About AHCJ: General News

Fellows chosen for 2019 National Cancer Reporting Fellowships Date: 09/25/19

Ten journalists have been chosen for the 2019 class of the National Cancer Reporting Fellowships. AHCJ will be presenting the fellowships with expertise from the National Cancer Institute and others. The program is being supported by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

The fellows will spend four days on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., to increase their understanding of and ability to report accurately on complex scientific findings, provide insight into the work of cancer researchers and to better localize cancer-related stories.

The fellows will gather in Bethesda the week of Nov. 4-7 for a series of presentations, discussions, database sessions, a lab tour and interactions with researchers and fellow journalists.

The 2019 fellowship class includes:

  • Theresa Boyle, health reporter, The Toronto Star (@theresaboyle)

  • Stephen Doig, professor, Arizona State University (@sdoig)

  • Bradley Jones, associate editor, Cancer Today

  • Darcy Lewis, independent journalist, Riverside, Ill. (@writedarcylewis)

  • André Picard, health columnist, The Globe and Mail (@picardonhealth)

  • Genna Rollins, senior editor, Clinical Laboratory News

  • Rebecca Shannonhouse, editor in chief, Bottom Line Inc.

  • Lindsey Theis, health and wellness reporter, Newsy (@lindseytheis)

  • Brianna Wesley-Majsiak, health producer, Everyday Health (@brianna_majsiak)

  • Sam Whitehead, health reporter, WABE-Atlanta (@sclaudwhitehead)

The training sessions will include:

  • Moonshots, dream teams and wars on cancer: What’s ahead?

  • Deep dive: Immunotherapy

  • Cancer evidence by the numbers

  • Hands-on exercises: How to understand and relay cancer statistics

  • The world of guidelines and cancer screening

  • Social determinants: Addressing disparities in access to quality health care and clinical trials

  • How clinical trials work

  • Hands-on exercises: Using SEER and exploring cancer clinical trials

  • Deep dive: Genomics

  • Story building: Including patients in the equation

  • Deep dive: Diet and cancer risk

  • Clinical center tours

The fellows were selected from dozens of qualified applicants.

“The dedicated staff at the National Cancer Institute has been great to work with in bringing this training to highly interested journalists,” said AHCJ Executive Director Len Bruzzese. “This deep dive isn't available anywhere else and we appreciate the continued support of the Helmsley Charitable Trust that makes it possible.”

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.