsiak, a medical device salesman with a focus on orthopedic products, was familiar with surgical options and trusted his instincts in choosing Walker to oversee his care.

“When I met Dr. Walker, I immediately knew he was the right surgeon—someone of integrity who listened carefully and was deeply passionate about his craft,” Starsiak said.

Cyst Removal Without Spinal Fusion

Walker performs endoscopic spine surgery, a minimally invasive technique that uses a small endoscope—about the width of a pen—to navigate hard-to-reach places inside the body. Compared with traditional surgery, the minimally invasive approach typically results in smaller incisions, less tissue damage and faster recovery.

In Starsiak’s case, the cyst was compressing nerves against his spinal canal, interfering with their ability to send signals between his brain and leg. That pressure can lead to loss of strength, sensation and coordination.

Removing the cyst would be challenging. In order to access the nerve and underlying cyst, a surgeon typically would need to remove a spinal joint and fuse the vertebrae with rods and screws to stabilize them.

“That would have been a life-altering operation for someone his age,” Walker said. “Fusion puts added stress on surrounding joints and can lead to future surgeries.”

Instead, Walker took a different approach.

Using an ultra-minimally invasive endoscopic procedure, Walker accessed the cyst through an endoscope with a small camera attached. After locating the affected nerve, he and his team were able to use the endoscope to guide them in removing the cyst—without cutting muscle, removing the joint or injuring the nerve.

“We had what felt like an impossible task,” Walker said. “I’m proud that Cedars-Sinai is able to treat patients who have complex cases.”

For Starsiak, avoiding fusion was critical.

“I was worried a fusion would significantly hamper—if not end—my ability to play sports and lift weights,” he said.

Life-Changing Relief

When Starsiak woke up from the procedure, he immediately felt relieved of the pain and pressure, as if a rock had been removed from his back.

His recovery took about eight weeks, and he focused on restoring mobility and strength in his hips, legs and back. Today, Starsiak is back to his normal routine—playing sports, off-roading and lifting weights at the squat rack.

The experience also changed his mindset.

Before the injury, Starsiak said, he measured success largely by career advancement. As a father of two, losing his mobility forced him to reconsider his priorities.

“The second you lose your health, you realize none of the other things really matter,” he said. “You can’t enjoy success if you’re not healthy.”

For Walker, that impact is what makes the work meaningful.

“As a neurosurgeon, it’s incredible to hone your craft—to work with your hands and see a problem fixed by the end of surgery,” he said. “But what’s even more rewarding is hearing later how it’s changed someone’s life—that’s the best part.”

Read more from the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom: Defying the Odds – Father's Love Leads to Life-Changing Surgery

Cedars-Sinai maternal-fetal medicine specialists have developed a postpartum blood pressure monitoring program that is receiving high marks from patients and addressing health risks faced by women during and after childbirth.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia, are a leading cause of serious postpartum complications and hospital readmissions. The risk of serious cardiovascular problems can persist well beyond delivery, making structured follow-up during and after the postpartum period critical.

“The postpartum period is a vulnerable time for patients with pregnancy-related hypertension, and too often it’s when care becomes fragmented,” said program leader Sonya Fabricant, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine fellow at Cedars-Sinai. “This program was designed to provide structure, continuity and support when patients return home and still need close follow-up.”

Support Begins at Home in Postpartum Hypertension Program

Nearly 500 women have enrolled in the Postpartum Hypertension Program and have received blood pressure cuffs to use at home. For two weeks, patients record blood pressure readings through a secure patient portal integrated into their electronic medical record. This allows the care team to review results in a timely manner and respond when readings require attention.

“Our program isn’t just about numbers,” Fabricant said. “It’s about making sure patients understand what their blood pressure readings mean, feel supported and know someone is paying attention and ready to intervene if needed.”

Improving Long-Term Cardiovascular Follow-Up

A central goal of the Postpartum Hypertension Program is to improve follow-up with healthcare providers who can evaluate and manage long-term cardiovascular risk.

Among patients receiving care within the Cedars-Sinai system, 72% had a physician visit within six months after giving birth, and 83% of those enrolled in the program followed up with a specialist by 12 months.

“Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are not limited to pregnancy itself—they are an early marker of future cardiovascular risk,” said Sarah J. Kilpatrick, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai, who oversaw the creation of the monitoring initiative. “Programs like this help ensure patients stay connected to care and prioritize their own health after childbirth when mothers are more likely to focus on the newborn and their families.”

High Marks From Patients

Patient surveys consistently highlighted the program’s impact on emotional wellbeing during the postpartum transition, according to Fabricant. Participants frequently reported feeling less anxious after discharge and more confident managing their blood pressure at home.

“What we heard repeatedly from patients was how reassuring it was to know their blood pressure was being closely followed during a stressful time,” Fabricant said. “That reassurance helped many patients stay engaged in their care during early postpartum recovery.”

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: A High-Risk Pregnancy Lifeline

“It seems to be a more aggressive strain, and it seems to be a tougher problem,” Sam Torbati, MD, co-chair and medical director of the Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department, said of this year’s flu. “Last year, I don't recall this many patients becoming this ill.”  

Torbati cautioned that it's still very early in Los Angeles’ 2026 flu season, particularly because in the U.S., the flu tends to start along the East Coast and spread westward.  

“It may get much worse,” he said.

The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom spoke with Torbati to learn why patients are getting so sick, how to treat the flu and how to avoid a serious illness.

Who needs emergency care for the flu?

We're seeing a lot of older patients who live by themselves, and if somebody is not keeping an eye on them and they become sick, then no one is taking care of them. They could be lying in bed for two days getting very dehydrated and getting into trouble.

There are also many patients with chronic diseases who develop the flu, and two or three days later they're wiped out. When they come to the hospital, sometimes they’re dehydrated, sometimes they have a bacterial infection and sometimes it's just the flu itself.

The flu, in and of itself, can cause significant problems for patients. It can make them very sick, can make them very much out of it to the point that they can't stand, become dehydrated, and hospitalization becomes necessary to get them back on their feet.

How bad is flu season so far this year?

Around the second week of December, we started seeing a lot of influenza patients coming to the Emergency Department. That spike in flu activity was similarly seen throughout the county. We're seeing patients—the very young, the very old—everybody that gets affected by flu.

We did anticipate, based on some of the predictions from the southern hemisphere, that we were going to see a moderately severe flu season.

What are the most common flu symptoms right now?

In the early phase, we typically see fever, body ache, bone pain, runny nose, cough. The fever usually lasts anywhere from two to five days. Fever tends to stop, and then we end up having a lot of the lingering symptoms. Some patients have coughs that linger for a while. Some can have congestion that can linger for a while. But the average is a good seven to 10 days. So people should expect if they get sick, that it may take that long until they're back to normal, to the point that they feel 100%.

What is the best way to treat the flu?

If you're healthy and younger and you have a viral infection with flu-like symptoms, you basically need to take care of yourself. If you're coughing a lot, take cough medication. If you have a fever, take Tylenol or Motrin. Rest, isolate, drink a lot of fluids so you don't get dehydrated.

For patients who have shortness of breath, asthma or respiratory issues—or for older patients who are developing more severe symptoms—a doctor's visit may become important primarily to make sure that there isn't any complication.

For patients who have underlying medical illnesses—heart failure, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), severe asthma, and transplant patients—the sicker and more complicated their medical history is, and the sicker they feel, the more likely it is that a hospital would be helpful, and coming into the ER would be helpful. For some patients, we will prescribe an antiviral called Tamiflu to reduce the risk of a more serious illness if the medication can be started early enough.

What is the best way to avoid a serious flu illness?

It's still not too late to get a vaccine. And although the vaccines are not perfect—they don't completely prevent flu—there is ample evidence to show that they can reduce the severity of what flu does.

Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: When to Go to the ER for the Flu

Following a joyful holiday season spent with loved ones, many people start the new year feeling sluggish—often from indulging in rich food and drinks or falling out of their workout routines.

Time for a change, said Sara Espinoza, MD, medical director of the Cedars-Sinai Healthspan Clinic, which emphasizes maintaining a good quality of life while aging. 

“If people are feeling guilty because they overindulged, my advice is, don’t wallow in it,” Espinoza said. “Every day is a new day, and it’s never too late to turn over a new leaf—especially in the new year.”

Although many earnestly make healthy resolutions, a 2023 Forbes Health/OnePoll showed that the average resolution lasts less than four months. Espinoza sat down with the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom to explain how resolving to practice healthy habits today—such as regular exercise and healthy eating—can affect long-term health.   

For people who are not feeling their best after the holidays, what are some healthy resolutions they can make to start feeling better?

When people feel sluggish after the holidays, I usually start with recommending sleep. Sleep hygiene is critical for restoring energy, and one of the simplest steps is going to bed at the same time every night.

After sleep, consistent physical activity is one of the most effective ways to improve energy levels. If someone continues to feel fatigued despite improving sleep and exercise habits, that can be a signal of depression, and I recommend being screened.

What New Year's resolutions would you say have the biggest impact on longevity?

I almost always point to physical activity as having the greatest impact on long-term health.

I encourage people to aim for at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week, along with resistance training two days a week. That resistance training does not have to be complicated and can include body-weight exercises.

If that amount of exercise feels out of reach, I don’t want people to get discouraged. Even starting with a resolution to walk more each day is beneficial, especially because there is evidence showing regular walking reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.

My main message is any time working out is better than no time.

How do healthy daily habits support healthy aging and help prevent age-related diseases?

I talk frequently with patients about maintaining a healthy body weight because of its strong link to long-term health. Even modest weight loss—about 5% to 10% of body weight—can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes, sometimes by as much as 60%.

Research also shows that reducing calorie intake over several years can improve cardiovascular health, cholesterol levels and insulin sensitivity in young to middle-aged adults who are overweight or obese.

When discussing diet, I often reference Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate. About half the plate should be fruits and vegetables, a quarter should be whole grains such as brown rice or whole-wheat bread, and the remaining quarter should be healthy protein sources like fish, poultry, beans or nuts.

That said, dietary changes do not need to be extreme to be effective. If the guideline feels too strict, I suggest small, realistic adjustments, such as sharing a side of fries or choosing a salad instead.

People do not need to overhaul their entire diet overnight. Even one vegetable-focused meal a day as a resolution is a step in the right direction. Moderation is key.

Why is it so hard to stick to New Year’s resolutions, and what evidence-based strategies help people follow through?

One of the biggest reasons people struggle to stick with New Year’s resolutions is a lack of accountability. I often recommend working out with a friend, joining a class or having someone regularly check in.

Research on fitness trackers and wearables is mixed, but for many people, tracking progress is motivating. Simply monitoring daily steps on a phone or pedometer can help maintain consistency or reinforce habits.

I also encourage SMART goal setting, meaning goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Starting with small, incremental steps is far more sustainable than setting unrealistic resolutions.

What are some underrated or often overlooked habits that can improve long-term health and aging?

One habit that often is overlooked is oral health. Poor dental health has been linked to cardiovascular disease and dementia.

To support oral health, I recommend brushing at least twice a day, flossing daily and limiting sugary foods and drinks. Again, if that is too rigid, even brushing teeth twice a day is a great resolution.

Are there any extra resolutions that promote healthy aging?

Although general guidelines are a helpful starting point, my medical recommendations to support healthy aging resolutions for the greatest impact are tailored to an individual’s health status.

For older adults, for example, weight loss requires careful consideration because it can lead to loss of both fat and muscle. In those cases, weight loss combined with resistance training can help preserve muscle mass and maintain strength.

For patients with cardiovascular disease, I often recommend not smoking, limiting alcohol, taking prescribed blood pressure medications and following a low-sodium diet.

To make an appointment with the Healthspan Clinic, call 310-423-3870 and select option 1 and ask to schedule an appointment with Espinoza.

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: How to Think About Your Biological Age

“Wildfires that spread into urban areas have proven to be extremely dangerous because of how quickly they move and what they burn and release into the environment,” said Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, vice chair of Research Affairs in the Department of Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute and senior author of the study, published in JACC. “Our research suggests the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires had an immediate effect on people’s health.”

The Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department is located on the academic medical center’s main campus, about 10 miles from Pacific Palisades and about 20 miles from Altadena, the locations where the largest L.A. fires ignited in January 2025. Investigators collected data on emergency department visits during the 90 days after the fires started, from Jan. 7 to April 7, 2025. They compared this data with emergency visit data collected during the same calendar period in the years 2018 through 2024. 

Although there wasn’t a significant difference in total emergency department visits during the first 90 days following the start of the wildfires in 2025 as compared with other years, there was a drastic increase in emergency department visits for certain conditions. Investigators found a 118% increase in visits for general illness, 46% increase in the number of visits for heart attack, and a 24% increase in visits for pulmonary illness when compared to the average rate of these conditions diagnosed during the same time window in the past seven years. 

