After the biggest voter turnout since 2019, the boards of AHCJ and the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism will see the return of four familiar faces and gain two new ones.
The new members are Renuka Rayasam, a senior correspondent for the Southern bureau of KFF Health News, and Jonathan Rockoff, the health business editor and deputy coverage chief for health and science at The Wall Street Journal. Each brings roughly two decades of journalism experience to the board.
Those returning are NPR Senior Editor Carrie Feibel; MedPage Today Washington Editor Joyce Frieden; and independent journalists Laura Beil and Randy Dotinga.
Board member Deborah Schoch, an Independent journalist, and AHCJ’s treasurer Sabriya Rice, southern bureau chief at KFF Health News, did not run for re-election. AHCJ is grateful to both Schoch and Rice for their years of service.
New board members begin their terms on Sept. 3.
Furthering AHCJ’s resources and boosting diversity
In their candidacy statements, Rayasam and Rockoff laid out what inspired them to run and what they hope to accomplish:
Rayasam said she ran for the board “because of my appreciation for how this organization has helped me grow as a health care reporter, from helping me learn the ins and outs of health care to connecting me with valuable mentors.” Drawing on her years of experience reporting in Texas, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Berlin, Germany, Rayasam will seek to improve AHCJ’s training and career development tools. She also hopes to boost diversity among AHCJ members and ensure that there are opportunities for journalists of color.
Rockoff has served on AHCJ’s contest committee for several years and is now its co-chair. He ran for the board “to give back to an organization that has played an important role in backstopping and rewarding my own journalism. As a health care reporter and editor for 18 years, I know how helpful AHCJ and the Center can be in understanding our complicated health care system and getting pointers for reporting on it.” In his term, Rockoff seeks to keep streamlining the annual awards, strengthen the organization’s ability to cover AI’s use in health care, and join in efforts to provide journalists with the resources and support they need.
Board members have two-year terms and can serve as many terms as they’re elected to serve. Only AHCJ’s professional members can vote in board elections.
