Top stories from the first half of 2026

This summer, we’re feeling reflective and wanted to look back at some of our favorite stories we’ve written so far. So without further ado, here are the ones that we enjoyed reporting out and learning all about.

How a Pittsburgh doctor became a medical consultant for ‘The Pitt’

I love the show The Pitt, so getting to talk to a doctor who was integral to many storylines in the first season was a very special experience. It gave me insight into the relationship between medicine and media—something that I hadn’t thought too much about in the past but is becoming increasingly important in the social media era. And Sylvia Owusu-Ansah has accomplished so many incredible things in her career. It was fascinating to hear her detail them.—MA

We fact-checked the hype behind the Eledon Pharmaceuticals Type 1 diabetes treatment

I really enjoyed diving into the trial results for Eledon Pharmaceuticals’s new Type 1 diabetes treatment. It can be easy for new treatments like this to get overhyped, and it was rewarding to explain why this drug is a potential game changer while also putting its data in context, and explaining why more research is needed. In general, Type 1 diabetes is a disease that deserves more attention and coverage.—CC

How this Duke ob-gyn’s job has changed since Dobbs

I enjoyed working on this “Day in the Life” story because it was the first in our series and a really good look into how providers are confronting differing abortion laws.—CM

NYC nurses, hospital leaders continue to clash in ongoing strikes

Some of the biggest news to hit New York’s healthcare scene earlier this year was the record-breaking nurses strikes involving three hospitals. More than 15,000 nurses took to the streets in the cold and garnered quite a bit of public support for their cause. I spoke with a labor expert to get some additional context and determine whether there had been an increase over the years, as it seems like hospitals across the country have been dealing with more strikes.—NO