About AHCJ: General News

New class of AHCJ-CDC Health Journalism Fellows announced Date: 10/11/17

Oct. 11, 2017

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Association of Health Care Journalists has announced the selection of a new class of AHCJ-CDC Health Journalism Fellows. The 11 journalists – supported through a grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust – will spend a week studying a variety of public health issues at two Atlanta campuses of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The AHCJ-directed fellowship program will include presentations, roundtable discussions and lab tours on epidemiology, global disease prevention efforts, obesity and other chronic diseases, vaccine safety, foodborne disease, influenza, antibiotic resistance, climate change and other topics.

The 2017 AHCJ-CDC fellows are:

  • Jennifer Biddle, articles editor, BabyCenter.com, Albany, Calif. (@jenniferbiddle)

  • Heather Boerner, independent journalist, Pittsburgh, Pa. (@HeatherBoerner)

  • Antonio Flores-Lobos, host, La Voz, Woodstock, N.Y.

  • Tara Haelle, independent journalist, Dunlap, Ill. (@tarahaelle)

  • Angela Haupt, assistant managing editor, U.S. News & World Report, Washington, D.C. (@angelahaupt)

  • Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, web producer, Kaiser Health News, Washington, D.C.

  • Steven Johnson, staff reporter, Modern Healthcare, Chicago (@MHSjohnson)

  • Elizabeth Millard, independent journalist, Bruno, Minn. (@EMillard_Writer)

  • Margaret Nicklas, independent journalist, Austin, Texas (@margaretnicklas)

  • Jane Palmer, independent journalist, Eldorado Springs, Colo. (@JanePalmerComms)

  • Bara Vaida, independent journalist, Washington, D.C. (@barav)

Fellows will tour the CDC director's National Emergency Operations Center, meet sources on policy and research and learn how to tap the agency's abundant resources to produce better stories. The training will take place in December.

The CDC is charged with protecting public health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhancing health decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promoting healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national and international organizations.

The Association of Health Care Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of health care issues. With about 1,500 members across the United States and around the globe, 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 provide training, resources and a professional home for journalists. Offices are based at the Missouri School of Journalism.