The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington School of Medicine, today launched the NUS-IHME Global Burden of Disease Research Centre, a new regional hub to serve as a key analytical engine for the Southeast Asia and the surrounding region by delivering scientific evidence that its leaders can translate into policy.

Ascending aortic hemiarch reconstruction offers the same long-term benefits to patients over age 65 with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) as more complex extended arch reconstruction procedures, according to a study presented today at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting.

A new study examined whether providing financial vouchers to offset medication costs, conditional on improved blood sugar levels, could enhance glycemic control. The results demonstrated that participants receiving these performance-based incentives achieved a significantly larger reduction in HbA1c levels compared to a control group, an improvement clinically comparable to adding a new pharmacological treatment. Based on these findings, the authors conclude that incorporating financial incentives into health insurance plans could serve as an effective, optional tool to improve health outcomes and equity for low-income populations.

Heart specialists at Mayo Clinic today presented new research at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting that redo surgery for adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) remains high-risk, and a clinically applicable national risk assessment model is needed to help patients and care teams make decisions about procedures.