When it comes to family leave, American fathers are left behind.

In a survey of new fathers led by scientists at Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 64% of fathers reported taking less than two weeks of leave or no leave after the birth of their child. Only 36% of dads reported taking more than two weeks of leave. The survey is the first of a state-representative sample of fathers. 

New editorial in the American Journal of Public Health calls for the renewal of Israeli–Palestinian public health cooperation, even amid the current conflict. Drawing on decades of joint successes—including polio eradication, measles control, maternal health advances, and epidemic surveillance—the editorial urges stakeholders to revive collaborative efforts in critical areas like immunization, environmental health, and hospital rehabilitation. Emphasizing that health partnerships have historically bridged divides, the authors argue against academic boycotts and stress that shared public health is both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity for regional stability and peace.

Rutgers Health researchers found that lamotrigine, a widely prescribed antiseizure medication, to be safe in older adults with epilepsy, contrary to a safety warning by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A hypothesis by Rutgers Health researchers suggests a common stimulant could protect infants from sudden death.

As elite athletes push the boundaries of physical performance, Simon Fraser University researchers are exploring a new frontier: brain training.  

A recent study published in the Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine reveals that hockey players’ cognitive processing speeds vary by position — and that these abilities can be trained. 

“You look at star hockey players like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, and we may be reaching the limits of physical speed,” says lead researcher Eric Kirby, an SFU PhD graduate now working with neuroscience professor Ryan D’Arcy at HealthTech Connex Inc. “But the brain is highly adaptable — and we now have the tools to measure and enhance that adaptability.” 

Using the portable NeuroCatch® brain scanner, researchers tested 378 elite junior A hockey players across B.C. The results showed that forwards had the fastest auditory and cognitive processing and goalies showed the strongest attentional focus. On average, the processing speed difference between forwards and defenders was 60 milliseconds, according to the study.