Mention the word NICU, and so many parents are instantly transported back to days spent there with their tiny babies. The loud monitors. The blinking machines. Crying babies. Doctors and nurses rushing around. But Dr. Bob White ‘71 has a different experience.For decades, Dr. White, a practicing neonatologist and Notre Dame professor, has spearheaded a team of physicians, nurses, researchers, architects and regulators who created recommendations for NICU design and care. Based on clinical research, the recommendations have led to improvements in NICUs around the globe, including the one where Dr. White works in South Bend.These guidelines are the gold standard and lead to healthier results for both babies and families.

The Summus virtual specialist platform is a voluntary benefit available at no cost to Notre Dame staff and family members. It provides virtual access to a world-class medical advisory team and to specialists who are available by phone or video from anywhere in the world—across all health concerns, from allergies to chronic conditions to acute, complex diagnoses such as cancer.In this episode, we speak with Summus Member Experience Coordinator Hana Berhe, who talks about the benefits of using Summus for your medical needs.---This episode of NDWorks Podcast was hosted by Natalie Davis Miller, managing editor of NDWorks, and was edited by Michael Wiens, visual media coordinator, with original music by Alex Mansour.

Democracy is in crisis both at home and abroad.The level of democracy experienced by the average person in the world today has regressed to the level of 1985 and more than 70% of the global population currently lives under autocracy, according to a 2024 report by the Varieties of Democracy Project.The Notre Dame Democracy Initiative hopes to play a key role in responding to this crisis.

The Notre Dame Democracy Initiative will establish the University as a leader in the study of democracy both in the United States and worldwide, as a convener for conversations about and actions to preserve democracy, and as a model for the formation of civically engaged citizens and public servants.Learn more: https://go.nd.edu/Democracy

Have you seen the latest viral tweet? 78 million people have seen this equation and more than 18,000 are disagreeing about the answer over on X/Twitter.We asked Patrick Kirkland, a professor of the practice in the Alliance for Catholic Education, to weigh in ... and show his work.(Hint: The answer is 9, but he understands why you might say 1.)