Health and well-being

We’re fighting for the well-being of our communities, looking out for—never away from—the most vulnerable among us.

Two researchers in blue shirts and safety goggles lean over lab equipment, one focused closely on the apparatus.

Leading with outcomes: From peanut allergy therapies to mental health interventions, Notre Dame researchers are finding innovative ways to care for both body and mind—driven by compassion and grounded in a mission to serve the common good.

  • Several black plastic containers hold pre-packaged meals consisting of salmon, green beans, and mashed potatoes.

    Podcast

    Food and Thought

    A look at ideas that are addressing major food-related problems: A potential breakthrough on peanut allergies. Learn more about how Basar Bilgicer, associate professor of engineering, is fighting to cure food allergies.…

    • A woman holding a toddler opens a screen door to leave a rustic porch.

      Article

      Homemade poison

      Notre Dame health experts respond to lead crisis

    • A chicken looking toward the camera in a farm setting.

      Article

      Fighting for faster virus detection

      An electronic nose developed by Notre Dame researchers is helping sniff out bird flu biomarkers for faster detection and fewer sick birds.

Health and well-being

From reaction to resolution: The future of allergy treatment

How a child's simple request led to an extraordinary breakthrough in peanut allergy treatment.

Single peanut in the shell on a reflective surface, with a blurred background of more peanuts against a warm, red and orange backdrop.
  • A person wearing gloves places a small white label on a prepackaged meal of salmon, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

    Article

    Fueling success

    Food recovery program helps students excel in the classroom

  • A woman and a young boy stand outside, looking down at a cell phone. The boy holds a soccer ball.

    Article

    Fighting to control diabetes

    New technology can sense, and stop, a drop in blood sugar before it becomes life-threatening

  1. Mason Cohen works at a home during Mulch Madness, an annual lead poisoning prevention project

    News

    A Notre Dame Senior’s Commitment to Community Health: Mason Cohen

    Rain pours down on a group of Notre Dame students as they trudge through the South Bend streets, carrying buckets and shovels. Pushing a wheelbarrow full of mulch, they are working to help combat lead poisoning in the community. The weather is dreary, their shoes soaked through, but laughter cuts...

  2. A row of small glass vials containing translucent liquid glows with a bright blue luminescence under UV light in a dark laboratory setting.

    News

    Notre Dame researchers to advance detection and community knowledge of opioids, including new variants

    The Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society advances research excellence by embedding interdisciplinary collaboration and undergraduate research training within projects that address the needs of historically underserved populations.

  3. Multiple dark-skinned hands cupped to catch fresh water flowing from a rustic bronze tap.

    News

    New model offers ‘clear path’ to keeping clean water flowing in rural Africa

    Chengcheng Zhai More than 184 million people in rural sub-Saharan Africa rely on shared handpumps for clean water. However, more than 50,000 of the pumps are broken, leaving millions in jeopardy of losing their safe water supply. New research from the University of Notre Dame studies how local nongovernmental organizations...

  4. A researcher in a lab coat, safety glasses, and black gloves holds up a glass microscope slide containing a small biological sample.

    News

    3D-bioprinted model offers new way to study and treat obesity-related heart disease

    To better understand how obesity affects the heart, Pinar Zorlutuna, the Roth-Gibson Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Notre Dame, and her lab have developed a 3D-printed model that integrates heart and fat cells to mimic obesity's effects and test potential therapies.

  5. A man with glasses and a blue striped tie smiles enthusiastically while holding a remote clicker during a presentation in front of a blue screen.

    Video

    ND:30 - James Schmiedeler

    Walking is something most of us take for granted—but losing that ability can change everything. Robotics engineer Jim Schmiedeler develops powered prostheses and exoskeletons that help people recover mobility after an amputation, spinal cord injury, or stroke

  7. A blue glowing human brain is rendered in profile against a black background, clearly showing the cerebrum and cerebellum.

    News

    Key to human intelligence lies in how brain networks work together

    Modern neuroscience understands the brain as a set of specialized systems. Aspects of brain function such as attention, perception, memory, language and thought have been mapped onto distinct brain networks, and each has been examined largely in isolation. While this approach has yielded major advances, it has left unresolved one...

  8. An illustration depicts a pregnant woman on a dark blue background. Orange dots, labeled

    News

    Cells that are not our own may unlock secrets about our health

    Artwork by Elissa Chudzicki/University of Notre Dame During pregnancy, maternal and fetal cells migrate back and forth across the placenta, with fetal cells entering the mother’s bloodstream and tissues. They can settle in maternal organs such as the thyroid, liver, lungs, brain and heart — and can persist there for...

  9. Qing Cao Postdoc Profile

    News

    Bio-nano Interface Design for Multiplexed Wearable Biosensors

    The venous blood test is the gold standard for biomarker detection in blood but it's painful, invasive, and does not enable continuous monitoring of blood contents. Blood is taken out for analysis, and the results leave patients with mere snapshots of their health condition instead of the ability to continuously...

  10. A man in a white lab coat, purple striped tie, and safety glasses stands at a laboratory bench filled with various scientific equipment. He looks directly at the camera.

    News

    Long-term pesticide exposure accelerates aging and shortens lifespan in fish

    Long-term exposure to low levels of a common agricultural pesticide can accelerate physiological aging and shorten lifespan in fish — a finding from new research led by University of Notre Dame biologist Jason Rohr with potentially far-reaching implications for environmental regulations and human health. The study, published in Science, shows...

  12. The attendees of the NDSI and Community Partners meeting stand on a staircase smiling

    News

    Notre Dame, Community Organizations Partner on Opioid Sensing Research

    On Monday, November 3, community collaborators from the South Bend-Elkhart region gathered with University of Notre Dame researchers and staff on the Notre Dame campus for a community engagement workshop for Notre Dame Serving Community Analytical Needs (ND-SCAN), organized by the ND Sensor Initiative (NDSI). A total of eight local...

  13. A smiling woman with dark hair and sparkling earrings wears a red and pink plaid blazer in front of a research poster on patient attire at UPMC Children's Hospital.

    News

    Redefining the Narrative of Patient-Centered Care

    In the quiet spaces of pediatric oncology, Dr. Christy Lucas ‘16 finds purpose in being a faithful narrator—helping patients and families tell, to the very last pages, the stories they never thought they’d have to write. Lucas’ dedication to service may have begun as a Miracle League volunteer in Pittsburgh...

  15. A large group of people wearing matching white baseball caps poses for a photo. Two individuals are seated in armchairs in the front row, one with a surprised expression. Several people smile and laugh.

    News

    Advocacy in Action: I'll Never Forget Your Story

    The Patient Advocacy Initiative is proud to offer a variety of ways students can gain hands-on, real-world experience working with rare disease patients, their families, and the organizations that support them. The Summer Immersion Grant Program, funded by Ms. Laura Schumacher as part of the broader Patient Partnership Program, awards...

  16. Intricate golden and silver quantum computer, featuring cylindrical stacked plates, numerous thin wires, and rods, illuminated by a subtle blue glow.

    News

    ND grad student fuses classical and quantum computing to improve skin disease diagnosis

    Notre Dame researchers have developed HybridQ, a new computing model that combines classical and quantum techniques to generate high quality medical images. This innovation addresses the global shortage of clinical data, paving the way for faster and more accurate skin disease diagnoses.

  18. A woman in a blue shirt and black skirt gestures as she presents to a classroom of students.

    Article

    Fighting to combat the opioid crisis

    Computer Science professor Fanny Ye is utilizing AI to dismantle the digital networks used by drug traffickers to distribute lethal synthetic substances. By identifying unique digital signatures across social media and the dark web, her research provides law enforcement with tools to combat the national drug crisis.

  19. A gloved hand holding a sample of fentanyl in a test tube.

    Article

    Taking her science to the streets

    A Notre Dame chemist decided to let the local community’s needs drive her scientific process and found herself in the fight against illicit drugs.

  20. A blue and green wave

    Article

    The forever problem

    The University of Notre Dame is tackling “forever chemicals,” identifying environmental impacts, developing new ways to measure and manage contaminated water supplies, and exploring new methods of treatment.

  21. Paths of potential exposure from fluorinated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic containers.

    News

    Plastic containers can contain PFAS — and it’s getting into food

    Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are adding to their list of consumer products that contain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a toxic class of fluorine compounds known as “forever chemicals.” In a new study published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, fluorinated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic containers —...

  22. Research. Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame.

    News

    Scientists find PFAS in feminine hygiene products

    Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are sharing findings from a study on perfluorinated substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals,” in a wide range of feminine hygiene products. Graham Peaslee Graham Peaslee, professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Notre Dame, and graduate student Alyssa...

  23. Researchers have found notably high levels of PFAS in school uniforms sold in North America.

    News

    Study finds high levels of PFAS in school uniforms

    In yet another example of the prevalence of the hazardous chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in consumer products, industrial products and textiles, researchers have found notably high levels in school uniforms sold in North America. In a study published in Environmental Science and Technology, scientists at the...

  24. Graham Peaslee in the lab

    News

    Researchers test drinking water, face masks for PFAS

    Scientists at the University of Notre Dame studying the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products and textiles have expanded their search for potential sources of PFAS exposure — developing an effective method of testing for PFAS in drinking water and adding face masks to a growing...

  25. Cosmetics

    News

    Use of PFAS in cosmetics ‘widespread,’ new study finds

    Many cosmetics sold in the United States and Canada likely contain high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a potentially toxic class of chemicals linked to a number of serious health conditions, according to new research from the University of Notre Dame. Scientists tested more than 200 cosmetics including...

  26. University of Notre Dame

    News

    Notre Dame partners with Accenture to grow health equity data and analytics to improve health care for vulnerable populations

    Identifying and addressing community health and well-being obstacles is a challenge typically addressed in silos of local government, hospital systems or community organizations, with narrow interventions such as improved access to nutritious food or providing better transportation for residents to medical facilities. The University of Notre Dame’s Lucy Family Institute...

  28. A white man and woman stand smiling in a lounge area. The man wears a navy blue quarter-zip with the ND logo and jeans. The woman wears a green sweater and black pants. They stand before a large, arched, multi-paned window with green lighting.

    Podcast

    Advancing rare disease research and patient advocacy

    38 minutes

    Barb Calhoun, Director for Patient Advocacy Education and Outreach, shares how work at the Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare Diseases is advancing rare disease research and patient advocacy, offering hope to patients and families.

Discover and engage
  1. Broadly smiling woman with dark hair in a navy jacket with gold buttons, arms crossed, in front of bookshelves.

    Podcast

    What happened to the traditional American family?

    The American family has changed dramatically over the past four decades, raising urgent questions about marriage, economic stability, and child well-being.

  2. Statue of Sacred Heart of Jesus, two lit candles, surrounded by worn black and brown shoes and scattered red tokens on wood.

    Article

    A saint of our own?

    The humble piety of Notre Dame cobbler Brother Columba inspires a canonization push.

  3. Golden Dome and Basilica of the Sacred Heart silhouetted against a red and orange sunset, reflected in a Notre Dame lake.

    Photo Essay

    A model March

    Semester in full swing, snow, sun, fun, madness, and mulch.

  4. Congregation and clergy gather at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart with a purple banner and white-draped coffin.

    Photo Essay

    Remembrance and appreciation

    Lou Holtz, 1937–2026

  5. Smiling man with gray hair wearing a navy blazer, light blue dress shirt, and blue striped tie with orange accents, seated in a conference room with artwork and a monitor visible in the blurred background.

    Article

    A dignity movement

    2026 Laetare Medalist Timothy Shriver

  6. Smiling older man with short gray hair wearing a gray blazer and light blue shirt, set against a deep blue background overlaid with colorful financial candlestick chart graphics in teal, pink, and red.

    Podcast

    How do you measure success?

    Mendoza professor Joe Holt joins Jenna Liberto to talk purpose-driven goals, meaningful work, and redefining success.

  7. Students and three priests in white vestments gather for a night mass around a lit snow chapel and altar, snow-covered Sorin Hall in background.

    Photo Essay

    Between winter and spring

    The month in photos, February 2026

  8. Side-by-side black and white portraits. On the left, a man with wavy hair and a patterned blazer is shown in a grainy halftone style. On the right, Father Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., in a clerical collar, looks thoughtfully to the left.

    Article

    The press vs. the power

    Observer founder Robert Sam Anson had a contentious yet strong relationship with ND President Father Hesburgh.

  9. A woman with short dark hair smiles slightly while looking off-camera. She wears a brown, fleece-lined winter jacket. In the background, snow rests on dried plants in front of a tan brick wall.

    Podcast

    Cold plunges and unicorns

    Anthropologist Cara Ocobock reveals what extreme cold reveals about our bodies and human resilience, and why hunting a “unicorn” is harder than it looks.