Department of Medicine

CU Anschutz Department of Medicine Top Stories of 2025

Written by Rachael Fischer | December 15, 2025

The University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Medicine newsroom published more than 75 stories in 2025, showcasing impressive work across the department's 13 divisions. While social media-driven topics topped the list, research on autoimmune disease treatments, cancer breakthroughs, and Alzheimer’s disease prevention also captured significant attention.

Here are the year’s most popular stories.

Is Kava a Good Alcohol Substitute for Dry January?

Internal medicine and addiction medicine physician Jarratt Pytell, MD, MHS, answers questions about kava, a substance commonly advertised as helping reduce anxiety.

 

Ashwagandha is Popular for Boosting Health – But Could it Hurt Your Liver?

Ashwagandha is advertised as a beneficial health supplement, but there may be an association between its consumption and liver damage in some people, explains hepatologist Lisa Forman, MD.

 

Tattoos and Lymphoma: Should You Be Worried About a Link to Ink?

Lymphoma expert Steven Bair, MD, weighs in on alarming recent research suggesting an increased cancer risk among people with tattoos.

 

Can You Trust an At-Home Food Allergy Kit?

With food allergies on the rise, at-home test kits for food allergies and sensitivities have exploded in popularity in recent years. Allergist Levi Keller, MD, discusses the pros and cons of using these kits.

 

How Does Running a Marathon Impact Your Body?

CU Anschutz Department of Medicine experts Seth Creasy, PhD, William Cornwell, MD, and James Maloney, MD, share how endurance running affects various systems in the body.

 

Immune Amnesia: When Measles Makes Your Body Forget How to Fight Infections

Infectious diseases expert Michelle Barron, MD, explains immune amnesia, a potential years-long consequence of measles.

 

Innovation to Medication: The Path To Potential Cures for Autoimmune Disease

Brian Freed, PhD, says a tiny edit to the body’s "immune gene" could block rheumatoid arthritis and other painful disorders. To make it happen, CU Anschutz is partnering with a startup.

 

‘She is My Quarterback’: How a CU Doctor’s Research is Helping a Patient with Stage 4 Adrenal Cancer

Diagnosed with an aggressive one-in-a-million cancer, Angela Harkoff was told she had months to live. But an innovative treatment approach by one of her doctors, Katja Kiseljak-Vassiliades, DO, has helped shrink the tumors, underscoring the value of research.

 

Lipoprotein(a): A Common Genetic Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiologist Gregory Schwartz, MD, PhD, recommends all adults get their lipoprotein(a) levels measured to help identify cardiovascular disease risk.

 

Fueling the Brain: How Metabolism May Hold the Key to Alzheimer’s Prevention

Kimberly Bruce, PhD, is studying how different factors — from genetics to hormone changes to diet — increase the risk of Alzheimer’s, with the goal of finding new ways to protect the brain and prevent the disease.