“Fine particles released by wildfires can enter the body and cause injury, particularly to the heart and lungs,” said Cheng, who is also the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Cardiovascular Health and Population Science in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. “Stress related to the fires may also contribute to a broad range of health issues.” 

The investigators found that abnormal blood test results related to general illness more than doubled in the 90-day period in 2025 as compared with that period in previous years. This is a finding not previously reported after major wildfires, according to the investigators.

“Abnormal blood test results could indicate that the body is responding to an external stressor such as toxins in the air,” said Joseph Ebinger, MD, MS, associate professor in the Department of Cardiology and first author of the study. “This study is an important step toward understanding how the Eaton and Palisades fires may have affected Angelenos’ health. We need more research to determine what we can do to mitigate any remaining risks and protect people from fire harm in the future.” 

This study is part of the larger LA Fire HEALTH Study, a research collaboration that seeks to determine the health effects of the fires that ignited in January 2025 in L.A. County. Investigators with Cedars-Sinai; the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC); Stanford University; UCLA; the University of California, Davis (UCD); the University of California, Irvine (UCI); the University of Texas at Austin; and Yale University plan to study the impacts of the fires for the next 10 years. 

Additional Cedars-Sinai authors include Tzu Yu Huang, MS; Sandy Joung, MSHS, MBA; Juliane Kwong, BS; Wasay Warsi, MS, BS; Nancy Sun, MPS; Jesse Navarrette, MPA; Patrick Botting, DHSc; Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH; and Alan C. Kwan, MD.

Other authors include Brian L. Claggett, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Funding: This work was partially supported by the Spiegel Family Fund, the Smidt Heart Foundation, and the Erika J. Glazer Family Foundation. 

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

Suze Lopez, a nurse from Bakersfield, California, was scheduled to finally have a 22-pound ovarian cyst removed; one that had been growing for years. But the results of a routine pregnancy test that was required before the surgery would give her the shock of a lifetime.

“Because of the large ovarian cyst that had been growing for years, it could have been a false positive, even ovarian cancer,” Lopez said. “And I was used to very irregular periods and some abdominal discomfort. I could not believe that after 17 years of praying, and trying, for a second child, that I was actually pregnant.”

Three days after finding out she was pregnant, the 41-year-old emergency room nurse shared the good news with her husband, Andrew, during a date night at a Dodgers baseball game in Los Angeles. But during the trip Lopez started having pain in her abdomen and they headed to Cedars-Sinai.

When they arrived at the medical center, Lopez had dangerously high blood pressure. John Ozimek, DO, medical director of Labor and Delivery, and his team got to work, stabilizing her blood pressure and ordering an MRI, blood work and an ultrasound.

Ozimek was stunned by what the diagnostic images revealed: a very rare abdominal ectopic pregnancy.

“Suze was pregnant, but her uterus was empty, and a giant benign ovarian cyst weighing over 20 pounds was taking up so much space,” Ozimek said. “We then discovered a nearly full-term baby boy in a small space in the abdomen, near the liver, with his butt resting on the uterus. A pregnancy this far outside the uterus that continues to develop is almost unheard of.”

Ozimek said that as the baby grew inside Lopez’s abdomen, behind the mass, it pushed the very large cyst forward. “It makes sense that she just thought the tumor was getting bigger again, not that she could be pregnant.”

What Is an Abdominal Ectopic Pregnancy?

In an abdominal ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, often on vital organs or major blood vessels. The placenta cannot safely grow there, creating an exceptionally high risk of catastrophic maternal bleeding and fetal death. A surviving infant is extraordinarily rare and often faces severe medical complications.

“It was profound to see this full-term baby sitting behind a very large ovarian tumor, not in the uterus. In my entire career, I’ve never even heard of one making it this far into the pregnancy,” said gynecological oncologist Michael Manuel, MD, of Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, who was called in to remove the giant cyst.

“We had to figure out how to deliver the baby with a placenta and its blood vessels attached in the abdomen, remove the very large ovarian mass and do everything we could to save mom and this child,” Manuel said.

Delivering a Medical Miracle

It took a team of about 30 experts to pull off a highly coordinated, complex delivery and surgery. Maternal-fetal medicine specialists, gynecological oncologists, nurses, anesthesiologists and a host of specially trained surgical technicians filled the operating room to near capacity. 

Manuel lifted the massive dermoid cyst out of the way so Ozimek and team could quickly deliver the baby and hand him off to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) staff. Then they got back to work.

“As soon as the baby was delivered, Lopez started hemorrhaging badly. We were a specially trained team of obstetric anesthesiologists and well prepared, but it was still intense,” said anesthesiologist Michael Sanchez, MD. “I had already powered up a special machine that delivers blood products fast because every second matters. We used 11 units of blood.”

Cedars-Sinai is the only Level IV Maternal Care hospital in California, a designation earned for its ability to provide comprehensive care for mothers before birth, throughout labor and delivery and after childbirth.

“The ability to provide this level of highly trained, coordinated and multidisciplinary care for extremely high-risk patients can make a critical difference in the health of both mother and baby, as we saw in this extraordinary case of Suze and Ryu Lopez,” said Sarah J. Kilpatrick, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The medical team was elated to see that after such a rare and dangerous pregnancy, the little boy the Lopezes named Ryu came into the world with very few health problems, a full head of hair and weighing 8 pounds.

Sara Dayanim, MD, a neonatologist with Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s, said a critical concern was whether his lungs had developed properly and if they would be functioning.

“We were very prepared to handle any lung problems the baby might have. But he came out of anesthesia pretty quickly and he was feisty,” Dayanim said. “The following day we were able to remove the breathing tube, and over the course of his two weeks with us, Ryu quickly reached all of the important benchmarks for surviving well. He defied all the odds.”

The Nurse Angel

Like her newborn, Lopez was feisty and focused on recovering quickly so she could spend time in the NICU with Ryu, her husband and teenage daughter, Kaila. She especially remembers Carmen Chavez, MSN, RN, assistant manager of the Maternal-Fetal Care Unit, for coming alongside her before and after the challenging delivery and surgery. Lopez still refers to as her guardian angel through it all.

“She checked on me so often,” Lopez said. “She sat in on the consults with doctors to make sure we understood everything I was facing at a difficult time. She even helped us tell my daughter about the pregnancy. I’m a nurse myself, but what Carmen did was above and beyond. It meant everything.”

Chavez said she felt Lopez deserved all the support she could get.

“This was an exceptionally high-risk case, and we had to plan every detail,” Chavez said. “It was all hands on deck for our nursing team. Knowing the complexities of Suze’s situation, knowing the challenges she and her baby were about to face, I wanted to stay close.”

Ryu’s parents believe he is the answer to years of praying for a second child. Andrew Lopez said that is why they chose “Jesse” for Ryu’s middle name; it means “gift from God.” 

“He is our gift. And Ryu and Suze are my miracles,” Lopez said. “They let me in the operating room, and it was tough to watch what she was going through, and amazing to see Ryu delivered. So yes, many prayers have been answered.”

“I appreciate every little thing. Everything. Every day is a gift and I’m never going to waste it,” Suze Lopez said. “God gave me this baby so that he could be an example to the world that God exists—that miracles, modern-day miracles, do happen.”

Read more from the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom: Cedars-Sinai Earns Highest Designation for Maternal Care

More than a quarter of U.S. adults say they are estranged from at least one close relative, and “going no-contact” with family members is a phrase heard more often these days. Whether more people are distancing themselves from family—or simply more comfortable talking about it—is unclear.

What is clear, said Itai Danovitch, MD, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai, is that loneliness is a growing health problem, and the holidays can intensify feelings of depression and isolation.

“There are many causes of loneliness, but certainly one of the most significant emerging causes is our physical disconnection and increasing reliance on technology to communicate with each other,” Danovitch said. “We evolved to be a highly social species with the capacity to form personal relationships, families, tribes and communities. Some of the most remarkable distinctions of the human brain are those that help us understand one another, imagine another person’s perspective, and empathically share their feelings.

“But we’ve seen an unraveling of the social structures that have always anchored us, and particularly during times of need, that has left many of us feeling alone and disconnected.”

These dynamics create a host of challenges and difficult emotions that commonly surface during the holidays, when relationships, family and community are front and center.

The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom spoke with Danovitch about ways to cope with loneliness and estrangement during the holiday season, as well as how to build meaningful and healthy connections.

Why do people feel lonelier or depressed during the holidays? 

There are several reasons. Loneliness and isolation are amplified during the holidays if people are already experiencing a sense of separation from their families of origin or the social pain of loneliness. Even people who are not estranged from their families—but who may not live close by or aren’t accustomed to spending time together—can suddenly feel overwhelmed by dynamics that resurface as if no time has passed, although one person is now an adult and another a grandparent. Another contributor to holiday depression or loneliness is expectations. People bring personal ideas about what the holidays should look like, and those expectations often carry emotional weight—and often don’t align with reality.

How can people cope when there is family estrangement or spending time together is difficult?

When it comes to family dynamics, relationships are messy. Families are messy. It’s valuable to be aware of challenging dynamics and to bring patience and grace to any interactions. Take a deep breath and feel compassion and forgiveness if you feel like you're not being your best self. If you suddenly slip back into the 13-year-old version of yourself, give yourself a break. Give your family a break. Also, know that you can't solve everything over one holiday. Developing better or more fulfilling relationships with family takes effort and time. Lean into relationships and approach engagement and connecting in a way that feels appropriate for the situation and the individuals.

For mental wellbeing, is it OK to maintain boundaries with family during the holidays?

There's no right or wrong answer. Boundaries are individualized, and I wouldn’t judge the reason somebody does or doesn't want to spend time with their family—or whether they remain estranged. That's for them to decide. But I think it's helpful to be honest and accepting of our decisions on how to handle the tradeoffs we make. Self-acceptance and self-compassion are an important foundation for everything else.

How can people cope if they don’t have family to spend the holidays with?

Foster connections within the community and the people around you—friends, neighbors, or groups who share an interest that’s important to you. Think about participating in a food kitchen or a beach cleanup, or volunteer with an animal shelter or in supportive services for kids. Spend time outdoors or reach out to your neighbors. Consider what interests you, what moves you, and how you can find others who share those interests. These connections are crucial for mental health. 

What are healthy ways to manage holiday stress—say, social anxiety or discomfort during holiday gatherings?

Social anxiety is one of the most common types of anxiety, and meeting new people is one of the most stressful things people do. Part of what makes us anxious is the feeling that we're being judged, so we're prone to worrying about coming across the right way. When you're in a group and somebody is new, be gracious and include them. It goes a long way. For people worried about falling into old habits with their family, consider intentional activities. Some families come together and talk, and then conversation drifts toward points of conflict—like politics or religion. Redirect with a board game, a movie or a group hike. It’s time together that matters.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Social Anxiety—How to Navigate the Holiday Season

Addison, who previously smoked, was referred to the Cedars-Sinai Lung Cancer Screening Program by her primary care physician because Addison met screening guidelines. Those guidelines recommend screening those 50-80 years old who currently smoke or have smoked the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years or more.

“Once Addison entered our Lung Cancer Screening Program, her care was guided by our nurse practitioner, Deborah Gregory, who ensured she felt informed and supported from screening through diagnosis,” said Sara Ghandehari, MD, medical director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “Deborah presented her case to our multidisciplinary team, delivered timely expert recommendations, and navigated insurance hurdles to keep her care on track. The Lung cancer Screening Program facilitates the screening process and provides fast access to diagnosis and follow-up care.  For people at increased risk for developing lung cancer, screening and early detection can save lives.”

That’s exactly what happened to Addison. Today, Addison is cancer-free, following screening, early detection and treatment at Cedars-Sinai Cancer.

The screening process involves a noninvasive, low-dose CT scan that can detect cancer or precancerous nodules inside the lungs. Addison had been undergoing screenings since 2021, and her screening in 2024 detected a change in a previously identified nodule in the middle lobe of her right lung.

“The nodule measured 11 millimeters, which is quite small,” said Christopher Lee, MD, radiologist and imaging director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program, who read Addison’s scans. “A nodule of this size would never be noticed without a CT scan since they do not cause symptoms until they become much larger. That's basically what we're trying to catch with screening: early-stage cancers that are potentially curable.”

After a biopsy confirmed the nodule was cancerous, Addison met Andrew Brownlee, MD, thoracic surgeon and assistant professor of Surgery.

“He told me that my cancer was at an early stage and in the best place that I could have it,” Addison said. “He said he would remove that lobe and my cancer would be gone. So I didn’t have to have chemotherapy, I didn’t have to have radiation. I have to have a CT scan every six months for the next two years, but that is all.”

After a series of tests and other preparation, she was scheduled for surgery Feb. 17. Because her tumor was so small and at such an early stage, she was able to have a robotic “keyhole” procedure to remove it.

