For more than 20 years, the Association of Health Care Journalists’ annual Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism has spotlighted the vital role of health care reporting. Selecting the most compelling, impactful and effective stories from hundreds of submissions requires remarkable time, care and commitment. We are sincerely grateful to the many volunteer judges who make this possible.
The 2024 contest drew more than 400 entries across 14 categories, with winners announced at the annual conference in Los Angeles, held May 29 through June 1. Judges worked in pairs over two rounds to evaluate the entries — a task many describe as both rewarding and inspiring. Some judges have generously contributed their time for years, while others offered their expertise for the first time this year.
Whether active journalists, retired professionals or journalism educators, each volunteer judge plays a crucial role in preserving the integrity and independence of the awards. Those who opted to be publicly recognized are listed below. To all our volunteers, thank you for your invaluable contributions.
Interested in serving as a judge for the 2025 Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism? Sign up here.
Each year, the contest welcomes new volunteer judges. Participating as a judge does not disqualify you from entering the contest, and our team takes care to avoid conflicts of interest involving judges and entries from their news organizations.
If you have questions about judging — or if you’re an AHCJ member interested in joining the contest committee — please reach out to AHCJ Membership Manager Tina England at tina@healthjournalism.org.
The Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism are guided and supported by the AHCJ Contest Committee, co-chaired by board members Christine Herman and Jonathan Rockoff. The committee also includes board members Randy Dotinga, Renuka Rayasam, Carrie Feibel, and Joyce Frieden, along with member volunteers Sabriya Rice, Lauren Bavis, Pauline Arrillaga, Mia de Graaf, Mat Edelson, Sarah Kwon and Jason Kane.
