Mark Harden News

04/23/2026

“Don’t be afraid to get screened. You don’t know until you know. Get it done.”
In most cases, the best way to combat cancer is to catch it early. That’s a lesson that Dan Rathke knows well. And Sachin Wani, MD, an esophageal cancer expert at the University of Colorado Anschutz Cancer Center who successfully treated Rathke, says new, non-invasive technologies can help boost screening rates.
My latest story for the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine at University of Colorado Anschutz.

In most cases, the best way to combat cancer is to catch it early. That’s a lesson that Dan Rathke knows well.

04/22/2026

Despite the nail-biting excitement of Avs and Nuggets post-season action, my University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine communications colleagues still have enough finger function left to type some sizzling health science stories in the latest University of Colorado Anschutz newsletter! This week's lineup:
> Greg Glasgow on a Alzheimer’s misdiagnosis that led a former University of Denver chancellor to a brain-healthy life, and on a new approach that helps people with advanced cancer communicate their needs without sacrificing well-being.
> Megan Palffy on how to best talk to patients about lung cancer screenings.
> Tayler Shaw on CU Anschutz's 100th high-intensity focused ultrasound.
> And me on a study of how emergency departments should screen patients for hepatitis C, and on busting head and neck cancer myths.
Plus our campus comms colleagues score with stories on a new therapy that could reverse hearing loss, on simulating the risks of driving and cannabis, and much more.
It's all here in the new CU Anschutz Today newsletter!
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https://tinyurl.com/CUAT042226

04/20/2026

Hepatitis C is a viral infection that slowly damages the liver. It can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, and liver cancer. But it often goes undiagnosed.
Now, two longtime research collaborators at the University of Colorado Anschutz are studying the most effective ways to offer hep C testing to patients at hospital emergency departments.
Learn more in my latest story for the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.

Two longtime research collaborators at CU Anschutz compared strategies for detecting a potentially dangerous infection that's often undiagnosed.

04/15/2026

Do you find it taxing to look for reliable health science news? Look no further! Here's a fat file of stories in many forms from my University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine writer colleagues in the latest University of Colorado Anschutz newsletter. Featured this week:
> Kara Mason on how AI could identify a bone fracture before it occurs.
> Yesenia Robles on cracking the Blau syndrome code -- how a researcher’s work leads to new treatment possibilities for a rare disease.
> Lynn Brewer and me with two stories on making lives better for adult survivors of pediatric cancer.
> And Greg Glasgow on new methods to save organs for transplant after circulatory death, and on a med school resident’s research targeting unnecessary pre-operative testing.
Plus our friends in campus comms write about reducing barriers for women with Parkinson’s, reviving movement through a brain implant, and using exercise against diabetes.
It's all here to audit in the latest CU Anschutz Today!
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https://tinyurl.com/CUAnschutzToday041526

04/13/2026

Pediatric cancer is usually survivable. But as survivors grow into adulthood, many will face unique challenges, from physical and psychosocial issues to navigating the complex world of adult health care.
University of Colorado Anschutz Cancer Center member Linda Overholser, MD, MPH, specializes in supporting cancer survivors, including those who have experienced pediatric cancer. She walks us through the challenges they face in my latest story for the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine at University of Colorado Anschutz.

Most people diagnosed with pediatric cancer are living longer than ever, but many face unique challenges as adults – and not all of them are physical.

04/10/2026

Bryon Adinoff, MD, an addiction psychiatrist and substance-use-disorder authority with decades of experience, says that when he “kept hearing this concern about using cannabis before the age of 25, because the brain is still developing,” he was puzzled. He knew of no evidence supporting that oft-repeated claim.
After investigating, Adinoff began to see the age-25 threshold as a myth masquerading as science.
My latest story for the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine at University of Colorado Anschutz.

A review by CU Anschutz psychiatry professor Bryon Adinoff, MD, finds no hard evidence that significant brain development continues until age 25.

04/08/2026

My crewmates and I on the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine communications team are over the moon about the great science health news stories we have for you in the latest University of Colorado Anschutz newsletter! This week we offer:
> Greg Glasgow on a CU Anschutz surgical team that conducted the first robotic aortic valve replacement in the Mountain West, and on a new University of Colorado Anschutz Cancer Center clinic that aims to improve the quality of care for older patients with cancer.
> Makenzie Hardy on a researcher working on glioblastoma, one of the toughest cancers to treat.
> Kara Mason on how even mild symptoms can be a risk for esophageal cancer.
> And me on how 40% of Coloradans don’t fill their GLP-1 prescriptions.
Plus our campus communications friends write about how to make a home Parkinson's friendly and an AI-based tool that warns of a precursor to esophageal cancer.
All this and more in the new edition of CU Anschutz Today! It's all here.
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https://tinyurl.com/CUAnschutzToday040826

04/07/2026

JOB ALERT FOR A WRITER!! The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine is hiring a Content Specialist and Writer for out team. Details and how to apply here. ⬇️
https://cu.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=39501&lang=en

04/06/2026

A study of thousands of Colorado patients who were prescribed GLP-1 drugs – among the most talked-about medications of recent years – reveals that four out of 10 of these prescriptions for diabetes or obesity or both were never filled.
A paper co-authored by CU Anschutz Department of Emergency Medicine researcher Foster Goss, DO, points to big out-of-pocket cost disparities and differences in fill rates among racial and ethnic groups.
My latest story for the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine at University of Colorado Anschutz.

A study of Colorado patients prescribed GLP-1 drugs reveals that four out of 10 of these prescriptions for diabetes or obesity or both were never filled.

04/01/2026

No foolin'! My University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine writer colleagues shower you with fascinating health science news in the latest University of Colorado Anschutz newsletter. Highlights:
> Kara Mason on why women with endometriosis are at higher risk of stroke and heart disease, and on CU Thrive's focus on health care provider well-being.
> Greg Glasgow on how breast cancer patients may reduce diabetes risk with movement breaks, and on whether psilocybin and therapy can reduce anxiety and depression in late-stage cancer patients.
> And me on an effort to train tomorrow’s firearm injury prevention scientists, and on a study that moves medicine closer to "genetically informed" thyroid cancer care.
Plus our campus communications colleagues report on treating rare and painful skin disease, and on how the University of Colorado Anschutz Cancer Center has helped a mother of two live years beyond her advanced colorectal cancer diagnosis. And our campus science-communications sage, Aimee Bernard, PhD, writes about a scientist who examines how microtubules facilitate intracellular movement.
Believe it or not, it's all in this week's CU Anschutz Today! Check it out here.
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https://tinyurl.com/CUAnschutzToday040126

03/30/2026

Inherited genetic mutations that can cause cancer are mostly rare, but they can greatly increase cancer risk, says a certified genetic counselor.

03/30/2026

Radiologist Dulcy Wolverton, MD, says tools using x-rays, sound, magnets, radio waves, and computers have 'changed everything.'