Biomedical writer Aimee Cunningham is on her second tour at Science News. From 2005 to 2007, she covered chemistry, environmental science, biology and materials science for Science News.  Between stints Aimee was a freelance writer for outlets such as NPR and Scientific American Mind. She has a degree in English from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. She received the 2019 Award for Excellence in Science and Medical Journalism from the Endocrine Society for the article "Hormone replacement makes sense for some menopausal women."

All Stories by Aimee Cunningham

  1. A woman holds a young child as a medical professional gives them a shot
    Health & Medicine

    Antibiotics diminish babies’ immune response to key vaccines

    With each round of antibiotics during a child’s first two years, antibody levels to four vaccines dropped further from what’s considered protective.

  2. two medical professionals standing in a hallway looking over a chart
    Health & Medicine

    Racial bias can seep into U.S. patients’ medical notes

    Black patients were more often described negatively in medical notes than white patients, which may impact care.

  3. photo of someone behind the front desk of a hotel in Japan with an air quality monitor in the foreground
    Health & Medicine

    We can do better than what was ‘normal’ before the pandemic

    With all that people have endured, it would be a missed opportunity to toss aside what we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

  4. A man administering an infusion to treat hemophilia while sitting on a rock in a snowy backdrop
    Health & Medicine

    A gene therapy for hemophilia boosts levels of a crucial clotting protein

    A one-time, gene-based treatment for hemophilia increased the amount of a necessary blood clotting protein in men with a severe form of the disease.

  5. photo of a COVID-19 memorial wall painted with red hearts of varying sizes and messages; flowers and posters appear below
    Health & Medicine

    More than 5 million children have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19

    The number of children who experienced the death of a parent or caregiver due to COVID-19 nearly doubled from May through October in 2021.

  6. photo of a woman holding a baby
    Health & Medicine

    Chewing sugar-free gum reduced preterm births in a large study

    Among 10,000 women in Malawi, those who chewed xylitol gum daily had fewer preterm births compared with women who didn’t chew the gum.

  7. Pregnant woman gets her COVID-19 booster shot
    Health & Medicine

    Why being pregnant and unvaccinated against COVID-19 is a risky combo

    Being pregnant puts an individual at higher risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19, but vaccination has lagged among pregnant people.

  8. a lady with grey hair examining some marijuana
    Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, researchers thought Americans outgrew marijuana

    In the 1970s, it was thought that adults over age 25 may “outgrow” marijuana. Fifty years later, older adults are in on the action.

  9. a culture dish showing Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria
    Health & Medicine

    Antimicrobial resistance is a leading cause of death globally

    In more than 70 percent of the 1.27 million deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance, infections didn’t respond to two classes of first-line antibiotics.

  10. image of Tyson Bottenus holding the helm of a boat with a spin effect
    Microbes

    A sailor’s story captures the impact of rising serious fungal infections

    Fungal infections are hard to diagnose, hard to treat and are on the rise. A young sailor is staying positive to navigate the challenges.

  11. Lydia Melo receiving a covid-19 vaccine shot
    Health & Medicine

    What parents need to know about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11

    Federal health officials authorized the Pfizer vaccine for this age group on October 29.

  12. black and white photo of men on cots in an airplane hangar
    Health & Medicine

    Epidemics have happened before and they’ll happen again. What will we remember?

    A century’s worth of science has helped us fend off infectious pathogens. But we have a lot to learn from the people who lived and died during epidemics.