Alison Bowen

Michael Pacheco, 14, of Chicago, receives the first of two Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines from registered nurse Carissa Blumenshine at an Advocate Aurora Health vaccine center in Des Plaines on May 13, 2021.

How can we safely mingle in social settings with friends and family members who are not vaccinated? Should vaccinated people wear masks indoors in the short term? Is it safe for families to travel this summer with kids under 12 who aren’t vaccinated?

June 2, 2021 at 2:01 p.m.

Illinois COVID-19 questions answered: With mass vaccination sites winding down in Chicago and the suburbs, where can I get a shot? How should I time a mammogram after getting vaccinated?...

Englewood resident Fannie Peeples gets a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from Friend Health nurse Syreetta Stinson at the Peace House of I Grow Chicago, March 26, 2021. I Grow Chicago teamed with Friend Health to provide 150 vaccines, coffee and doughnuts at the event.

Reaching people with vaccine hesitancy or limited access: ‘It’s really thinking creatively,’ says UIC team leader on $1.4 million grant

June 2, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

Recently, Carlos Millan had a conversation with a man who was worried about the COVID-19 vaccine. The man had read somewhere that it could have an impact on his sperm,...

Dr. Constants Adams, from leftt, Dr. Eseohi Ehimiaghe, Dr. Tamara Weddington and Dr. Mary Tate, in the "sign off" portion of their morning as they get updates on patient deliveries at Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago on May 21, 2021.

Black OB-GYN residents treat patients who might have never seen a provider of color — ‘And now there’s five of us’

May 28, 2021 at 2:46 p.m.

When Dr. Constants Adams walks into a patient's room, she can sometimes sense the relief. She's watched as eyes above masks show surprise, even pride, when patients of color are...

Seema Mehdi, who lives in Elk Grove Village, has family in India who cannot travel because of the COVID-19 epidemic hitting the country.

‘Endless howls into the void’: Chicagoans with family abroad in India during that country’s COVID woes watch and worry

May 25, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.

The last time Neha Kaul Mehra was in her hometown of New Delhi was in October 2019 for Diwali. She and her family decorated the house, cooked a feast and...

Michael Libberton was brought to Illinois for adoption from Colombia in 1978. He found out only 5 years ago he isn’t a citizen.

March 11, 2024 at 1:37 p.m.

Michael Libberton felt like a U.S. citizen his entire life. After all, since arriving in the U.S. from Colombia in 1978 as a toddler brought here for adoption by his...

Visitors walk along reopened Navy Pier on May 2, 2021, in Chicago.

To mask or not to mask? New rules in Illinois and Chicago raise new questions for residents, from doctors to schoolteachers.

May 18, 2021 at 5:18 p.m.

To mask or not to mask? That's the question for many vaccinated people after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised their guidance on where people need to wear...

Black patients see skin issues misdiagnosed as dermatologists are often trained on lighter skin: ‘It’s a different treatment plan’

May 5, 2021 at 3:27 p.m.

It took years for Shania Haynes to get a balding patch on her scalp correctly diagnosed. In 2015, she first noticed a small dark patch developing on her head. When...

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