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.
February 11, 2026
Women's Health
Worrying about aging doesn't help — it actually may speed up the process
Women who worry about declining health may be accelerating the biological aging process, a new study finds. NYU researchers found psychological stress about deteriorating physical health and vulnerability to illness may show up on a cellular level.February 10, 2026
Mental Health
Many young people are being prescribed multiple psychiatric drugs at once — which can be risky
About 1 in 4 young people who take psychiatric medications for mental health problems are being prescribed more than one at once, Penn researchers say. This puts them at risk of dangerous drug interactions.February 6, 2026
Parenting
Quality time at family meals may lower teens' risk of using alcohol, marijuana
Quality time at family meals helps reduce the risk of adolescents using alcohol or drugs, a new study finds. But there is an exception: the findings did not hold true for children who had experienced significant amounts of adversity.February 5, 2026
Prevention
Possible measles exposure reported at Montgomery County urgent care clinic
A possible measles exposure occurred Jan. 29 at the Patient First Primary and Urgent Care in Collegeville, Montgomery County officials say. Anyone who was at the clinic between 1:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. is advised to monitor for symptoms and to verify their vaccination statuses.February 5, 2026
Opinion
Minute Maid is discontinuing its frozen juices. For this writer, there's no love lost
Minute Maid is retiring its frozen juices, which date to 1946. The news left some feeling nostalgic, but this writer is shedding no tears. Mixing the frozen concentrate was a tiresome task while she was growing up, and the orange juice also played a role in a traumatic childhood experience.February 5, 2026
Women's Health
Pregnancy, breastfeeding may offer some protection against cognitive decline
Pregnancy and breastfeeding are linked to higher cognitive function later in life. Postmenopausal women who had been pregnant and who had breastfed scored higher on cognitive and memory tests than women who had never been pregnant or who had never breastfed, new research shows.February 4, 2026
Health News
Cooper Health's new mobile unit brings primary care to people with autism and other developmental disabilities
Cooper University Health's new mobile unit provides care to people with autism, cerebral palsy or Down syndrome in their homes. It aims to reduce the stress of medical visits for these people and to remove barriers to care.February 3, 2026
Prevention
Most Americans with high blood pressure have not controlled it, leaving them susceptible to heart issues
Nearly 80% of Americans with high blood pressure have not controlled it, new research shows. Often, that's despite having access to adequate health care and being within a range for medications to bring it down to a healthier level.February 3, 2026
Wellness
Playing 'pink noise' sounds, like rainfall, to fall asleep may harm REM sleep
Using 'pink noise' apps to fall asleep may disrupt REM sleep, Penn Medicine researchers say. Using earplugs was effective against blocking out background sounds without harming REM sleep, their study found.January 29, 2026
Addiction
A 'fentanyl drought' may be a bigger factor in overdose deaths falling than increased prevention efforts
A 'fentanyl drought' may be primarily responsible for the nationwide drop in overdose deaths, a new report suggests. Increased access to Narcan and medications for opioid use disorder may have helped, but cannot fully explain the decline, the authors say.Just In
- Penn professor who translated 'The Odyssey' slams Christopher Nolan's movie as 'gimmicky' and 'abysmal'
- Street artist 'irregular' installs LeBron James-shaped mirror on Center City wall
- Philly men stole guns, credit cards out of parked cars in casinos, prosecutors say
- Exposure to common weedkiller may increase the risk of premature labor
- Which Eagles have the most at stake headed into training camp?
- The Eagles need a healthy O-line now more than ever
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