About AHCJ: General News

2014 class of AHCJ-National Library of Medicine fellows chosen Date: 08/04/14

AHCJ-NLM-FellowsCOLUMBIA, MO. – Eight journalists have been named to this year's class of AHCJ-National Library of Medicine fellows. The fellowship program was created to increase reporters' access and understanding of the considerable resources available at NLM and the National Institutes of Health.

The journalists chosen to take part this year are:

  • Karen Bouffard, health care writer, The Detroit News

  • Matthew Glasser, health & medical producer, KNBC-Los Angeles

  • Sarah Karlin, senior writer, The Pink Sheet

  • Kimberly Leonard, health producer, U.S. News & World Report

  • Cheryl Platzman Weinstock, independent journalist, Weston, Conn.

  • Marie Powers, staff writer, BioWorld Today

  • Cynthia Sharp, assignment producer, The Associated Press

  • J.K. Wall, health care reporter, Indianapolis Business Journal

Their visit to the NIH campus, scheduled for Sept. 7-11, will include hands-on workshops about how to use and get the most from several government research databases, such as PubMed, MedlinePlus, ClinicalTrials.gov and ToxNet. Fellows also will meet with senior NLM and NIH researchers and officials for exclusive informational sessions.

The fellows were selected from dozens of qualified applicants.

“We managed to put together an amazingly diverse group of journalists with the idea of them carrying back skills to pull off more detailed and nuanced stories in variety of media," said AHCJ Executive Director Len Bruzzese.

“The AHCJ-NLM program has a great track record of finding experts on the NIH campus who are delighted to share their knowledge and are interested in having reporters use the resources available there.”

AHCJ is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of health care issues. With more than 1,500 members, its mission is to improve the quality, accuracy and visibility of health care reporting, writing and editing. The association and its Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism are based at the Missouri School of Journalism.