Tara Haelle
Infectious Diseases Leader
Tara Haelle is AHCJ’s health beat leader for infectious diseases and medical studies. She’s an independent science/health journalist, author, speaker, and photographer. Her work has appeared in the National Geographic, Scientific American, Texas Monthly, Science News, Medscape/WebMD, The New York Times, Wired, and O Magazine, among others. She specializes in public health and medical research, particularly vaccines, infectious disease, maternal and pediatric health, mental health, healthcare disparities, and misinformation. She also covers medical research conferences and edits Long COVID Connection on Medium. Haelle earned a master’s in photojournalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and her images have appeared in Texas Monthly, NPR, the, Chicago Sun-Times and elsewhere.
“Scientists once thought we were close to conquering the threat of infectious disease, but nature is nothing if not humbling in reminding us of the havoc those microbes can wreak.”
Authored Posts
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Why you should report on the spread, treatment and prevention of malaria
Even though malaria isn’t endemic to the U.S., there are still approximately 2,000 to 2,500 cases per year nationwide.
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Why context and risk assessment are vital in disease outbreak coverage
Multiple outbreaks and unusual cases of infectious disease are in the news right now. That means it’s more crucial than…
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Why journalists should stop overlooking tuberculosis coverage
Tuberculosis is the second deadliest infectious disease in the world, but U.S. reporters often overlook it as it affects relatively…
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Why this matters: HIV, TB conference offers wealth of story ideas, sources
Learn how to identify feature story ideas and second-day stories from an infectious disease conference focused on HIV and tuberculosis.
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Science magazine reporter Jon Cohen digs deep into history of coronaviruses
Science journalist Jon Cohen discusses how he reported on the history of coronaviruses and their link to SARS-CoV-2.
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Alert your audience about the global rise in measles cases
Measles outbreaks have greatly increased globally and may increase in the U.S. due to falling vaccination rates.
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The importance of accurate, sensitive reporting on long COVID
One of the still most underreported consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is the ongoing long COVID epidemic.
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Covering long COVID, the hidden epidemic
In this webinar, we heard from a rehabilitation physician specialized in treating people with long COVID and a journalist living…
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How to cover this year’s worsening respiratory illness season
Respiratory illnesses are seeing an uptick in 2024. Here’s what you need to know to report on COVID, RSV, the…
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How to report on the uptick in zoonotic virus outbreaks
Viruses are jumping from animals to humans at an increasing rate each year, according to a new study. Here’s how…