Community health workers, experts in the in-between, fight for their place in the system

Hawa Abraham (above) of Montefiore in New York is part of a movement to bolster the role of community health workers — frontline public health workers who use their life experience and deep knowledge of communities to bridge gaps between patients and medical and social services. Read more.

By Ambar Castillo

Sergei Grits/AP

Bird flu researchers turn to Finland's mink farms, tracking a virus with pandemic potential

The virus hasn't been restricted to birds. It is now causing outbreaks among mammals at a scale previously unseen, including recently at a number of Finnish fur farms, home to mink, foxes, and raccoon dogs. Read more.

By Andrew Joseph

Courtesy Anne Adams/UCSF Memory and Aging Center

How a beautiful symptom of a brutal dementia informs our understanding of creativity

Frontotemporal dementia affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas control key aspects of who we are, and as they start to decay, patients struggle with behavioral issues and communication. But a small percentage also experience an explosion of artistic creativity. Read more.

By Bree Iskandar

More great reads from STAT this week

Wegovy's successful heart trial raises a vital question about weight loss
Kidney doctors push to protect patients by including dialysis machines in emergency stockpile
Genentech weighs slow-walking ovarian cancer therapy to make more money under drug pricing reform
'Underwhelming': NIH trials fail to test meaningful long Covid treatments — after 2.5 years and $1 billion
Opinion: I saw firsthand in Nigeria that drugs alone can't win the war against tuberculosis
From windows to wall art, hospitals use virtual reality to design more inclusive rooms for kids
'No data more personal': Patients, digital health players weigh in on the FTC's data privacy plan
Meet the scientists trying to stop the next global pandemic from starting in Africa