News from NYU Langone Health
Teen with kidney disease finds donor living minutes away
Good Morning America
After seeing 13-year-old Elias Manolis' story on local news, a Long Island father, Tim Fitzpatrick, stepped forward as a living donor, bringing two families together through a lifesaving kidney transplant at the NYU Langone Transplant Institute and Hassenfeld Children's Hospital. The procedure was led by Bruce E. Gelb, MD, transplant surgeon and vice chair of quality in the Department of Surgery and Jonathan C. Berger, MD, surgical director of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital. “For Elias, this transplant is a turning point,” said Laura Malaga-Dieguez, MD, PhD, Elias's pediatric nephrologist and medical director of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program. “Because of Tim’s gift, he now has the opportunity to grow, feel better, and experience life more like other kids his age–riding his bike, playing sports, going to school.”
4/08/2026
Is Strength Training or Cardio More Important for Heart Health? Cardiologist Explains
TODAY
For optimal heart health, a combination of cardio workouts and strength training is recommended, according to Nieca Goldberg, MD, a cardiologist and clinical associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She notes that while cardio is more important for managing blood pressure and cholesterol, strength training helps decrease body fat and build muscle. Research indicates that aerobic exercise reduces cholesterol and strengthens the heart muscle, while resistance training can significantly lower the risk of heart disease. Combining both types of exercise may provide more cardiovascular benefits than either type alone.
Also reporting was: Aol, Yahoo Health, MSN
4/09/2026
Novel Nanoparticle May Improve SOC in Stage III Unresectable NSCLC
ONCOLOGY journal
In a discussion about the phase 2 CONVERGE trial, Benjamin T. Cooper, MD, associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, highlighted the potential of the investigational radioenhancer JNJ-1900 for patients with stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer. Findings presented at the 2026 European Lung Cancer Congress showed the treatment was feasible and safe when used with chemoradiotherapy and immunotherapy. Cooper noted that JNJ-1900 could improve a standard of care that has not advanced significantly, as its intratumoral delivery produces a localized effect within the tumor.
4/09/2026
Lyme disease is spreading—a new vaccine could curb infections
Scientific American
A new Lyme disease vaccine from Pfizer and Valneva showed positive results in a phase 3 trial, with an efficacy of about 73-75%. The vaccine, LB6V, now faces potential FDA approval and challenges with public acceptance. Commenting on the development, Martin J. Backer, MD, an infectious disease physician at NYU Langone Health, called the results 'great news' but acknowledged that 'time will tell about the acceptability.' The vaccine works by targeting the bacteria inside the tick, and Pfizer has submitted the trial data to the FDA for review.
4/09/2026
Finding a Kidney Donor Close to Home
The East Hampton Star
Tom Friedman, a 90-year-old man from East Hampton, is scheduled to receive a kidney transplant in May at NYU Langone Health in Manhattan. After being diagnosed with kidney disease four years ago, Mr. Friedman found a living donor through a fellow swimmer at his local Y.M.C.A. The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, was motivated to pay forward a positive transplant experience a friend had. A Brooklyn-based company called Renewal helped facilitate the match, and Mr. Friedman is set to be their oldest kidney recipient.
4/09/2026
Brain Scans Reveal How Psychedelics Change Perception
HealthDay
A study published in Nature Medicine analyzed over 500 brain scans to understand how psychedelic drugs affect the brain. Researchers found that drugs like LSD and psilocybin increase communication between brain regions that typically work more independently, potentially explaining their therapeutic effects. Joshua A. Siegel, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, who worked on the study, noted that having consensus on brain biomarkers will be useful for the development of new psychedelic-like drugs. The findings aim to provide reliable benchmarks for how these substances affect the brain.
Also reporting was: U.S. News and World Report
4/09/2026
Long Island hospitals build pipelines to ease healthcare staffing shortages
Long Island Business News
Long Island hospitals, including Northwell Health and Stony Brook Medicine, are creating pipeline programs to combat healthcare staffing shortages. NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island and NYU Langone Hospital–Suffolk benefit from the NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, established in 2019. Gladys M. Ayala, MD, MPH, dean of NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, notes the school's accelerated three-year MD program and free tuition are designed to address the primary care physician shortage, encouraging students to train and practice in the region.
4/08/2026
From bottles to cosmetics: How plastics are impacting human health
Idaho Matters
Leonardo Trasande, MD, the Jim G. Hendrick, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, director of the Division of Environmental Pediatrics and vice chair of research in the Department of Pediatrics at NYU Langone Health, discussed his research on the health effects of plastics. Chemicals in plastics may contribute to high blood pressure, testicular cancer, and childhood obesity. According to research, these chemicals are blamed for 10% of heart disease in Americans over 55, and exposure to plastics resulted in 356,000 deaths in 2018. Trasande, author of the book 'Sicker, Fatter, Poorer,' recently spoke on the topic in Idaho.
4/09/2026
‘How Low Can You Go?’ The Shifting Guidelines for Blood Pressure Control
KFF Health News
Recent updates to medical guidelines now encourage tighter control of blood pressure, even for older adults, partly due to emerging evidence linking hypertension to dementia. The new guidelines recommend a target systolic reading below 120 for many patients. John Dodson, MD, MPH, a cardiologist and director of NYU’s Geriatric Cardiology Program, noted a shift in his own practice. "I used to be lenient in many of my older patients," he said, concerned that overtreatment could lead to falls. Now, however, he says, "I’m treating my older patients more aggressively." This change is supported by studies showing that even frail older adults benefit from treating high blood pressure, and that intensive treatment does not necessarily increase the rate of fall-related injuries.
3/20/2026
She knows her VO2 max. Does your community know its fall rate?
McKnight's Senior Living
In an opinion piece, Jordan Weiss, PhD, an assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, argues that senior living communities must evolve to meet the expectations of a new, health-savvy generation of adult children. He contends that these family members, armed with knowledge from wearable tech and longevity research, demand evidence-based wellness programs for their aging parents. Instead of simple activities, communities should offer supervised, progressive strength training and track measurable outcomes like fall rates and sleep quality to prove their value in extending healthspan and protecting residents' cognitive function.
4/09/2026
Ford Motor, NJ Town Agree to $3.4M Added Superfund Site Cleanup
Engineering News-Record (ENR)
Ford Motor Co. and Ringwood, New Jersey, have agreed to a $3.4 million final-phase Superfund cleanup of a 500-acre mine site used as a toxic waste dump in the 1960s and 1970s. Although the site was deemed safe after a $21.2 million cleanup in 2020, a study last year from NYU Langone Health reported that it remained a public health risk. The new cleanup, which requires court approval, addresses benzene, dioxane, and lead contamination in groundwater and mine water.
4/09/2026