“Lung cancer surgery has made tremendous advances in recent decades, and one of those is the use of minimally invasive procedures,” Brownlee said. “We perform the lion's share of lung cancer surgeries using the robotic platform. Patients have the same outcomes, but with a faster, easier recovery—less time in the hospital, less postoperative discomfort and a faster return to their everyday life with minimal impact on their breathing.”

Brownlee said that the area of Addison’s lung that was removed, the middle portion on the right side, participates in only about 5% to 10% of lung function, so the remaining portions of her lungs can make up for the missing portion.

“We all start out with more lung capacity than we need,” Brownlee said. “So when we remove one lobe, the other lobes can compensate.”

After just two days in the hospital, Addison was able to go home.

“Early detection and leading-edge treatment are hallmarks of patient care at Cedars-Sinai Cancer,” said Robert Figlin, MD, interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “We are dedicated to producing the best possible outcomes at every turn.”

The mother of four and grandmother of three advises everyone who is eligible to seek out lung cancer screening.

“It is very important,” she said, “especially if you are a smoker or have been a smoker. If it hadn’t been for my screening, my cancer wouldn’t have been caught in time.

“Cancer is a scary word,” said Addison, whose mother died from breast cancer and whose father died from colon cancer. “Nobody wants to hear that word. But my philosophy of life is that God is not going to put anything on my plate that he does not already have the solution to. So, I made my doctor's appointments, went to get my X-rays and blood work, and then I had my surgery, and here I am cancer-free. I do not need radiation, do not need chemotherapy, and I'm fine. I can go ahead and live my life.”

Read More on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Clearing the Air—Your Lung Cancer Screening Questions Answered

Pimentel points out that the days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s are among the riskiest for food poisoning, especially as large meals, buffets and leftovers become part of the festivities. Each year, about 48 million Americans—roughly 1 in 6—get sick from foodborne illnesses, leading to an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pimentel and Cedars-Sinai clinical dietitian Albert Abayev, RD, who works with patients undergoing weight loss surgery and general surgery, serve up answers to common holiday food safety questions.

What new insights have emerged in recent years about food poisoning—its causes, risks and prevention?

Pimentel: Foodborne illness continues to result from contamination with bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella or Campylobacter jejuni. Improper handling remains a major source of contamination. Foods left out for hours—common during buffets and large gatherings—create ideal conditions for bacterial growth.

Abayev: Many holiday-related food safety issues stem from outdated traditions or rushed environments. Long stretches of food left out on counters, undercooked poultry or stuffing, crowding the refrigerator, thawing meats on the counter, and multitasking that can lead to cross contamination are among the most frequent problems.

How long does it take to get food poisoning—and is the last meal always to blame?

Pimentel: Symptoms do not always appear immediately. Certain infections may take up to 48 hours to incubate. When determining the likely source, consider foods eaten in the prior two days and whether others who shared them also became ill.

How long does food poisoning usually last—and is it contagious?

Pimentel: Most cases resolve within a few days. E. coli often clears quickly, while Salmonella and Campylobacter may last a week or longer. Foodborne illness is not contagious like a virus, but contamination can occur if a sick person prepares food for others. Those with any symptoms should avoid preparing meals until fully recovered.

What are the biggest food safety mistakes people make in holiday kitchens?

Abayev: Allowing food to sit at room temperature for extended periods is the most common issue. Once food has been out for more than two hours, bacteria grow quickly. Undercooking turkey, stuffing and casseroles is another frequent problem; all dishes should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Cross contamination, refrigerator overcrowding and improper thawing also add to the risk.

How reliable are the 'smell test' or 'eye test' when judging leftovers, and how long do leftovers stay safe?

Abayev: Appearance and smell are not reliable indicators of safety. Many harmful bacteria do not alter a food’s odor or color. Leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours, used within three to four days and reheated to 165 degrees. Also, freezing the food preserves quality for several months.

How should people with digestive conditions—or those using GLP-1 medications for weight loss—approach holiday meals safely?

Pimentel: Individuals with irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease or other chronic gastrointestinal conditions are more susceptible to foodborne illness, and an infection can worsen symptoms or trigger flares. Careful food handling, thorough cooking and choosing low-risk foods are especially important.

Abayev: GLP-1 users on weight management programs may experience slower stomach emptying, making heavy holiday foods more likely to cause discomfort. Smaller portions, slower eating, prioritizing protein and staying upright after meals can help. Because food remains in the stomach longer, contamination may result in stronger symptoms.

What should people do to recover from food poisoning?

Pimentel: Recovery starts with hydration. Small, frequent sips of water, electrolyte drinks or broth help replace losses. Bland foods like toast, rice, bananas or broth-based soups can be added as symptoms improve. Medical care is appropriate if symptoms last more than a couple of days or if there is high fever, blood in the stool or signs of dehydration.

What is one of the biggest food safety concerns this year?

Pimentel: Improved monitoring has reduced contamination in meat but produce now poses growing concern. Field conditions may limit workers’ access to proper hygiene, and many vegetables are eaten raw, eliminating the safety benefit of cooking.

What is the most important takeaway for holiday hosts and guests?

Abayev: Temperature control is the foundation of food safety. Hot foods should stay hot, cold foods should stay cold and leftovers should be refrigerated promptly.

Pimentel: Better safe than sorry; no one wants a side of food poisoning with their holiday meal.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Weight-Loss Drugs—What to Know Now

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 percent of new breast cancer cases in the U.S. are in women younger than 45.

“We don’t have routine screening recommendations for patients younger than 40, and people aren’t aware that if they have a strong family history, especially in a first-degree relative like a mother, sister or aunt, they should be screened sooner,” said Mary El-Masry, MD, the hematologist-oncologist who led Dade’s care team.

Dade, who received her care from an integrated team at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Beverly Hills, is dancing once again, but treatment for triple-negative breast cancer wasn’t easy. It began with a regimen known as KEYNOTE-522. The protocol included four types of chemotherapy medications to shrink the tumor, plus an immunotherapy drug to help Dade’s immune system do its part in fighting the cancer.

Also there to help were her mother and her partner, Marcus Mack.

“I really just kind of fell into the hands of my care team, knowing that this treatment regimen was going to be extremely rough,” Dade said. “I had moved in with Marcus only three months before I was diagnosed. And then my mom moved in. Who would have thought that my mother and my partner would both be taking care of me.”

Tumors like Dade’s are “negative” for three important receptors—estrogen, progesterone and HER2—that many treatments use to target tumors, making them among the most aggressive and challenging to treat. El-Masry called the protocol Dade received a “breakthrough” in the world of triple-negative breast cancer.

“Mataya has an excellent prognosis,” El-Masry said. “She had a complete clinical response to her treatment. We could see her tumor shrinking.”

Following her chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimen, Dade opted for a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. And as a social media influencer, she chose to document her treatment journey.

“This is a message to my future me that I am a baddie and I will get through cancer,” she said to her followers.

For young women like Dade, El-Masry said that it is important to seek out earlier screening if there is family history of cancer—and to be your own advocate.

“If you feel something, bring it to someone’s attention and push to have some imaging done,” El-Masry said. “That could mean a mammogram or, if you are concerned about radiation exposure, an ultrasound. And if imaging isn’t showing anything but you feel a lump, you should ask to have it biopsied so we can be sure it isn’t something we need to be concerned about.”

Several days after her surgery, Dade was able to post the news her friends and family had been waiting for: “I, Mataya Dade, am cancer free.”

With that, she is at work creating a podcast—supported by Mack, a composer and producer—called “You Survived! Now What?” The plan is to offer advice and create a community for other young cancer survivors who are taking their next steps in life—just like Dade and Mack are taking theirs.

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

“I knew something wasn't right, and the best thing to do was to sit down so that I could get the medical attention I needed,” said King, a defender for Angel City FC (ACFC).

During that infamous match, King stood up to kick a ball that was passed to her but slowly went down again. Next, everything went black. King was having a heart attack at 20.

ACFC medical team, including Cedars-Sinai physicians Tracy Zaslow, MD, primary care sports medicine specialist, and Rachel Triche, MD, orthopaedic surgeon and chief medical officer for the team, rushed the field with ACFC head athletic trainer Hollie Walusz, who performed lifesaving CPR that prevented permanent heart damage. King was transported to Cedars-Sinai, where she underwent emergency surgery to correct a heart defect she didn’t know she had.

It was a dramatic turn of events for a woman who started playing soccer at 10, declared at 12 she wanted to play professionally, and was selected with the second overall pick in the 2024 National Women's Soccer League draft at 18. A year later, she joined ACFC. 

King is one of millions of people who undergo heart surgery every year and face a long recovery.

“This is the first major injury I’ve had, so it’s been a lot of me figuring things out,” she said. “Having a huge support system has been the biggest thing and also being able to just feel all the emotions I'm feeling.”

When Cedars-Sinai cardiologist Seth Lichtenstein, MD, reviewed CT scans of King’s heart, he discovered one of the large arteries that feeds blood to the heart was showing an extremely narrow opening—like a road that was nearly blocked off.

“Her left coronary artery was so narrow that it was unable to deliver blood to the heart effectively,” Lichtenstein said.

Lichtenstein diagnosed King with an anomalous left coronary artery, a rare condition that fewer than 1% of people are born with. Most people with an anomalous artery don’t learn about their condition until they have symptoms so severe that a doctor orders imaging or when they have imaging for an unrelated reason. The type of anomaly that King had is the kind that typically requires surgery.

“This congenital lesion can be especially dangerous,” said Richard W. Kim, MD, director of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. “It can lead to a heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or even sudden death.”

Kim led the team of doctors who performed the surgery, creating a new pathway for the blood to get to the artery.

Next came King’s recovery. After six weeks of physical therapy at home, King began a cardiac rehabilitation program in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. Three days a week for three months, she exercised under the guidance of physicians and nurses while hooked up to monitors that displayed her heart rate and rhythm.

King, who projects an upbeat positivity, felt a kinship with other patients who did cardiac rehab.

“I remember talking to one woman who kept saying she was so happy to see that even after you have surgery, you can still go about life and be happy,” she said.

King is grateful that ACFC had medical experts available to resuscitate her. Cedars-Sinai is the team's official healthcare partner, and health system physicians regularly care for players and sit on the sidelines at games.

Zaslow, a sports medicine physician, said that because not all sports teams have access to doctors, it is important that adults, especially coaches, know how to perform CPR.

“In this case, we had trained personnel ready to respond, but what if something like this happens somewhere else, like a kid's soccer field or even an airport?” she said.

Recent imaging shows King’s new artery pathway is feeding her heart as it should. She’s back to working out alongside her teammates and hopeful to be playing competitively again soon.

“I had to trust the process and know that everything I'm doing is for the greater purpose of being on the field again,” she said. “Having love, support, and prayers from not just my family and friends but nationwide has really helped me get to the other side of this.”

Read More Link: Can Exercise Make You Sharper and Happier?

Cedars-Sinai experts recommend getting the flu shot starting in September before flu season begins as early as November. They say vaccination is the most powerful tool to avoid influenza-related hospitalizations or worse. As many as 130,000 people in the U.S. died from the flu last year, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“By getting the flu shot, you’re not only protecting yourself, you’re protecting your family and vulnerable members of the community who would suffer a more serious illness,” said Jonathan Grein, MD, director of Hospital Epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai and associate professor in the Department of Medicine.

Although vaccination is the best way to prevent the flu, Grein also recommends washing hands thoroughly and often, avoiding others who are sick, and wearing a mask when not feeling well to avoid spreading an illness to others.

The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom spoke with Grein and other Cedars-Sinai specialists about this year’s flu shot recommendations, how to manage flu symptoms and where to seek care during a flu illness.

Who Should Get the Flu Shot?

There are no significant changes to flu shot recommendations this year, Grein said. The vaccine is still advised for eligible adults, teens and children more than 6 months old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those 65 and older are still encouraged to get a high-dose flu vaccine if available because it elicits a stronger immune response, and older adults’ immune systems weaken with age.

“If a high-dose flu shot is not available, older individuals should receive a standard dose, rather than skipping the shot,” Grein said. “It’s critical for older adults to protect themselves.”

Children 6 months to 8 years old who have never received a flu vaccine should receive two doses, spaced four weeks apart, said Priya Soni, MD, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s.

“Ideally, parents should vaccinate their children before the end of October to ensure protection before peak flu season,” Soni said.

Cedars-Sinai primary care physicians and pediatricians are now offering flu shots to patients during scheduled visits. Patients who have been treated by a Cedars-Sinai primary care provider in the past 16 months can schedule a vaccination appointment through My CS-Link at locations in Beverly Hills, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, Los Feliz, Playa Vista and Tarzana.

