Association of Health Care Journalists

A conversation on 'The Cure for Everything': Where American public health is and where it's headed
2026-01-28 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
For the first time in a century, American life expectancy is declining, an unprecedented trend for a wealthy nation and one driven largely by preventable causes of early death. The foundations of public health reforms — sanitation, clean water, safe housing, pollution control, workplace safety, and more — doubled America’s life expectancy between the mid-1800s and today.

But the nation has now spent a century shifting money and attention away from public health and toward clinical medicine. The pandemic exposed the cost of that shift, including widening health inequities, inadequate emergency response coordination, and erosion of public trust.

In her book “The Cure for Everything: The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving,” Michelle Williams tells the story of how the U.S. overcame a history of infectious disease, poisonous environments, and early death and how it’s still possible to rebalance clinical medicine and public health to prevent hundreds of thousands of annual avoidable premature deaths and improve all Americans’ quality of life.

In this webinar, Williams will talk about key lessons from her book that could inspire lines of investigation for journalists. Linda Marsa, a health journalist who helped Williams with the book, will briefly address how that collaboration worked and how journalists can mine the book for story ideas in their communities.

Moderator

Tara Haelle

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Infectious Diseases, Medical StudiesTara 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.

Michelle A. