About AHCJ: General News

2015 class of AHCJ-National Library of Medicine fellows chosen Date: 08/11/15

AHCJ-NLM Fellowship logoCOLUMBIA, MO. – Nine 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:

  • Parker Brown, staff writer, MedPage Today
  • Kay Colby, health producer, WVIZ/PBS, WCPN/NPR, ideastream
  • Andrea King Collier, independent journalist, Lansing, Mich.
  • Alison Fitzgerald, correspondent, National Public Radio
  • Lisa Gillespie, reporter, Kaiser Health News
  • Marlene Harris-Taylor, medical editor/health writer, The Toledo (Ohio) Blade
  • Matthew Perrone, health reporter, The Associated Press
  • Rebecca Shannonhouse, editor in chief, Bottom Line/Health
  • Alexander Smith, health/science reporter, KCUR-Kansas City/Heartland Health Monitor

Their visit to the NIH campus, scheduled for Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, 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.

“Our fellows will be exposed to some amazing tools and resources they’ll be able to put to use very quickly,” said AHCJ Executive Director Len Bruzzese.

 “We had a record number of applicants this year, showing the desire by journalists to enhance their skills continues to grow,” he said. “The selected fellows represent a great cross-section of who is working out 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.