How to Treat Flu Symptoms

Like other upper respiratory infections, flu symptoms include nasal congestion, fever, body aches, cough, sore throat and fatigue. Most people with mild symptoms will improve at home with fluids, a pain reliever such as Tylenol and rest, Grein said. Those at high risk of more serious infection—older adults, immune-compromised individuals and others with chronic health conditions—should speak with their physician soon after symptoms appear to find out whether an antiviral medication like Tamiflu would be right for them.

Those with more severe symptoms—a very high fever, loss of appetite or inability to keep fluids down—should see their physician or visit urgent care, said Jonathan Weiner, MD, chair of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Group’s Department of Primary Care and Acute Care Medicine.

Life-threatening symptoms like difficulty breathing should immediately be addressed in the nearest emergency department.

Flu Treatment for Children

Mild flu symptoms in children look similar to those of an adult and will likewise improve with fluids, rest, and Tylenol or ibuprofen, Soni said. She cautioned against giving children aspirin because of the risk of contracting Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious illness linked to aspirin. Higher-risk children might need an antiviral treatment prescribed by a physician.

Soni explained that children 2 and younger run a high risk of dehydration, so their parents should make sure they drink and eat enough. She also advised parents to watch for signs that their child’s symptoms might be escalating.

“If a child is struggling to breathe, or showing signs of severe fatigue, vomiting or dehydration, they should be seen promptly by their physician or in the emergency department,” Soni said.

Where to Get Care for the Flu

For children and adults with milder symptoms, a virtual visit through a mobile app like Cedars-Sinai Connect is a great first step to get reassurance or guidance on the best treatment options, Weiner said.

“A physician or other provider can see you, assess how sick you appear and determine if you need to be seen in person or if you can manage your illness at home,” said Weiner, who treats patients in person and via Cedars-Sinai Connect. “If we determine that you need to see your Cedars-Sinai primary care physician or you need to go to urgent care for your symptoms, your provider will see the notes from your virtual visit in your chart because we all share the same Cedars-Sinai medical record.”

If a flu test is needed to rule out other illnesses or for a Tamiflu prescription, Cedars-Sinai Connect providers can order one through a streamlined visit at one of Cedars-Sinai’s urgent care locations. Patients also can get an over-the-counter test at their local pharmacy. Weiner said it’s good to know if you have the flu so you can avoid spreading the illness to others. People are contagious a day before symptoms start and up until their fever has resolved and symptoms are improving—as long as five to seven days after getting sick.

If symptoms do not improve, other causes of upper respiratory tract infections need to be ruled out, which could require in-person treatment, Weiner said. He emphasized that an in-person appointment also is recommended for patients with underlying conditions, high fever, trouble keeping food and liquids down, and for anyone who is having trouble breathing.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Flu and RSV: How to Protect Yourself Now

The medical center also tied for #1 in California and Los Angeles.

The U.S. News rankings, released Tuesday, are based on patient outcomes, patient experience, technology, ability to handle complex medical conditions and a variety of other health-related measures.

U.S. News selects the top-performing hospitals for the Honor Roll based on their high rankings and ratings in multiple specialties, procedures and conditions.

Cedars-Sinai had 11 specialties ranked nationally in the hospital rankings. The specialty rankings mean Cedars-Sinai is among the top 50 hospitals in the nation in these specific clinical areas.

Three Cedars-Sinai specialties were ranked in the top five nationally:

• Gastroenterology & GI Surgery (#2)
• Orthopedics (#5)
• Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#5)

Six specialties were ranked in the top 10 nationally. In addition to the three above, the list includes:

• Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery (#6)
• Diabetes & Endocrinology (#9)
• Obstetrics & Gynecology (#8, tied)

Three specialties also were #1 in California (highest U.S. News ranking in the region):  

• Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery
• Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
• Orthopedics

One specialty was ranked #1 in Los Angeles only (highest U.S. News ranking in the region):

• Obstetrics & Gynecology

Additionally, Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital has been recognized with six “High Performing” designations from U.S. News & World Report for 2025–2026. This honor reflects the hospital’s strong commitment to delivering exceptional care across key specialties and conditions.

Cedars-Sinai affiliates Torrance Memorial Health and Huntington Health also earned high state and local rankings. Torrance Memorial Health ranked #8 in California and #3 in Los Angeles, while Huntington Health was #10 in California and #5 in Los Angeles.

The California Rehabilitation Institute—a partnership of Cedars-Sinai, UCLA Health and Select Medical—was the #24 rehabilitation hospital in the country. U.S. News evaluated 1,049 rehab hospitals and ranked the top 50 for their care of patients recovering from events such as stroke, traumatic brain injuries and severe burns.

“At Cedars-Sinai, we are fortunate to have passionate, talented healthcare professionals who work tirelessly to meet the needs of our patients and the community,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Health System and the David and Meredith Kaplan Presidential Chair. “Their dedication is the reason our clinical programs are ranked among the top in the nation.”

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

In a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Stem Cell, investigators detail how they created “ALS on a chip” and the clues the specialized laboratory chip has already produced about nongenetic causes of the disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The work builds on previous studies where adult cells from ALS patients were reverted into stem cells. The cells were then pushed forward to produce motor neurons, which die in the disease, causing progressive loss of the ability to move, speak, eat and breathe.

In this study, the motor neurons from ALS patients were seeded into the top channels of microengineered chips. Cells that make up the blood-brain barrier were seeded into the bottom channels of the chips. The two channels are connected through a porous membrane that allows investigators to flow fluids through the chips in order to mimic blood flow.

Investigators created a second group of the specialized chips using cells from individuals who did not have ALS, then used advanced technologies to analyze more than 10,000 genes in the motor neurons in both groups of chips.

“In our early work, we couldn’t detect many differences between the motor neurons of patients with ALS and those from healthy individuals,” said Clive Svendsen, PhD, executive director of the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute at Cedars-Sinai and senior author of the study. “But those studies employed traditional lab culture that is static like a pond. In the body, blood vessels provide constant fluid flow to bring in nutrients and take away waste—and may even provide other types of support to motor neurons.”

In the specialized chips, the motor neurons matured more completely than they would in a static dish, and investigators could detect distinct differences in the cells from patients with ALS.

“We were intrigued to find that signaling for glutamate, a chemical that sends excitatory messages between neurons, was altered in the ALS motor neurons,” Svendsen said. “Excessive release of glutamate has long been considered a possible cause of ALS, and one of the few drugs approved to treat the disease targets this neurotransmitter. The changes we found don’t seem to cause any issues for the motor neurons when they are young, but over many years it is possible that this increased glutamate signaling may be part of why motor neurons die in ALS.”

Svendsen said that while these results are exciting, the team’s next task is to determine whether this increased glutamate signaling directly leads to the dysfunction or death of the cells. He also noted that glutamate is likely only one piece in a much larger puzzle that underlies the cause of ALS.

“These models allow us to better understand the very earliest stages of the disease process,” Svendsen said. “We haven’t connected all the dots yet, but based on these findings we have a model that will allow us to test our theories. If we can show that glutamate signaling eventually makes the ALS motor neurons sick, for instance, we can apply drugs to the blood vessel side of the chip to mimic a clinical trial. Those experiments are underway.”

Additional authors include Deepti Lall, Michael Workman, Samuel Sances, Briana N. Ondatje, Shaughn Bell, George Lawless, Amanda Woodbury, Dylan West, Amanda Meyer, Andrea Matlock, Vineet Vaibhav, and Jennifer E. Van Eyk.

Funding: This work was supported by NIH-NCATS grants 1UG3NS105703-01 and 1UG3TR003264-01, and funding from The ALS Association.

Cedars-Sinai owns a minority stock interest in Emulate, the company that produces the study’s microfluidic Organ-Chips. An officer of Cedars-Sinai also serves on Emulate’s Board of Directors. C.N.S serves on the advisory board of Cell Stem Cell.

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

Wei Gao, PhD, director of Neuroimaging Research and professor of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging; Jane Tavyev Asher, MD, director of the Division of Pediatric Neurology at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s; and David H. Rowitch, MD, PhD, deputy director of Research at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s, sat down with the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom to talk about their work.

Mapping Infant Brain Development

Gao said that besides primary motor connections, social-emotional connections are among the first an infant’s brain makes, and that these connections ladder up to other levels of intelligence.

“The first year is where you need to pay very special attention to the social-emotional development of the baby,” Gao said. “You want to provide sensitive support to the baby so the baby can develop a secure attachment with you as a caregiver. That has long-term impacts to their later achievements and quality of life.”

Social-emotional development is the key piece that integrates the core hierarchy of brain development, Gao said. It starts with sensory and motor regions to ensure early survival, then progresses to higher-order cognitive areas to develop more sophisticated social and emotional regulation skills, which are critical for mental wellbeing, learning and adaptation.

Gao and his team previously created one of the first detailed maps of connections established between different regions of the brain during the first two years of life. They aim to better understand typical brain growth trajectories, as well as how risk factors—including maternal health, prenatal exposures to harmful substances, and family environment—can influence brain growth and a child’s development.

The investigators are now conducting the Healthy Brain and Child Development study, which will follow more than 7,000 children from birth to 10 years old. Regular conversations with caregivers and imaging of the children’s brains will help investigators correlate development of brain connections with other factors in a child’s life.

“We want to use advanced imaging as a tool to detect deviations as early as possible so that we can hopefully bring them back to the normal trajectory,” Gao said.

The Effects of Screen Time During Babyhood

Tavyev Asher is a pediatric neurologist who collaborates with Gao. She said a baby’s brain develops sensory abilities first, followed by language and social skills—a process that can be derailed by screen time.

Before the age of 12, the auditory and the visual areas of the brain are being fine-tuned, but looking at a screen develops only the visual cortex of the brain, Tavyev Asher said. The auditory cortex, which supports social interactions, develops through in-person interaction.

“Real life moves at a much slower pace than the rapidly flipping images on a device or screen,” Tavyev Asher said. “The brain is developing its communication patterns in those first few years of life, so you are training that brain exactly what it needs for its future. If you're exposing that brain to a screen, that brain thinks it needs to be able to pay attention to these rapidly changing images but not to the slower things of the real world.”

To make sure language, hearing and social skills develop, Tavyev Asher urged parents and caregivers to prioritize face-to-face interaction with their babies. She also said that early screen time can affect a child’s later learning skills, including reading and writing proficiency.

“Reading comprehension, reading speed, reading fluency and memorization are all going to be enhanced if you're reading from an actual book rather than on the screen,” Tavyev Asher said. “The single most important thing that parents can do for their children right now is to keep them off screens between the ages of 0 and 3.”

The Importance of Genetics

Rowitch, a neonatologist, developmental neuroscientist and expert on pediatric neurological disease, said that genetic tests developed over the past 10 years can analyze all 3 billion base pairs, the letters that make up a person’s genetic code. These tests can offer crucial information on an infant’s brain development as well as the child’s future mental and physical health.

“We find that almost 80% of babies with a genetic condition exhibit a neurological manifestation,” Rowitch said. “For example, that could be weakness of the muscles, seizures or a structural abnormality of the brain that we identify by MRI. It is important to understand and capture these conditions to ensure the correct diagnosis and treatment.”

Pairing genetic testing with a map of normal brain development such as the one created by Gao can help clarify how genetic conditions change development patterns, Rowitch said. This could be especially true for babies born preterm.

“We want to be able to anticipate future health or neurodevelopmental problems,” Rowitch said. “The earlier we detect alterations, the sooner we can intervene to improve the child's developmental trajectory.”

Detecting serious genetic conditions at birth also could have implications for a child’s school readiness and long-term health outcomes.

“Together, these studies emphasize the importance of early brain development. If we understand how genetics affects school readiness, that starts to open up another set of questions,” Rowitch said. “How can we make a child school-ready who might otherwise be in a high-risk category? If we can bring together genetics, brain mapping and cognitive assessment, we can create interventions that can help every child reach their potential.”

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

The tone was urgent: “Please pick up your child now.” Moments later, Kim, director of the Division of Pediatric Surgery, learned his Pacific Palisades community was on the brink of a wildfire evacuation order. He raced home to help his family pack, but he felt certain, based on past experience, they’d be back soon.

The Kim family is now marking four months in a Santa Monica apartment: The L.A. wildfires, which began Jan. 7, 2025, and also devastated the Altadena community, destroyed their home.

Kim’s daughters, 13 and 16, were uprooted from their home, school and community. In a flash, they were separated from friends and unable to participate in local activities. And now, with summer break approaching, they and many other affected students could experience more disruption in their daily routines.

Connections and Consistency

Suzanne Silverstein, MA, ATR, founding director of Cedars-Sinai’s Share & Care, a program at 30 L.A.-area schools helping at-risk children through trauma, said parents should be prepared to guide children—many of whom are still grieving—through that disruption.

“The Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities were very tight-knit, and they are still suffering,” Silverstein said. “Children and parents have had to deal with losing homes as well as their community connections. It’s a double whammy, and it’s normal to still be grieving.”

Silverstein said children in the Share & Care program have received donated items, and she often hears them say, “I had this in my house that burned down.”

She added, “They’re also struggling because they’ve changed schools—their family moved, or their original school is no longer there—and their friends are at different schools. They’ve had to start over.”

Silverstein emphasized the importance of maintaining connections, especially during the summer break. She encourages parents to set up playdates with friends who have moved to different areas, saying, “Whole families can reconnect, which can be a gift to have everyone together for some positive experiences, and to see that everyone is OK.”

Consistency also is key, Silverstein said. If children have always attended summer camp and their camp is taking place this summer, it could be healing for them to go again, “if it’s something that’s familiar to them and something they can connect to, from before the fire.”

An art therapist, Silverstein also encourages children to express themselves in the ways they are most comfortable.

“Is it writing, is it drawing, is it through poetry or acting? Give them more of those experiences this summer,” she tells parents.

Art is a healing tool in Share & Care—younger children are encouraged to draw what they’re experiencing, while older ones are encouraged to write or draw in a journal, and then share if they’d like.

Also taught are mindfulness, calming breathing techniques, and how to sit quietly together and listen to what others in the group are sharing.

These are activities parents can continue with their children during summer recess, Silverstein said.

“We’ve been teaching parents the breathing techniques we’ve used with their children,” she said. “Parents also can benefit, as this continues to be a stressful and overwhelming time for them, too.”

Silverstein noted that the healing process is different for every child, and a strong parent-child connection can lead the way in best addressing the needs of each individual.

Leaning on Each Other

In the weeks following the fire, Kim’s family stayed in Orange County with relatives. He remembers kindness on full display when his daughters—competitive swimmers—were invited to swim with the local team. His older daughter took them up on the team’s offer.

“That was a huge part of maintaining some semblance of connection, and it helped her recovery,” he said, because she could participate in a routine activity she enjoys while also making new friends.

Kim said both daughters, as well as he and his wife, have benefited from social time with former neighbors and friends who are recovering from the fires.

“Talking about the complete loss we’ve experienced with people who’ve also been through it is a huge help,” he said.

Kim said he hopes to create a “normal” summer experience for his daughters, even though the family is living in a different place—filling it with swim meets and a vacation to the East Coast, a family tradition. His older daughter also will volunteer at Cedars-Sinai, an activity she finds fulfilling.

For the Kim family, time together may prove to have been the most healing.

“My wife and I were quite concerned about the stress of this trauma on the girls,” he said. “Earlier on, there were teary days and sleepless nights, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen emotions bubble up. We continue to watch them closely and make sure they know we’re here for them. I’m in awe of their resilience—it gives me strength to see them get up every morning, go to school and carry on to the next day.”

As the school year ends, these moments are more important than ever.

“We can’t get back the things we lost,” Kim said, “but we can help each other write the next chapter.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Five Deep Breathing Exercises for Kids and Teens

The Y chromosome is one of two chromosomes that determine biological sex in mammals. Females have two X chromosomes, males have one X and one Y chromosome, and it is common for males to lose the Y chromosome in some of their cells as they age.

Cedars-Sinai research published in 2023 found that loss of the Y chromosome in bladder cancer cells in men helped those cells evade the body’s immune system, allowing the cancer to grow. However, tumors with loss of the Y chromosome also were more susceptible than those with an intact Y chromosome to immune checkpoint therapy.

Given the previous findings, that Y chromosome loss in cancer cells was problematic in most male tumors, study co-senior authors Simon Knott, PhD, assistant professor of Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai, and Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, wanted to investigate the consequences of Y chromosome loss in males with other types of cancer, Knott said. 

Using large publicly available datasets, the new study examined loss of the Y chromosome in cancer cells from a range of cancers. Unexpectedly, the investigators found that many other cell types associated with tumors also had Y chromosome loss, prompting further investigations, Knott said.

“When we started to investigate Y loss in other cells in the tumor, our jaws dropped because the link between loss of the Y chromosome in cancer cells and in immune cells from the same tumor was so striking,” Knott said. “Our work showed that if cancer cells lost the Y chromosome, it was very likely immune cells would also have lost the Y chromosome. Losing the Y chromosome in both these cell types at once correlated with hyperaggressive cancer cells and malfunctioning immune cells that are meant to attack the cancer cells. This creates an aggressive tumor with very poor outcomes.”

In addition to the cancer databases, investigators confirmed their findings by looking at loss of Y in patient tumor samples and in preclinical studies using additional techniques to measure Y chromosome loss, which confirmed their findings.

The findings could also have implications for patients receiving T-cell therapies, where immune cells called T-cells are harvested from a patient, altered in the lab so that they are more effective in fighting cancer, then delivered back to the patient.

“Our findings suggest that screening for loss of the Y chromosome in those T-cells or any product generated from them before being given back to a patient could be extremely important,” Knott said. “We predict that cellular therapies with T-cells lacking the Y chromosome will be significantly less effective than those with an intact Y chromosome.”

Further research is needed to help investigators understand how best to adapt these therapies to account for loss of Y.

“Given that a high percentage of older, healthy men experience loss of the Y chromosome in at least some of their cells, these findings could affect many cancer patients,” said Robert Figlin, MD, interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “Continued investigation into how to translate these findings to more effective therapies fits well with our focus on precision medicine as a way to improve patient outcomes.”

Additional Cedars-Sinai authors include Xingyu Chen, currently at Johns Hopkins University; Yiling Shen; Suhyeon Choi; Mukta Basu; Lena Hoelzen; Martina Tufano; Hany A. Abdel-Hafiz; Saravana Kumar Kailasam Mani; Maryam Ranjpour; Jiani Zhu; V. Krishnan Ramanujan; Ekaterina K. Koltsova; Vinicius Calsavara; and Dan Theodorescu, currently at the University of Arizona.

Funding: This work was supported in part by NIH grant CA278732.

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

Robert Figlin, MD, interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai, sat down with the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom to answer common questions about the disease and options for patients.

What does it mean to have stage 4 prostate cancer?

All cancers are diagnosed by stage. Stage 4 is when the disease has spread from the primary area or organ—in this case, the prostate gland—to other areas. The most common place that prostate cancer spreads is to the bone, although it can spread to other organs such as the lungs, lymph nodes or liver.

How is prostate cancer treated?

The standard of care for prostate cancer, by and large, when newly diagnosed, is to turn off the stimulation of the prostate cancer cell by blocking androgens, including testosterone, either where they are made or where they act with the cancer to cause cancer to grow. So, androgen suppression through treatments that reduce testosterone levels is the treatment of choice, primarily for hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Having said that, recent evidence suggests that you can add chemotherapy to hormone treatment for men with prostate cancer that improves both their progression-free survival and their overall survival.

What is the expected prognosis for a patient with stage 4 prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer, when metastatic, whether it's aggressive or nonaggressive, is not currently a curable disease. So, what we can expect is that control of the cancer should be easily obtained using hormone ablation. This will certainly improve what's called progression-free survival, meaning that it'll slow the growth of the cancer to other areas, it will prolong survival, but it will not be curative.

What are the screening recommendations for prostate cancer?

The standard screening recommendation for men is a digital rectal examination and a PSA blood test on an annual basis. The PSA test measures a hormone called prostate-specific antigen, which may indicate prostate cancer when found at high levels. But currently, it's not recommended that men beyond the age of 70 have routine screenings, because in population studies, there's been no evidence that screening elderly men improves overall survival. Having said that, that should still be a discussion between the physician and the patient to see whether screening is appropriate.

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

of the highly infectious virus hepatitis A, most adults might not be doing the one, simple thing that can help keep them safe from the virus—washing their hands.

“Many adults do not routinely wash their hands after visiting public places where they come in contact with a wide variety of germs from hundreds, if not thousands, of strangers, or even after using the bathroom,” said infectious disease specialist Soniya Gandhi, MD, MPH, associate chief medical officer and senior vice president of Medical Affairs at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

In fact, almost half of adults in the U.S. (48%) do not to wash their hands after visiting a grocery store, restaurant or even a hospital, according to a recent survey from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Estimated rates of hand-washing worldwide after using the toilet are even lower—only 19%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition to getting vaccinated—the best way to prevent hepatitis A, according to physicians—thoroughly washing hands with soap and water before eating or preparing food and after using the bathroom is a key way people can protect themselves from the virus. The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom spoke with Gandhi about how hepatitis A spreads and why good hand hygiene is a critical tool for avoiding the virus and a host of other infectious diseases.

How is hepatitis A transmitted?

Hepatitis occurs when the liver becomes inflamed, and it’s most often caused by one of three viruses: hepatitis A, B or C. Each of these viruses spreads in different ways. Hepatitis A is present in the stool and blood of infected individuals and typically spreads through person-to-person contact or by eating or drinking contaminated food or drink. Food can become contaminated with the virus at any point before it’s eaten—when it’s growing, harvested, prepared or served.  

Why is hepatitis A so infectious?

An infected person can spread the virus—even before they feel sick—by not washing their hands after using the toilet and then touching food that another person later eats. Exposure to even a small amount of the virus can cause an infection, and the virus can survive on surfaces for up to a few months. Not all infected individuals experience symptoms, though adults are more likely to have symptoms than children, and symptoms can take anywhere from two to seven weeks to develop.

What are the signs and symptoms of a hepatitis A infection?

Because the liver processes nutrients, filters the blood and fights infections, symptoms of an infection will be related to the organ struggling to perform those functions. Signs of a hepatitis A illness can include dark urine, pale stools and jaundice—a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes—as well as common flu-like symptoms: fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Infections are usually mild, lasting a few weeks to several months. But symptoms sometimes can last up to six months. In rare cases, hepatitis A can cause liver failure and even death.

How can you avoid hepatitis A?

Get vaccinated against the virus and practice good hand hygiene. We all learned about hand-washing and the use of hand sanitizer as a tool for stopping the spread of infectious diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s astonishing how many people don’t wash their hands! And make sure you do it thoroughly. If you’re using soap and water, scrub your hands and work up a lather to create friction, which will help eliminate viral particles from your skin. Scrub for at least 20 seconds and dry hands completely because wet hands can more easily transmit germs. If water and soap isn’t available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol concentration. Apply enough to completely cover your hands and rub them together until they’re dry.

What is causing the current outbreak in Los Angeles?

The Los Angeles County Public Health Department reported a spike in hepatitis A infections and high levels of virus in local wastewater, which they monitor for viral pathogens. Although hepatitis A normally spreads among unhoused individuals who don’t have regular access to toilets or hand-washing, and among travelers returning from parts of the world with poor sanitation, this outbreak in Los Angeles is different. It is widespread in the community, and it’s not clear why.

How long does the vaccine for hepatitis A last?

Everyone is encouraged to get the hepatitis A vaccine as a child. It’s a two-dose series starting at 12 through 23 months for the first dose and 2 through 4 years for the second dose. The vaccine has been shown to last up to 20 years. If you’re uncertain whether you’ve been immunized or whether you still have immunity, check your health records or ask your healthcare provider to check your antibody levels.

What is the treatment for a hepatitis A infection?

There is no known treatment for hepatitis A. With supportive care—rest, eating healthy, getting plenty of fluids—the virus usually clears on its own in weeks to months.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Do You Need a Measles Booster? 

Sonja Schrepfer, MD, PhD, who recently joined the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and the Jim and Eleanor Randall Department of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai, is a pioneer and leader in the development of “hypoimmune cells,” which are designed to thwart transplant rejection. Schrepfer authored a paper in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Stem Cell reviewing the progress and challenges in developing therapies where cells generated from one individual are transplanted to another. She sat down with the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom to discuss this emerging technology.

How did you come to study stem cells?

I started my career in medicine in 2002, caring for heart and lung transplant recipients. Seeing patients die from rejection or severe complications from immunosuppression was frustrating to me and I decided to focus my career on developing strategies to overcome immune rejection without immunosuppressive drugs. Since organs are clusters of large amounts of cells, I focused on engineering individual cells, stem cells, as a first step.

What is your approach to creating hypoimmune stem cells?

My approach uses genetic engineering to make stem cells invisible to the immune system. Nature has a mechanism for this, and pregnancy is the classic example. Half of the cellular proteins in a developing fetus are inherited from the father and are foreign to the mother. The fetal cells use hypoimmune mechanisms to prevent attack by the mother’s immune system. Studying these mechanisms led me to devise our current strategy. Over the course of more than a decade, using genome editing, I have managed to engineer stem cells that are invisible to the immune system. The advantage of engineering hypoimmune stem cells is that when these stem cells proliferate and create new cells, the new cells are also hypoimmune.

Are you the first person to create hypoimmune stem cells?

I was the first to use the hypoimmune gene edits, and it is probably fair to say that the word “hypoimmune” came from me. I was the first to publish on this topic and am thrilled to now see it used by many teams—though they use different approaches. The cells they create evade immune detection, meaning the host immune system doesn’t recognize the cells as foreign and does not attack them. Other strategies, called immune tolerance, attempt to teach the body’s immune system to accept the donor cells as their own. Right now, these concepts are classed together, but I am hoping the field will recognize that these are different concepts.

Do your hypoimmune edits only work with certain cell types?

We can use these edits on any type of cell. The advantage of creating hypoimmune stem cells is that you then have unlimited supply, because they proliferate endlessly, and they can be differentiated into any cell type.

Have hypoimmune stem cells been successfully turned into other cell types?

In my preclinical work, we turned the cells into many different cell types, including heart muscle cells; smooth muscle cells, found in blood vessel walls; and endothelial cells, which form the inner lining of blood vessels. The exciting thing about being here at Cedars-Sinai is that we have all the technology and great teams ready to take that next step and turn these cells into many more cell types on a larger scale.

What are some possible clinical uses for cells created from hypoimmune stem cells?

Hypoimmune stem cells could be used in a variety of cell therapies now being developed to treat diseases such as ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis], retinitis pigmentosa, diabetes mellitus and inflammatory bowel disease. Using hypoimmune stem cells will allow production of cell therapies in great quantities and make them available to more patients. Additional research is still needed in all of these areas, but we continue making progress.

What questions are you working to answer next?

My dream is to take this concept from hypoimmune cells to hypoimmune organs and overcome the solid organ transplant barrier. We have done some initial experiments to prove the concept, but there is still a long way to go. If we can prove our method overcomes organ rejection in humans, that opens the door to addressing many different diseases. And because I began in organ transplantation, this would close the loop for me.

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

Zoie and Midori Punzalan, 20, are both studying to become registered nurses, and they are supplementing their schoolwork with the hands-on experience they are earning as Cedars-Sinai volunteers.

The twins arrive at Cedars-Sinai when it’s still dark outside, waking at 3:30 a.m. at their Torrance home.

“They give of themselves incredibly,” said Michele Prince, Cedars-Sinai’s director of Volunteer Services. “They come in for the morning shift at 5 a.m. They're getting up way before dawn and coming all the way here to serve the hospital.”

The two work on separate nursing floors, helping nurses start their day by filling supplies, cleaning workstations and assisting with patient requests.

“It doesn’t even feel like a job or a duty,” said Zoie Punzalan. “It feels like a calling for us. It makes us feel good to be here every time.”

Midori Punzalan said that when her alarm goes off before dawn, she reminds herself that someone at the hospital needs her. “They are here and they need our help,” she said.

Zoie and Midori are members of a special program called Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB), a program for those who are interested in careers in healthcare.

“The volunteers are placed on nursing units to be exposed to the work of nurses, physicians and other healthcare professionals and see a wide variety of careers they can choose from,” Prince said.

Both Punzalan twins have nursing mentors who encourage them on their journey to healthcare careers. And both say they are learning skills that will assist them in the future. For now, though, they particularly enjoy interacting with patients.

“I love going into patient rooms and asking how they are doing and if they need anything,” Zoie said.

Said Midori: “I’m pretty sure it’s going to help me be more resilient and more attentive to patient needs.”

Being identical, and dressed in the same volunteer uniform, poses some challenges for the two. They are often confused for one another and must frequently reintroduce themselves to staff members and patients.

“I make sure to say, ‘I’m Midori, and I have a twin named Zoie,’” Midori said. But the two are used to the mix-ups, and being identical makes them stand out.

The twins dream of earning their nursing degrees and coming back to Cedars-Sinai one day as nurses. And it could happen, Prince said.

“There are 1,200 Cedars-Sinai employees who were once volunteers,” Prince said, “and perhaps Zoie and Midori will be among them one day.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Volunteering at Cedars-Sinai—Needed, Always Valued

At first, Chris noticed he’d be out of breath while carrying equipment during his son’s Little League games. Eventually the lack of oxygen made it difficult to move and caused his thoughts to blur. His doctors said he desperately needed another transplant, but surgeons at 15 centers had rejected his case, saying it was too complex.

It was October 2023 when Chris and wife Liz prepared to call the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai after meeting with the lung transplant team there. They braced for another compassionate—but emphatic—no. Instead, what they heard was that the team would take his case.

“They were willing to give me more time with my family,” Chris, now 48, said.

Chris and Liz gathered their kids in the living room and they hugged as they shared the news. The family would be temporarily relocating to Los Angeles to begin the process of getting Chris on the organ transplant list.

“When you read his story on paper, you can be taken aback by what's a very risky endeavor,” said Dominick Megna, MD, surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Cedars-Sinai. “When you actually meet Chris, you see something totally different. You see a guy who's willing to fight, who has resilience and drive in him and a loving wife willing to support him.”

When Liz met Chris in high school Spanish class, she thought he was funny. Soon they were going to the movies together and talking on the phone for hours.

Chris told Liz not to fall in love with him. That’s because at 8 days old, Chris had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a disease that causes the lungs to create an excess of thick, sticky mucus that clogs airways.

“I warned her it’d be a life of doctors’ appointments,” Chris said.

They dated anyway, often hanging out with friends and family in their Houston suburb, and Liz would visit Chris during his frequent hospitalizations.

“He's always been an incredibly generous, authentic and intelligent person,” Liz said. “I knew from a young age that he was the person I wanted to spend my life with.”

They married when Liz was 20 and Chris 22. After many difficult conversations, Chris and Liz chose to have children through in vitro fertilization after bloodwork confirmed Liz was not a carrier of the genetic mutations that cause cystic fibrosis. Both parents must carry the altered cystic fibrosis gene for a child to inherit the condition. 

The family eventually moved to Arizona, where the arid climate allowed Chris to breathe easier than the Houston humidity.

Exercise helps keep the lung mucus at bay and Chris was diligent about daily workouts. Despite this, his lungs required constant care, so much so that Liz created a play area in his hospital rooms for their children. When Chris’ condition forced him to leave his job as a physical therapist, he learned to do personal investing from home.

A double lung transplant in 2015 made it possible for Chris to see both of his children finish elementary school, his son enter middle school and his daughter start high school.

When those lungs started to lose function because of chronic rejection, Chris knew a second transplant would be more challenging. Scar tissue from previous surgeries can interfere with the reattachment of new organs. Chris also had been diagnosed with superior vena cava syndrome, a condition in which one of the body’s main veins has a blockage and cannot circulate blood properly.

“Because of this syndrome, he had poor venous access and an increase in collateral circulation to his right chest, which would increase his risk of bleeding during surgery,” said Reinaldo Rampolla, MD, medical director of the Lung Transplant Program.

Another complicating factor was that after his first transplant Chris had developed a debilitating condition called post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, a reaction to the many drugs he took to prevent his body from rejecting the first transplant. Although he had been in remission from the disease, physicians were aware that he was at risk.

By the time a donor match was made for Chris in March 2024, he had already been intubated because he couldn’t breathe on his own. Megna and transplant surgeon Pedro Catarino, MD, working with a team of other surgeons, anesthesiologists, surgical technicians and operating room nurses, dissected scar tissue and prepared Chris’ blood vessels to attach to the new lungs. A heart-lung machine called ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, kept Chris alive during the eight-hour operation. Chris became one of 88 patients who received a lung transplant at Cedars-Sinai in 2024.

Today, he’s back in Arizona, lifting weights five days a week, playing baseball with his 13-year-old son, and helping his 16-year-old daughter prepare for college.

“We expect Chris to have a great long-term outcome,” Megna said.

Rampolla is treating Chris with low doses of immunosuppressive drugs to avoid the toxicity that made him sick after his first transplant. Chris travels to Cedars-Sinai for checkups every three months, but these visits will be less frequent as he adapts to his new organs.

Improved surgical techniques and immunotherapy treatments are making it possible for more people to qualify for a transplant. But more than 100,000 people are waiting for an organ in the United States, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Liz gives talks in her community about signing up to be an organ donor. “It’s a horrible thing to think about, but it can be comforting knowing that if something terrible happens to you, you could give life to someone else,” she said.

For Chris, his goals keep changing. He once hoped to be well enough to walk his daughter into kindergarten. He currently looks forward to seeing both children finish college and begin their adult lives.

“Organ donation means everything,” Chris said. “If someone hadn't been generous enough to donate their lungs, my children would have grown up fatherless a long time ago.”

Read more from the Cedars-Sinai Blog: 7 Myths About Organ Donation

Batten’s appointment follows Cedars-Sinai’s announcement last fall that it will be the Official Medical Provider for the LA28 Games, serving as a critical resource and medical adviser to LA28 in establishing medical services in the Olympic and Paralympic Village and at sporting venues for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Cedars-Sinai also is a supporter of Team USA and one of eight medical institutions in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Medical Network, providing medical treatment for Team USA athletes as they prepare to compete in national and international competitions leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 and LA28. Cedars-Sinai, the exclusive Team USA and LA28 Medical Network provider in Los Angeles and surrounding areas of Southern California, started treating Team USA athletes in 2024.

In his chief medical officer role, Batten will be responsible for all aspects of medical services planning and delivery as the senior medical services official within the Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. He also will be a primary link with the International Olympic Committee’s Medical and Scientific Commission on all medical services issues and will be a member of the commission. Additionally, he will work directly with the International Paralympic Committee's chief medical officer.

“I am thrilled to serve as chief medical officer and contribute to the health and success of Team USA athletes and the LA28 Games,” Batten said. “Cedars-Sinai and I are fully committed to the highest-quality care for athletes, coaches, team personnel and visitors who will come from around the world to Los Angeles for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Batten has extensive experience treating elite athletes. He is co-director of Nonoperative Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine and director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship in the Department of Orthopaedics at Cedars-Sinai. In his clinical practice, he specializes in primary care sports medicine with a focus on nonsurgical treatment of athletic-related injury and illness, as well as diagnostic and interventional ultrasound.

Batten is head team physician for the Los Angeles Rams, participates in numerous NFL committees and is a member of the NFL Physicians Society. He also is an active member and has served on the board of directors of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Batten served as director of Primary Care Sports Medicine and fellowship director of the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. Before Kerlan-Jobe, he was head team physician for the University of California, Berkeley.

“Dr. Batten’s experience will be a major asset to LA28 as we build a world-class support team for the Games and all who attend, including the exceptional athletes visiting Los Angeles in 2028,” said LA28 chief athlete officer, Janet Evans. “His proven track record of clinical expertise and medical leadership in sports medicine are invaluable as we prepare to meet the extensive medical needs of the entire Olympic and Paralympic community.”

Batten and Cedars-Sinai will build on their critical role in supporting Team USA athletes on the journey to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and LA28 through the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Medical Network, expanding their scope and responsibilities to ensure the wellbeing of athletes, coaches, support staff and fans at the LA28 Games.

“Dr. Batten and Cedars-Sinai bring great expertise, care and professionalism to the global Olympic and Paralympic community as Los Angeles welcomes Team USA athletes and international competitors in 2028,” said Jonathan Finnoff, chief medical officer of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. “Collaboration is vital to our shared mission of ensuring the health and safety of everyone attending the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and I look forward to strengthening this partnership as we approach LA28."

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Batten earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and completed his residency in family medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga. He completed his sports medicine fellowship at the University of California, Davis, and at UC Berkeley. A highly respected educator within the sports medicine community, Batten is a peer reviewer for sports medicine journals and is an invited guest lecturer at events nationwide.

“Dr. Batten is the perfect physician leader to serve as chief medical officer for the LA28 Games,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai. “The entire Cedars-Sinai team stands with Dr. Batten in dedicating ourselves to serve our community and country as we prepare for the Games.”

About Cedars-Sinai

Cedars-Sinai is a leader in providing high-quality healthcare encompassing primary care, specialized medicine and research. Since 1902, Cedars-Sinai has evolved to meet the needs of one of the most diverse regions in the nation, setting standards in quality and innovative patient care, research, teaching and community service. Today, Cedars-Sinai is known for its national leadership in transforming healthcare for the benefit of patients and in developing new approaches to treatment and educating tomorrow’s health professionals. Cedars-Sinai serves as the official health partner for the Los Angeles Rams and the Angel City Football Club and treats professional and elite athletes throughout the world to ensure they perform at the highest levels. Additionally, Cedars-Sinai demonstrates a commitment to the community through programs that improve the health of its most vulnerable residents.

About LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games

The LA28 Games will mark Los Angeles’ third time hosting the Olympic Games, previously hosted in 1984 and 1932, and first time to host the Paralympic Games. Los Angeles will host the world’s most elite athletes in 2028 as it welcomes Paralympians and Olympians from around the world to compete on the biggest stage in sports. The LA28 Games are independently operated by a privately funded, nonprofit organization, with revenue from corporate partners, licensing agreements, hospitality and ticketing programs and a significant contribution from the International Olympic Committee. For more information, visit LA28.org.

About Team USA

Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. The USOPC is focused on protecting, supporting and empowering America’s athletes, and is responsible for fielding U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, and serving as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in the U.S. For more information, visit TeamUSA.com. 

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: How Some Sports Injuries Can Cause Arthritis at an Early Age

A former pack-a-day smoker, Shaw fits the profile of someone at risk for an aneurysm, even though he quit smoking more than two decades ago. That’s because current and former smokers are significantly more likely to develop an aortic aneurysm than nonsmokers. High blood pressure and family history are also risk factors.

The danger can go hidden because aneurysms don’t typically cause symptoms, although they can sometimes lead to indigestion, as was the case for Shaw, or more subtle issues. If an aneurysm keeps growing, it can burst—most people in whom this happens die from internal bleeding. That’s why vascular surgeons urge people like Shaw to get imaging tests that can help physicians find an aneurysm.

“If you have a family history of an aortic aneurysm, or you are a smoker, you should be screened,” said Cedars-Sinai vascular surgeon Elizabeth Chou, MD.

Chou explained that people at risk can see a primary care doctor, a cardiologist or a vascular surgeon for an imaging test such as an ultrasound or CT scan. Studies report that among people who get screened, about 3%-8% are diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysm.

An electrician and handyman who likes to stay active, Shaw had choices to make to prevent life-threatening rupture: minimally invasive catheter-based surgery or open surgery through an incision?

When Shaw met Chou, he learned his best option for his condition and lifestyle was an open surgery, where Chou and team would create an incision in the abdomen, sew a tube to the healthy parts of the aorta, and remove the aneurysm.

For people who have a smaller aortic aneurysm, a vascular surgeon will recommend an annual CT scan to see if it grows.

“Some aneurysms do not grow for many years,” said Chou, who is also assistant professor of Vascular Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. “Some people may never need surgery or any sort of repair, only routine monitoring.” She added that research is underway to help physicians understand why some aneurysms grow and some stay the same.

If an aneurysm reaches a certain size—about 5 ½ centimeters in men and 5 centimeters in women—a vascular surgeon typically recommends surgery.

Some patients may benefit from a minimally invasive surgery, during which a catheter is threaded through an incision in a patient’s groin until it reaches the aneurysm. The surgeon positions a tube in the area of the aneurysm and relines the aorta and aneurysm to divert blood flow into the relined aorta and away from the aneurysm. This option is usually recommended for patients who are older, frail, and generally wouldn’t recover well from an open surgery.  Some people also choose this option because they prefer a less invasive approach and are willing to undergo annual follow-ups to make sure the relining remains intact.

Shaw felt confident in Chou’s recommendation for an open surgery

“I live on a ranch,” he said. “I toss around bales of hay and 50-pound bags of horse feed. I need to be totally well. Anything other than a completely replaced artery was not acceptable because of my lifestyle.”

Chou said the most important part of the process is for patients to understand what the aneurysm is and how it affects their life.

“There are pros and cons to open surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and watching and waiting,” she said. “Our utmost priority is ensuring that each patient is comfortable with their decision. What we want people to know is that they need to be screened, and we will take the next steps together.”

After almost a week of recovery in the hospital and four weeks of recovery with light activity at home, Shaw returned to horseback riding on his ranch in Santa Maria, California.

“This could have ruptured at any time,” he said. “I was a walking time bomb. Now I’m totally healthy.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom: Smidt Heart Institute Opens Aortic Surveillance Clinic

Raphael Louise Wasserman, who was born with a serious heart condition, has had more medical interventions in the first months of his life than some adults will ever have. But now, he and his family are looking forward to a life filled with more birthday celebrations than doctors’ appointments.  

Raphael and his twin sister, Antonia, who was born without a heart condition, celebrated their birthdays on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s. They were joined by their mothers, friends and family as well as the nurses, physicians and staff members who took care of them.

“Heart defects are the most common birth defect,” said Richard Kim, MD, director of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery and surgical director of the Guerin Family Congenital Heart Program in the Smidt Heart Institute and Guerin Children’s. “Thankfully, we can now intervene early so babies and young children can get better quickly.”

Mothers Claire and Ashley credit the close attention their children received with getting Raphael the care he needed. Soon after he was born, a nurse noticed Raphael had a heart murmur. A couple of days later, he had open-heart surgery to fix the malformations that were preventing his heart from pumping blood properly.

But one issue remained: One of Raphael’s heart blood vessels had become so narrow it was affecting his heart. In August, Raphael became one of the first children to receive the first stent specifically designed for babies and children. The stent was studied at Cedars-Sinai, and Evan Zahn, MD, director of the Pediatric Congenital Heart Program at Guerin Children’s and the Smidt Heart Institute, helped develop it. The stent’s design allowed it to be placed during a minimally invasive procedure rather than through an open-heart surgery.

“It was so rewarding to care for Raphael, who had especially complicated structural heart defects,” said fetal and pediatric cardiologist Myriam Almeida-Jones, MD. “Thanks to our team-based approach and our latest advances, we were able to improve Raphael’s heart so he and his family can have many more milestones to celebrate.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Q&A—Congenital Heart Defects

The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

“Many studies have established that the incidence of thyroid cancer has dramatically increased for at least four decades, but the probability of dying of thyroid cancer has remained exactly the same,” said Zachary Zumsteg, MD, associate professor of Radiation Oncology and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai Cancer and senior author of the study. “This means we are diagnosing and treating many cancers that would do no harm despite recent efforts to reduce overdiagnosis.”

Cancer of the thyroid, a hormone-secreting gland at the front of the neck, is treated surgically. All surgeries have risk, and removing the thyroid often requires patients to take hormone supplements for life, Zumsteg said.

Investigators analyzed data from more than 91,000 thyroid cancer patients registered in public databases from 1975 to 2019 to determine trends in thyroid cancer incidence according to year of birth and year of diagnosis.

A plateau: Zumsteg said efforts have been made to curb overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer over the past several decades, and previous research suggested that rates of thyroid cancer were finally beginning to decline in recent years.

“When we looked at a broader range of data, we found there has been no decline in thyroid cancer diagnoses,” Zumsteg said. “Rates have hit a plateau, with no further increases over the past decade or so. However, the plateau is at peak levels. We continue to diagnose many patients who will not benefit from surgery, and we have essentially made no progress in reducing unnecessary treatments.”

Increased medical imaging over time: Investigators found that the main factor linked with increased thyroid cancer incidence appears to be the passage of time. They theorized that this is mainly due to increased detection of thyroid nodules in modern medical practice.

“People visiting the doctor in 1975 were less likely to receive imaging than those visiting the doctor in 2019,” Zumsteg said. “So today doctors are finding thyroid nodules that would not have been detected in previous decades, leading to more biopsies and diagnoses of small, slow-growing thyroid cancers that might not require treatment.”

A bump in middle age: The study also found that thyroid cancer incidence has increased disproportionately in middle-aged individuals, who are more likely to interact with the medical system.

“Our analysis found that in 1975, the probability of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer was basically the same in people of all ages,” Zumsteg said. “Over time, the increase has been concentrated in women ages 40-69 and men ages 50-79. This especially affected women, who tend to interface with the medical system more often than men.”

Zumsteg said that thyroid cancer overdiagnosis could be addressed with a two-pronged approach. Raising the threshold for both imaging and biopsy of thyroid nodules would reduce overdiagnosis. Less aggressive management would further reduce thyroid cancer overtreatment.

A practice called “active surveillance,” where doctors monitor thyroid cancer patients with regular imaging and perform surgery only if the cancer appears to be growing, could help. There are several ongoing clinical trials of active surveillance, including one at Cedars-Sinai.

“The hope is that these trials will make clinicians and patients more comfortable with active surveillance and that updated clinical guidelines will bring the practice into widespread use,” said study co-author Allen Ho, MD, co-director of the Thyroid Cancer Program and professor of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai, and leader of the Cedars-Sinai clinical trial. “If current trends continue, we will continue to overdiagnose thyroid cancer and to needlessly treat patients—doing more harm than good.”

Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and the PHASE ONE Foundation Distinguished Chair, said that research such as this is an important part of a community-based approach to cancer prevention and treatment.

“Through our office of Community Outreach and Engagement we promote preventive screening throughout the communities that we serve,” Theodorescu said. “And through our research, we are working to ensure that when we offer treatment, it will yield the best possible outcomes for patients.”

Additional Cedars-Sinai authors: Michael Luu, MPH; Wendy L. Sacks, MD; Jon Mallen-St. Clair, MD, PhD

Additional authors: Michelle M. Chen, MD, MHS; Lisa Orloff, MD; Lauren P. Wallner, PhD, MPH; Susan C. Pitt, MD, MPHS

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Active Surveillance for Thyroid Cancer

“Mary Ann and her husband told me that he had been working for 45 years, was retiring at the end of the year, and that they were planning this trip,” said breast surgical oncologist Ronald Hurst, MD. “I worked to quickly determine her tumor type, the treatment that she would need and whether it could be completed in time.”

Hurst, who saw Loef at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Breast Health, first needed to find out whether the cancer was HER2 positive so he would know whether Loef would need to complete chemotherapy and immunotherapy before undergoing surgery to remove the tumor. Hurst also needed to determine whether the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, and whether it was likely to recur, so he would know whether she would need to follow surgery with chemotherapy.

“If you don’t push things along, some of these steps can take weeks,” said Hurst, who also sees patients at The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “I became her advocate because I knew her trip was already planned, and I think we cut at least a month from the usual timeline. Everything aligned perfectly and we were able to complete surgery and determine her full course of treatment within two weeks.”

After finding the lump and having a mammogram at RadNet Westchester Advanced Imaging and a biopsy at RadNet Mink Radiology—both Cedars-Sinai affiliates—Loef was referred to Hurst by her primary provider.

It was September, and she and her husband had a January departure date set for the cruise. Hurst diagnosed an early-stage HER2-negative, estrogen-driven tumor that was localized to a small segment of her breast and had not spread. This meant she was a candidate for breast-conserving surgery and would not need chemotherapy or immunotherapy before or after the procedure.

“It was such a relief because I thought I was going to be in the hospital for a week,” she said. “But Dr. Hurst said I would be home by lunchtime. I had just a few stitches, and it was almost painless. Tylenol was the only pain medicine I needed.”

Hurst said many people diagnosed with breast cancer imagine they have a much more difficult road ahead.

“Most patients, when they hear a cancer diagnosis, automatically think of mastectomy and chemotherapy, with a lengthy recovery and side effects. And I have to tell them to take a deep breath, because that's not necessarily going to be their journey,” Hurst said. “If it is, we know how to help them through that, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.”

In fact, many patients with early-stage breast cancer are candidates for breast-conserving surgery, where the tumor and a perimeter of normal tissue are removed but the breast is preserved, Hurst said. And some types of cancers can be managed without chemotherapy.

“We treat breast cancer one patient at a time,” said Armando Giuliano, MD, director of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Cedars-Sinai. “There are many factors in addition to the medical diagnosis that need to be taken into account, including quality of life and peace of mind for the patient.”

Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Breast Health, a partnership between Cedars-Sinai, Breastlink and RadNet, offers a one-stop shop for screening, evaluation and diagnosis of breast cancer—under the care of Hurst and his colleague Marissa K. Boyle, MD, a surgical oncologist. The goal is to speed patients through the initial steps of imaging and biopsy, to get them more quickly into treatment.

With surgery behind her, Loef completed four weeks of radiotherapy before her departure. She saw Lauren Midthun, MD, a medical oncologist at The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, who prescribed a hormone suppressor that Loef will take for five years to help prevent cancer recurrence.

During their four-month world cruise, she and her husband will visit Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Namibia, the Cape Verde Islands, Italy, Greece, Turkey, France, Spain, Corsica, Marseille, Montenegro, Malta, Morocco, the Canary Islands, Colombia, the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico.

“Our honeymoon was a cruise, and for 38 years, that's been our preferred method of vacationing,” Loef said. “During all that time, my husband has been so devoted to providing for our family, and this round-the-world trip has been our dream. The thought of not getting to go through with it really was weighing heavily on me, because he deserves this, and it will just be really, really, really something very special to share.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: What Does It Mean to Have Dense Breasts?

That’s true for people experiencing the trauma of devastation and loss firsthand, as well as those following the news from a distance, said Rabbi Jason Weiner, PhD, senior rabbi at Cedars-Sinai and director of the Spiritual Care Department.

“This tragedy reminds us all of our vulnerability,” he said.

