As a radiation oncologist with Sutter Health, Dr. Harvey Wolkov spends his days zapping tumors and other types of lesions from patients’ brains with gamma rays. It’s a tricky job because, during the procedure, patients aren’t allowed to move, even a fraction.

The case study: It’s a staple in medical schools throughout the U.S., where students learn how to diagnose and treat various conditions through mock scenarios. But can a doctor-in-training really grasp medical knowledge by sitting alone at a computer or by working out a problem on paper?

I am an exempt employee and have been working at my company for just under three years. I recently had a serious medical issue that required me to terminate a pregnancy for my own health. I’ve now had three doctor visits in comparatively short succession, and my supervisor is asking why. Since this is an incredibly personal matter, I’m wondering how much I am required to disclose?

Imagine a world where you’re hooked to a system of electrodes that scans your skull, hunts for patterns, and then scores your IQ, emotional intelligence, ability to communicate, capacity for judgment and potential to be a good leader. Then imagine that the therapist says, “The bad news is that your score should be higher. The good news is that I can get it there by helping you physically change your brain.”

Thirty years from now, we all might be getting some sort of neurofeedback. Scientists are now using this cutting-edge method — a way of scanning the brain and giving it course corrections — to treat a battery of conditions that range from ADHD to depression and seizures.

During his final State of the Address, held Jan. 28 at the Crest Theatre,  Mayor Kevin Johnson announced that Anpac Bio-Medical Science Company has selected Sacramento as the location for their U.S. headquarters. The cancer screening and treatment company is regarded for their breakthrough early cancer screening, detection and diagnostic technology.

You’ve heard it a million times: Sit less. Your desk is slowly killing you. But standing desks—and their juiced-up descendants, treadmill desks—are expensive, often require an office manager’s approval, and simply stand out too much for the more modest- minded among us.

What affects 20 million people, robs the global economy of billions of dollars and can be fixed with a five-minute procedure?

The concept of a safety net sets off alarm bells for many administrators and public health professionals. It connotes duplication, inefficiency, incoherence and a 2-tiered health delivery system. It misses the very real business opportunities and positive health impacts that have emerged for the entire population.

It’s been quite a year! Now that the champagne has been popped, gone flat and you’ve had time to recover, take a look at our most widely read local stories from 2015: