Courtenay Harris Bond

courtenay harris bond

Courtenay Harris Bond is the staff writer covering health for PhillyVoice. She enjoys writing about behavioral health, maternal health and inequities in the healthcare system, as well as human rights and criminal justice. A veteran daily newspaper reporter, Courtenay has also written for national outlets, including KFF Health News, Undark Magazine and Filter. She was a 2018 Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism and has master's degrees from Columbia Journalism School and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education.

courtenay@phillyvoice.com

September 22, 2026

Depression

The mental health of high school students continues to improve from the lows of the COVID-19 pandemic

The mental health of high school students continues after bottoming out during the COVID-19 pandemic, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. Fewer students are feeling hopeless and experiencing suicidal thoughts.

September 18, 2026

Prevention

Prevention Point's syringe exchange services have contracted since Philly cut $1 million in city funding

Prevention Point Philadelphia's syringe exchange services have contracted since losing $1 million in city funding last year. Other services have expanded, including HIV testing and treatment, and medication for opioid use disorder.

September 17, 2026

Illness

Gov. Shapiro blasts RFK Jr. for the CDC not counting Pennsylvania's measles-associated deaths

Gov. Josh Shapiro says Pennsylvania will not accept any more federal funding to combat the state's measles outbreak until the Health and Human Services Department acknowledges the state's four measles-associated deaths on the CDC's website.

September 16, 2026

Illness

U.S. cancer deaths are down, but early-onset diagnoses keep rising

Medical advancements helped avert 5 million cancer deaths in the United States between 1991 and 2024, a new report from the American Association for Cancer Research shows. But early-onset cancers are rising, particularly among women, and there's no clear explanation.

September 16, 2026

Wellness

Reading for fun boosts well-being and empathy, but children are reading less

Reading for pleasure is associated with enhanced well-being, reduced stress and greater empathy — no matter one's age, a new research review shows. But far fewer U.S. children are reading for pleasure than in the past, other data shows.

September 14, 2026

Adult Health

Prolonged sitting is linked to an array of adverse health effects, even for people who are physically active

A growing body of research shows that extended periods of sitting increase the risk of cancer and other diseases, even for people who are physically active.

September 11, 2026

Adult Health

Thousands of kids breathed in dust from 9/11. Now adults, they may have health issues tied to these exposures

The World Trade Center Health Program strives to reach young adults who may have long-term health consequences due to 9/11 dust exposure as children. The program provides free monitoring and treatment for a wide range of physical and mental health conditions related to exposure.

September 10, 2026

Women's Health

Maternal deaths in Philadelphia are rising, but most of them can be prevented, report shows

Maternal deaths in Philadelphia increased by 26% from the 95 recorded between 2014 and 2018 and the 120 recorded from between 2019 and 2023, a new report shows. The vast majority of them are considered preventable.

September 10, 2026

Health News

Penn Medicine receives $50 million gift to advance research into autoimmune diseases and cancer

Penn Medicine received a $50 million gift to advance research into autoimmune diseases, cancer and infectious diseases. The gift comes from local businessman and Phillies Vice Chair Stanley Middleman, who has donated to CHOP and Temple University in the past.

September 9, 2026

Health News

Fake doctor reviews are all over the internet. Here's how to spot them

People gravitate toward fraudulent physician reviews, partly because they tend to offer more information than real ones, a new study found. And artificial intelligence is only aggravating the problem, the researchers said.

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