Itai Danovitch, MD, chair of the medical center’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, said feeling distress and anxiety right now is normal, as is feeling numb or disconnected from emotions.

“There is no one-size-fits-all response to the challenges we’re facing, and adapting to stress can take time, but it helps to pinpoint specific sources of worry,” Danovitch said. “Is there nervousness about the safety of loved ones or a home? Is it the long-term impact on the community or uncertainty about air quality? Knowing this can help manage anxiety in a constructive way.”

Among anxiety management tactics are maintaining daily routines and self-care while staying connected with supportive people, getting adequate rest and exercise, and practicing relaxation or meditation exercises.  

“It also can help to make sure you’re getting information from trustworthy sources to help avoid unnecessary fear,” Danovitch said. “Plan ahead for potential future evacuations and manage exposure to news and social media.”

Is It Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Negative thoughts, sleep or concentration problems, social withdrawal or intensified and persistent symptoms of despair that interfere with daily functioning could signal post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“A therapist who specializes in trauma treatment, along with medications and participating in support groups and psychotherapy, can be beneficial,” Danovitch said. “Some people may develop PTSD and others won't, but all emotional responses deserve care and attention.”

The National Center for PTSD can provide guidance for immediate coping strategies and long-term recovery.

Feeling Seen and Heard

Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center Chaplain Carrie Kohler, MPhil, BCC, can personally relate to hospital patients and staff struggling with grief and uncertainty. She navigated those same complex emotions after evacuating her home during the wildfires.

“Some people are grappling with survivor’s guilt or a sense of helplessness as they try to support loved ones,” Kohler said. “For others, there are practical and logistical questions—how to file an insurance claim or get transportation to a Disaster Recovery Center. Social disparities, such as language barriers, physical disabilities or compromised health, can make already difficult tasks more challenging. It can all feel very overwhelming.”

Kohler said listening and validating experiences is critical in providing support.

“Comfort and hope are created when people feel seen and heard, and that can be simply sitting with someone in their pain without rushing to fix it,” she said. “Hope isn’t about erasing pain or pretending everything will be fine; it’s about making space for all emotions and respecting individual experiences.”

Empathy From Afar

Those who live miles away may also feel distraught. Danovitch said that’s human nature—and it may be especially true for people who once lived in Los Angeles, because the fires conjure nostalgia as well as loss.

“Former Angelenos often have deep relationships, memories and connections to the area,” he said. “Seeing those threatened can heighten feelings of longing and attachment.”

Kohler agreed. “It might even reignite memories of your own past challenges in L.A., blending past and present grief,” she said. “For people without a direct connection, the fires may evoke a generalized empathy or compassion. These are normal emotions and feelings.”

Helping Children

For parents of kids who have experienced the fires, listening is key, said Suzanne Silverstein, MA, founding director of Cedars-Sinai Share & Care and a registered art therapist.

“Hear what they’re saying,” Silverstein said. “Instead of talking at them, validate their feelings by acknowledging that it’s scary, hard or sad. Reassure them that they are OK as a family and will get through this together.”

Art for young children can be a beneficial coping mechanism: Children can draw things they miss, or items they would have gotten out of their home if they’d had the chance. Very young children may be better able to express feelings through play—using dolls or stuffed animals to act out scenarios and discuss emotions, or building forts with sheets and pillows to create a “safe space.”

“When adults can provide a safe emotional space for the child to take the lead in creative play, children will naturally work through difficult emotions without having to verbalize their feelings directly,” said Rebecca Hedrick, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Cedars-Sinai. “It helps them feel some control and be able to process grief.

“Older kids may benefit from a daily ritual of saying five things that they’re sad about, five things they’re worried or angry about, five things they’re grateful for, and five things they’re looking forward to.”

The Path Forward

Patience, compassion, and faith in a better future are values to uphold in this time of crisis, the experts agreed.

“Take time to stop and mourn, and then address things one day at a time, one minute at a time,” Weiner said. “We shouldn’t try to do it all on our own—we need community now more than ever. I’ve been very moved by our community’s resilience.”

Cedars-Sinai Christian Chaplain the Rev. Peggy Kelley said she often has witnessed that “out of chaos comes creation,” and added, “This moment in time will bring healing restoration, new depths of compassion, profound lessons and growth.”

Kohler noted that spirituality can serve as an anchor to help make sense of what can feel senseless.

“Faith doesn’t erase pain,” Kohler said, “but it can provide a way to hold that pain while moving toward healing. We’re all in this together, and whether it’s in shared grief, acts of kindness, or the effort to rebuild, this experience has deepened my appreciation for community. By holding space for grief and recovery, we transform collective trauma into collective renewal.”

For the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom team's complete coverage of the Los Angeles County wildfires, please click here.

What type of flu activity are we seeing in California this year and what are the symptoms?

As of early January, flu activity in California has been increasing and is comparable to levels observed at this time last year. Influenza (flu) typically presents with sudden onset of high-grade fever, accompanied by body aches, chills, headache, nasal congestion, runny nose and occasionally sore throat or fatigue.

When should you see a doctor?

The course of the flu can vary from person to person, but if you're experiencing prolonged fevers lasting three to five days, worsening cough or shortness of breath, signs of dehydration, or if you have exacerbation of underlying respiratory conditions such as asthma, it may be a good idea to check in with your primary care provider. Additionally, if you develop a new fever after initially recovering from the flu, be aware of the possibility of a secondary bacterial infection, such as a pneumonia, which would require medical attention.

Is it too late to get the flu vaccine?

While getting the flu shot earlier in the season is ideal, vaccination at any point during the flu season can still provide significant protection. The flu vaccine reduces the severity of illness and lowers the risk of complications, especially for high-risk individuals such as young children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions.

Each year, the flu vaccine is designed to target the most likely circulating strains. Although the vaccine may not be a perfect match for all strains, it provides partial immunity, which is highly beneficial in preventing severe illness.

What is norovirus and how is it affecting Californians?

Norovirus, often referred to as the “stomach flu,” is a highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis. We see symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and occasionally low-grade fever. Norovirus is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness.

What can people do to stay healthy during virus season?

The advice is always the same. We need to be really mindful of our hand washing and being careful among high-risk individuals. Wearing a mask is of utmost importance because of the fires but also to prevent the spread of respiratory infections in this critical time period during the winter. Additionally, remember to listen to your body and stay home if you’re unwell.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Ask a Doc | What’s Walking Pneumonia?

“Rather than have this hanging over us while thinking of rebuilding, I decided I wanted to be operating at an optimum physical level,” Booher, 45, said. “My husband and I looked at each other and said, ‘This is tragic, but it doesn’t change the immediate plan. We’ll move on to the next step.’”

Booher and husband, Steve, along with their three greyhounds, evacuated their home on Jan. 7. He didn’t have time to pack the collection of comic books he has written. The next day, they learned the house was gone. By Jan. 9, Booher was at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai for surgery to repair one of his heart’s valves.  

A few months prior, Booher had been diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation, a condition in which the heart’s mitral valve doesn’t close as it should. Mitral valve regurgitation can cause heart failure, strokes and even sudden death, but it often goes unnoticed because symptoms are subtle. Booher’s fatigue, which he chalked up to his active lifestyle, was one such overlooked sign.

Joanna Chikwe, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai, spent last Wednesday reassuring patients who were watching the Sunset fire from the hospital’s windows that they were in the safest place to be.

“I called patients already scheduled to have open-heart surgery to see what they wanted,” she said. “When I saw David’s address I thought, ‘He’ll never want to proceed. He must be overwhelmed.’ But I was astonished and inspired by his resolve. He told me, ‘Let’s fix my heart so I can rebuild my life.’”

Chikwe repaired the faulty heart valve through a tiny incision with the help of a robot, and Booher, recuperating at a friend’s home a few days later, already feels transformed.

“It boggles my mind that they went into my heart, repaired my valve, and now I feel so healthy,” he said. “The change has been remarkable. I feel like my heart is working efficiently. I feel clearheaded.”

Booher is coming to terms with not being able to go back to a community he loves. Altadena is a special place for him, a mix of architecture, mom-and-pop shops and tight-knit neighbors. He and his husband plan to spend time at their cabin in Big Bear where he’ll continue to write.

“Emotionally, it is starting to sink in,” he said. “When I was in the hospital, I was recovering, so I didn’t have the chance to internalize what happened. I have an incredible support system as I am working through my grief of losing everything. I’m grateful our dogs are safe, we are safe and have a place to stay. And I’m grateful for a healthy heart. That’s what we have to hold on to.”

 Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Treatment Options for Heart Valve Disease

And as people in Los Angeles County spend more time indoors in the aftermath of widespread wildfires—avoiding smoke-filled air, keeping out of the way of emergency responders and sheltering in place—they should be prepared to treat some of those injuries on their own, when possible, said Gregory Jones, RN, injury prevention and outreach coordinator for the Cedars-Sinai Trauma Program.

“It’s good to have basic knowledge—and a first-aid kit—ahead of time,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, many people don’t think about it until it’s too late. You want to prevent being in a situation in which you are completely unprepared.”

When Jones—whose job is to be prepared for emergencies and trauma—was recently faced with looming evacuation orders during an approaching wildfire, he was reminded first-hand that proper planning and preparation take time, focus and even practice.

“I talk every day about the importance of being prepared, and yet, as we packed to evacuate, I still needed to pause and recenter myself,” he said. “Be as ready as you can for an emergency, and that includes at-home first-aid planning. Know what to do to help yourself or someone else.”

The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom spoke with Jones about ways to prepare for and treat injuries at home, especially when it may be difficult to leave the house for immediate care.

What is the first thing a person should do if they’ve been injured at home or are looking to help someone who has?

Assess the situation and take a deep breath. Basic knowledge of first-aid practices will help. For example, for a bad cut, you should apply pressure to stop bleeding. If someone else is injured, consider whether it’s safe for you to help, or whether there is a chance you also could get injured. Also think, “Is this bigger than what I can do at home?” If that’s the case, make every effort to seek medical help. If there’s a life-threatening emergency, call 911. But when it comes to immediate care for cuts, burns, sprains and fractures, even a little knowledge goes a long way. So does a first-aid kit.

What should be in a first-aid kit?

A basic first-aid kit should have bandages, gauze, medical tape and an antibiotic cream. To supplement that, you could include varying sizes of bandages, extra gauze and a small pair of scissors. If you have young children, add fun adhesive bandages or stickers. SpongeBob SquarePants is a very good distraction from an injury.

What is the best way to treat a bad cut?

First, if there’s glass on the floor and you’re barefoot, grab slippers. Wash the cut with soap and water and apply direct pressure to stop bleeding. Dress the wound with antibiotic cream and cover it with a sterile bandage or gauze. Cleaning and covering the wound are critical to prevent infection. If you don’t have a bandage, use a clean kitchen towel or a T-shirt. Even a sock would work; in an emergency, you may need to improvise and use whatever is handy.

In the case of an amputation—you’ve lopped off the end of a finger chopping vegetables—try not to panic. Put the amputated part in a plastic bag filled with water and ice. This ice bath may allow it to be reattached when you are able to access medical care.

A word about pets: If your pet gets a cut, clean the wound with soap and water, use antibiotic cream and try to bandage the area until you can get them to a vet.

What is the best way to care for a burn?

For a mild burn—you touched a hot pan, for example—the first thing to do is cool down the burned area. Run cool water over it, and maybe apply ice, but never put ice directly on the skin. If you do use ice, put it in a plastic bag, wrap a towel around the bag, and only use it for a minute or two at a time. You want to cool the skin, not freeze it. Cover the burn with gauze or a sterile bandage.

If the burn is more severe—there’s a blister or broken skin—clean the area with soap and water, and then apply antibiotic cream and dress it with a sterile bandage. Don’t break the blister; it provides a protective barrier and helps prevent infection.

What should a person do if there’s a sprain or fracture?

For sprains, apply ice to help reduce swelling. You may want to alternate between ice and heat. If you think you have a broken bone and you cannot get medical help right away, splint the limb to immobilize it. You can splint a leg with household items such as a broom and mop. Place one on either side of the leg to help immobilize it and use medical tape to secure the splints. To splint an arm or wrist, consider using a book on either side of the arm, and use a kitchen towel or even a sock to hold the limb in place. Remember, improvisation is key.

Is there anything else to remember when it comes to emergency planning or at-home care for injuries?

Two things: Take a basic first-aid or a Stop the Bleed class. Most communities offer them. Also, remember to give yourself grace. My career is in trauma and emergency medicine, and even still, as my family prepared to evacuate last week, it was a tense time and a little chaotic. I had to remind myself of the importance of grace.

For the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom team's complete coverage of the Los Angeles County wildfires, please click here. 

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog:  Mental Emergency Toolkit | Strategies to Try When Panic Takes Hold