Kara Gavin

Research and Policy Media Relations Manager

Gavin draws on more than 25 years of experience in communicating about science, medicine and health policy. She focuses mainly on the health services research done by members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, who work to understand and improve the safety, quality, equity and affordability of health care. As part of the Michigan Medicine communication team, she has lead responsibility for primary care and mental health topics. Contact: [email protected]; Twitter: @Karag

Teen taking a selfie with vaccination doctor mask on.
Health Lab

Most Young People Eager for COVID-19 Vaccine, Poll Shows

Teens and young adults are increasingly eager to get vaccinated against coronavirus but a minority, including many Black teens, express the same vaccine hesitation as older adults.
oxygenator, pump, console, double lumen jugular cannula diagram of ECMO
Health Lab

ECMO: Last-Resort Life Support Option Helped Majority of Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients Survive, Global Study Shows

Survival rates for COVID-19 patients on ECMO life support is similar to that for other ARDS causes, a new study finds.
University Hospital 1925
News Release

“Among the finest hospitals in the country”: The University Hospital of 1925

The University Hospital that served as U-M's main inpatient facility from 1925 to 1986 was an architectural marvel and drew patients from far and wide.
Photo of ECMO machine through small opening of door
Health Lab

When Ventilators Don’t Help COVID-19 Patients, This Might

A life support system called ECMO has helped ARDS patients in past pandemics and other situations; now critical care teams are trying it in COVID-19 patients.
News Release

Champion of surgical quality named chair of U-M Department of Surgery

The University of Michigan Board of Regents today approved Justin B. Dimick, M.D., M.P.H. as the next chair of the Department of Surgery at the U-M Medical School.
Health Lab

Hospitals Send Some Patients Home With Risky Antibiotic Prescriptions

Targeting fluoroquinolone prescribing in hospitals is effective, a 48-hospital study shows, but many patients still get discharge prescriptions for them.
Health Lab

Predicting C. Diff Risk with Big Data and Machine Learning

A new model analyzes a wealth of information to better predict which patients are more prone to the dangerous infection.
Health Lab

Study: 1 in 4 ER Visits for Eye Problems Aren’t Actually Emergencies

Learn more about when you should go to the emergency room for eye care and how to tell if your eye problem is really an emergency.