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STAT’s most memorable photos of 2017

  • Alissa Ambrose

By Alissa Ambrose

Dec. 29, 2017

Dr. Mary T. Austin
Dr. Mary T. Austin participates in a Spina bifida surgery at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX. From A surgeon’s secret: As she operated on babies’ birth defects, a doctor hid her own diagnosis Michael Starghill Jr. for STAT

It’s been a dramatic year in health and science news, and STAT contributing photographers have spanned the globe to capture the people and places shaping our stories — from documenting a historic outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil to capturing an intimate moment between an Alzheimer’s patient and his daughter.

Below, the photos that have stayed with us year round, and a look back at the stories they tell.

Maria Eduarda Pereira — known as Duda — was one of the first Zika infants born in Recife, Brazil. Photographer Lianne Milton photographed Duda during her first 18 months. She is seen here in March, 2017. From Zika in Brazil: One disease, two very different lives Lianne Milton for STAT
Alzheimers Research
Shelley Alvarado helps her dad, Joseph Gleason, take his jacket off at his retirement home. Alvarado carries the APOE4 gene variant, which has been linked to a higher risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s, and is working to avoid the disease’s grip. From Their genes put them at high risk of Alzheimer’s. So they’re experimenting — on themselves Sandy Huffaker for STAT
DR. JEN GUNTER
Gynecologist and blogger Dr. Jen Gunter tweets in what she calls the “stolen moments” of quiet in an otherwise hectic life. From Armed with science (and snark), a gynecologist takes on Trump, Goop, and all manner of bizarre health trends Elizabeth D. Herman for STAT
ADHD nutrition
Mark Carey, 10, takes a swing at a helium balloon in a play area outside his bedroom. Carey’s parents have modified his diet to improve his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. From Seeking an alternative to medication, parents tinker with diet to treat ADHD Bob Gwaltney for STAT
Yellow Fever - Luiza Ferreira
Luiza Ferreira shows a recent picture of her husband, Leonel, on the bottom left. Leonel spent weeks in the hospital before dying of yellow fever. From ‘We didn’t expect this’: A historic yellow fever outbreak spreads in Brazil Lianne Milton for STAT
Yellow Fever - José de Moraes
José de Moraes is one of hundreds of people who have caught yellow fever in Brazil this year. “It shuts down your body,” he says. From ‘We didn’t expect this’: A historic yellow fever outbreak spreads in Brazil Lianne Milton for STAT
West nile chickens
Sentinel chickens like this one are used to monitor West Nile virus in Los Angeles County. From Deadly West Nile virus cases are spiking in LA. The first line of defense: chickens Dania Maxwell for STAT
Dr Berzingi
Eugene Smith, 57, is a patient of Dr. Chalak Berzingi, an Iraqi Muslim immigrant who practices in a conservative town wary of foreigners. From ‘I was really needed’: How an Iraqi cardiologist won trust deep in Trump country Jeff Swensen for STAT
Delusional Parasitosis
Entomologist Gale Ridge poses with Madagascar hissing cockroaches in her lab at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, Conn. From Accidental therapists: For insect detectives, the trickiest cases involve the bugs that aren’t really there Kayana Szymczak for STAT
Dr Larry Smarr
Dr. Larry Smarr tracks 72 data points about his health on a wall covered with screens. From Welcome to my colon: A tech pioneer turns to virtual reality to guide his own surgery Sandy Huffaker for STAT
Sudanese Refugee Family
Maryam Hassan Yahqub (left) with her daughter Safia Hassan Yahqub at their home in Detroit, Mich. The Yahqubs are refugees from Sudan. From To help anxious refugees, doctors first try to measure their stress Rachel Woolf for STAT
Kratom Arizona
A kratom vending machine dispenses packages of the herbal powder at East Coast Super Subs in Tucson, Ariz. From Kratom with a side of cheesesteak: A sub shop’s vending machine draws customers desperate to kick opioids Ilana Panich-Linsman for STAT
Kingsley Manor Retirement Community
Sai Raj Kappari (center) plays gin rummy with Vivian Fan (left) and Roberta Speigal at Kingsley Manor Retirement Community. Kappari is a gerontology student who lives at the home. From Baked fish, chair yoga, and life lessons: To learn to care for elderly, students move into retirement home Dania Maxwell for STAT
Bana
Noufou Diabate sprays insecticide to kill mosquitoes in a mud house in Bana, Burkina Faso, so that they can be accurately counted. From In a remote West African village, a revolutionary genetic experiment is on its way — if residents agree to it Sophie Garcia for STAT
George Church
Renowned biologist George Church says he stands whenever possible to keep from falling asleep. From ‘A feature, not a bug’: George Church ascribes his visionary ideas to narcolepsy Kayana Szymczak for STAT

About the Author

Alissa Ambrose

Alissa Ambrose

Director of Photography and Multimedia

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