About AHCJ: General News

Comparative Effectiveness Research Fellows named for 2019 Date: 07/24/19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2019
Contact: 573-884-5606

COLUMBIA, MO. – Thirteen journalists have been selected for the 2019 class of the AHCJ Fellowship on Comparative Effectiveness Research. The fellowship program was created with support from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to help reporters and editors produce more accurate, in-depth stories on medical research and how treatment decisions are made.

The fellows will gather in Washington, D.C., the week of Sept. 9 for four days of presentations, how-to database sessions and discussions with researchers.

The 2019 fellowship class includes:

  • Rachel Cohrs, health care policy reporter, Inside Washington Publishers, Washington, D.C. (@rachelcohrs)

  • Elizabeth Cooney, editor, Stat Plus (@cooney_liz)

  • Renée Fabian, features editor, The Mighty, Los Angeles (@ryfabian)

  • Deborah Gesensway, contributing editor, Today’s Hospitalist

  • Sherree Geyer, independent journalist, Phoenix (@SherreeGeyer)

  • Anne Glausser, managing producer, health and education, WVIZ/PBS Ideastream, Cleveland (@anne_glausser)

  • Victoria Knight, reporter, Kaiser Health News, Washington (@victoriaregisk)

  • Barbara Mantel, independent journalist, New York, N.Y.

  • Kim Mueller, independent journalist, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Melba Newsome, independent journalist, Charlotte, N.C.

  • Karen Pallarito, independent journalist, Port Chester, N.Y. (@KarenPallarito)

  • Tina Saey, senior writer, molecular biology, Science News, Washington, D.C. (@thsaey)

  • Stephanie Whiteside, health and environment reporter, WSIU-Carbondale, Ill. (@stephgwhiteside)

The training topics will include:

  • How to critique research studies that compare various treatments and approaches

  • Clinical trial challenges

  • Resources for finding the best evidence

  • Open science and data transparency

  • The future of clinical trials

The fellows were selected from dozens of qualified applicants.

“We’re happy to be able to present this in-depth learning opportunity again in collaboration with PCORI, which is a leader in the effort to strengthen health care decision making,” said Len Bruzzese, executive director of the Association of Health Care Journalists.

PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, M.D., M.P.H., added that his organization is eager to support connections between research funders and journalists who help to interpret the importance of health research for an interested public.

“We greatly value and enjoy working with AHCJ in conducting this annual fellowship and so are very pleased to welcome a new class of fellows,” Selby said. “We understand the critical role journalists play in advancing the public’s understanding of the work that we do.

“Part of PCORI’s mission is to encourage greater public engagement in health research,” he noted. “Our support of AHCJ and this fellowship program is a logical extension of that commitment and our appreciation of journalists’ unique role in raising the level of public discourse about research and evidence in clear, compelling and relevant ways.”

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. Its office is based at the Missouri School of Journalism.Hh

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, an independent nonprofit, nongovernmental organization located in Washington, D.C., was authorized by Congress in 2010 to improve the quality and relevance of evidence available to help patients, caregivers, clinicians, employers, insurers and policy makers make informed health decisions. Specifically, it funds comparative clinical effectiveness research, or CER, as well as supports work that will improve the methods used to conduct such studies.