About AHCJ: General News

Fellowships available to attend Health Journalism 2016 Date: 02/03/16

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Association of Health Care Journalists, with the support of several health foundations, is offering a number of fellowships to help journalists and journalism students attend Health Journalism 2016, the organization’s annual conference.

Fellowships are available for journalists in California, Colorado, Missouri, Rhode Island, New York, college journalism students and instructors, journalists in the ethnic media, those covering health in rural areas and journalists on non-health beats.

At AHCJ's conference, attendees are exposed to sources and resources that can provide immediate news or become the foundation for in-depth projects in the weeks and months ahead.

Conference attendees have heard from – and interacted with – high-level government officials, top-notch researchers, well-regarded educators, effective clinicians, prize-winning journalists and authors and many more experts on a vast array of health topics.

Journalists can opt to attend field trips to local health institutions, participate in the Freelance PitchFest, attend the Awards Luncheon to celebrate the best health stories from 2015 and catch up with colleagues at receptions and other gatherings.

“These fellowships often serve as an entry point for reporters and editors who otherwise would not have been able to attend this training financially or were uncertain whether they would benefit from membership in a professional group,” said AHCJ Executive Director Len Bruzzese. “These fellows often go on to become our most active members and develop the confidence to pursue amazing projects.”

Nearly 700 people attended Health Journalism 2015 in California’s Silicon Valley. The event provided journalists with expert speakers and panels on everything from hospital quality to a press briefing with the secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Health Journalism 2016 is scheduled for April 7-10 in Cleveland, hosted by Case Western Reserve University, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland University Hospitals and MetroHealth, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Trust Charitable Trust.

The application deadline for the fellowships is 6 p.m. ET, Feb. 19. Apply online.