Welcome to PitchFest!
We’ve invited editors from some of the top magazines and newspapers to meet you in Minneapolis for PitchFest at Health Journalism 2026! Bring your best ideas to the AHCJ Freelance PitchFest and discuss your ideas one-on-one.
Attendees can reserve up to FOUR appointments with the editors below. PitchFest will be in-person only.You must be registered to attend HJ26 before you can reserve PitchFest appointments. Once you’ve registered, keep an eye on your inbox — you’ll receive a private sign-up link at 11 a.m. CST on April 30 (or shortly after you register).
Questions? Join our HJ26 PitchFest Prep webinar at 4 p.m. ET on April 28 to review the dos and don’ts of your one-on-one with editors.
Jump to: PitchFest Editors
PitchFest Change Day
To help ensure a smooth scheduling experience for everyone, we have a dedicated PitchFest appointment change day on May 12. This one-day window gives you the opportunity to adjust your initial schedule — so you can fine-tune your appointments all at once, without the stress of juggling changes over time.
Strategies for success
Remember
Five Rules for PitchFest
1. Show up. If you fail to show up for any of your appointments, you will not be allowed to sign up in advance for next year’s PitchFest. Additionally, be aware that the booked editor will have your name, potentially harming your reputation with that publication for years to come.
2. Show up on time. We run on time and we run like clockwork. If you are late, you forfeit your pitch. We also hate to waste the editor’s time, so if you’re late, and we see an empty seat, we will fill it with another writer.
3. Prepare carefully. We’ll post blurbs from editors describing what they want, so read those to customize your pitch to what each editor needs for their publication. For example, news editors won’t want to hear a pitch for a feature. Study the publication to make certain your pitch is a good fit.
4. Respect the time limit. When you hear the one-minute warning, wrap it up. When you hear time called, please get up, thank the editor and tell them that you will follow up with an email.
5. Understand the limits. Please recognize that attending PitchFest does not guarantee you a sale. It does guarantee you an opportunity to pitch face-to-face with editors who are extremely difficult to access, even by email.
PitchFest Editors
This list is subject to change.
Here are the editors waiting to hear your pitches:
Betsy Agnvall
Elizabeth “Betsy” Agnvall is the Health and Healthy Living Editor at aarp.org. She has worked as editor of Staying Sharp, AARP’s award-winning brain health platform and as a health editor at the AARP Bulletin. She wrote for the Washington Post Health section for six years has deep subject matter expertise in health and health journalism.
Ayla Ellison
Fierce Pharma/Fierce Healthcare | Pitching Guidelines
Ayla Ellison is the Editor-in-Chief of Fierce Life Sciences and Healthcare. In this role, she leads editorial strategy for Fierce Pharma, Fierce Biotech and Fierce Healthcare. She oversees a global newsroom producing award-winning journalism for millions of industry leaders across pharma, biotech and healthcare.
With more than a decade of experience leading editorial teams, Ayla previously held the position of Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at Becker’s Healthcare. While primarily focused on editorial leadership, Ayla also contributes in-depth reporting and special reports, and hosts two weekly podcasts, The Top Line and Podnosis, covering the most pressing issues in life sciences and healthcare. Ayla holds a JD from Southern Illinois University School of Law.
Josh Fischman
Scientific American | Freelance Market Guide
Josh Fischman is senior special projects editor at Scientific American magazine, leading coverage of medicine and of science policy from Washington, D.C. He has cohosted the popular podcast “Your Health Quickly.” Josh’s work has been selected for the Best American Science Writing 2012 anthology, has won the Blakeslee Award for excellence in medical reporting, and been a finalist twice for the National Magazine awards. He has written cover stories for National Geographic, U.S. News & World Report, and features for Time magazine and the Los Angeles Times.
Josh has been the editor-in-chief at Earth magazine and deputy editor-in-chief of Chemical & Engineering News, supervising worldwide coverage. He has directed technology and science coverage for The Chronicle of Higher Education, was a senior health writer and editor at U.S News &World Report, deputy news editor at Science, and a senior editor at Discover. Josh has been interviewed about science and medicine on NPR, CNN, MSNBC, BBC World Service, the Weather Channel, and he has been a master of ceremonies on stages at the USA Science & Engineering Festival and the Consumer Electronics Show. Josh is the author of a leading medical education guidebook, The U.S. News & World Report Ultimate Guide to Medical Schools (Sourcebooks, 2006).
About Scientific American
Scientific American covers the most important and exciting research, ideas and knowledge in science, health, technology, the environment and society. It is committed to sharing trustworthy knowledge, enhancing our understanding of the world and advancing social justice. It publishes in-depth feature articles, timely news stories, expert opinion and commentary, podcasts, videos, infographics, photo features and other forms of storytelling. In addition to our monthly flagship magazine and pieces published daily on our website, we produce special editions and regular newsletters. We also host live events and webinars featuring a diversity of experts and journalists who share their knowledge.
Our freelance rates vary, depending on the complexity of the story and the experience of the writer.
Joyce Frieden
MedPage Today | Freelance Market Guide
Joyce Frieden oversees MedPage Today’s coverage of Washington and health policy. Her beat includes Congress, the Supreme Court, the White House, and federal agencies and trade associations that are involved in health care.
She began her career in medical journalism 42 years ago at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, working as a news editor for Physician’s Management, Modern Medicine, Hospital Formulary, and several other medical magazines. She previously served as editor of Clinical Endocrinology News, and her byline has appeared in other physician newspapers including Internal Medicine News, Family Practice News, and ObGyn News.
Her freelance clients have included UPI, WebMD, Reuters Health, Drug Topics, the Washington Post, and Washingtonian magazine. She is the recipient of a Jesse H. Neal award for editorial excellence and a Vivian Award from the National Press Club, and is an AHCJ board member.
Dan Gorenstein
Dan is the Founder and Executive Editor of Tradeoffs, setting the vision for the organization’s journalism and strategy. Before Tradeoffs, he was the senior health care reporter at Marketplace and spent 11 years at New Hampshire Public Radio. He got his start in journalism at the Chicago Reporter, an investigative journal that examines race and class disparities in the Chicago area. Dan’s work has earned numerous national awards, including the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi investigative reporting award. He is based in Philadelphia.
About Tradeoffs
Through our podcast, in-depth articles and live events, Tradeoffs explores the toughest choices in health care, diving into issues like the cost of care, health equity, insurance, mental health and artificial intelligence. We connect policy to practice, uncovering the data and personal stories that help audiences understand the stakes — and the potential solutions.
Ivan Oransky
The Transmitter | Pitch Guidelines
Former AHCJ president Ivan Oransky is the editor in chief of The Transmitter, co-founder of Retraction Watch, and distinguished journalist in residence at New York University’s Arthur Carter Journalism Institute.
Pam Kaufman
Everyday Health | Pitching Guidelines
Pam Kaufman, an executive editor at Everyday Health, strategizes on news coverage and assigns articles on infectious diseases and general health topics. She began her journalism career as a junior editor on the health and fitness beat at Vogue, followed by a long stint at Food & Wine, where she rose through the ranks to become executive editor.
Kaufman was selected for a 2022 Health Journalism Fellowship from the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An article she edited on how to travel safely during the COVID-19 pandemic won an Excellence-in-Features First Place award from the Society for Features Journalism. Other articles she edited have won Digital Health Awards.
Kaufman enjoys going on restaurant adventures, reading novels, watching “The Pitt,” and hanging out with her pandemic pup. She lives in New York City with her husband and two teenage sons.
Nicoletta Lanese
Live Science | Pitching Guidelines
Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) is the health channel editor at Live Science and was previously a news editor and staff writer at the site. She is a recipient of the 2026 AHCJ International Health Study Fellowship, with a project focused on antibiotic stewardship practices in Japan and the U.S.
They hold a graduate certificate in science communication from UC Santa Cruz and degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida. Beyond Live Science, Lanese’s work has appeared in The Scientist, Science News, the Mercury News, Mongabay and Stanford Medicine Magazine, among other outlets.
Lindsay Lazarski
WHYY’s “The Pulse” | Pitching Guidelines
Lindsay Lazarski is Senior Editor and Producer of The Pulse, WHYY’s health and science podcast and radio show. From pitch to final production, Lindsay works closely with the host, producers, reporters, engineers and freelancers to bring the show to life each week. In addition to her work on The Pulse, Lindsay manages a team of reporters for WHYY’s Climate Desk covering news and solutions around the Philadelphia region.
Before joining the health and science team Lindsay created and co-produced WHYY’s Cosby Unraveled podcast. For several years, she reported on Pennsylvania’s distressed cities, often traversing the state — from former steel towns to coal country — giving voice to people living and working in overlooked communities for the Keystone Crossroads project.
Lindsay has a master’s degree from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at The City University of New York and is a former South Bronx public school teacher.
Rachel Nania
Rachel Nania is a senior writer and editor at AARP, where she oversees online health coverage for a wide range of critical topics affecting older adults, including health conditions and treatments, and drugs and supplements.
Prior to AARP, Rachel worked as an on-air and online reporter at Washington, D.C.’s all-news radio station, WTOP, where she won several journalism awards, including a Gracie and a regional Edward R. Murrow award. She holds a master’s degree in health communication from Emerson College and is currently pursuing a second master’s in creative writing.
Hayat Norimine
KFF Health News | Pitching Guidelines
Hayat Norimine is a regional editor based in Boise, Idaho, and joined KFF Health News after 10 years in local news. Most recently, she was the accountability editor at the Idaho Statesman, where she oversaw national award-winning projects and collaborations with ProPublica as part of its Local Reporting Network.
As a former reporter, she covered state politics in Idaho and city halls for The Dallas Morning News, Seattle Met and The Daily News in southwest Washington. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern.
Denise Schipani
Denise Schipani has been a writer and editor in the health/healthcare space for decades, based in the New York metro area. She is a contributor to Everyday Health, for whom she writes the “Doing My Breast: Adventures in Cancer” blog.
Currently, she’s the Editorial Director of Onward Publishing.
Sarah Steimel
Medscape | Pitching Guidelines
Sarah A. Steimel, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist-turned-medical editor whose career bridges the gap between rigorous academic research and impactful health journalism. Sarah is currently a Senior Editor for Medscape, where she oversees Medscape Perspectives, collaborating with leading medical experts to deliver compelling clinical insights, commentary, and thought leadership to healthcare professionals worldwide.
Sarah earned her BA in Neuroscience from Colby College before completing her PhD in Integrative Neuroscience at Dartmouth College. Her doctoral research focused on cognition and memory in people with epilepsy. After graduate school, she transitioned her passion for science communication into a full-time career in medical journalism, beginning her work as a medical editor by writing and editing clinical communications primarily focused on psychiatry and mental health care. At Medscape, she now covers clinical content across family medicine, internal medicine, sleep medicine, women’s health, urology, and ophthalmology.
Sarah’s unique blend of hands-on research and clinical editorial experience gives her a distinct perspective on how scientific findings travel from the lab bench to the bedside. Beyond her editorial work, Sarah is deeply committed to science policy and strongly advocates for equity, inclusion, and improved health care access.
When she isn’t shaping clinical narratives or advocating for public health, Sarah enjoys exploring the Hudson Valley with her husband, Gary, and two dogs, Chewy and Obi.
Joel Warner
Joel Warner is the managing editor of The Lever, a nonpartisan, reader-supported investigative news outlet that holds accountable the people and corporations manipulating the levers of power. Joel’s reporting has appeared in Esquire, Wired, Men’s Journal, Men’s Health, Popular Science, Bloomberg Businessweek, Slate, and Grantland, among others, and he’s published two nonfiction books: “The Humor Code” and “The Curse of the Marquis de Sade.”
About The Lever
The Lever is seeking in-depth, hard-hitting investigations that explore the profiteers and backroom deals fueling America’s health care crisis. From pharmaceutical price gouging to medical-practice roll-ups and corporate insurance schemes, we’re looking for ambitious enterprise stories from established writers that break through the noise and deliver change. Freelance payment is $1,000 and up, depending on the assignment’s demands.
Rob Waters
MindSite News | Pitching Guidelines
Rob Waters is the founding editor of MindSite News and is an award-winning health and mental health journalist. He previously worked as a staff reporter or editor at Bloomberg News, Time Inc. Health and the Psychotherapy Networker.
He was a contributing writer to Health Affairs and his articles have also appeared in the Washington Post, Kaiser Health News, STAT, the Atlantic.com, Mother Jones and many other outlets. He was a 2005 fellow with the Carter Center for Mental Health Journalism. His reporting has focused on mental health, public health and science. In 2021, his mental health reporting was honored by the Association of Health Care Journalists, the National Institute for Health Care Management, and the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California.
Haley Weiss
Science News | Pitching Guidelines
Haley is an associate news editor at Science News, where she edits daily online health coverage and oversees a monthly print health column. She began her career with The Atlantic’s science, health, and technology team before helping build their award-winning written-through app, and previously covered reproductive health, FDA and the wellness industry, and death and dying as a reporter at TIME. Her freelance writing on the intersection of science, health, and culture has appeared in The Washington Post, Slate, VICE, and elsewhere.
Lauren J. Young
Scientific American | Pitching Guidelines
Lauren J. Young is associate editor for health and medicine at Scientific American. She edits and writes stories that tackle a wide range of subjects, including the COVID pandemic, emerging diseases, nutrition, aging and health inequities. Before joining Scientific American in 2023, she was an associate editor at Popular Science and a digital producer at public radio’s Science Friday.
Her work has appeared in Scholastic MATH, School Library Journal, IEEE Spectrum, Atlas Obscura and Smithsonian Magazine. Young studied biology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, before pursuing a master’s at New York University’s Science, Health & Environmental Reporting Program.
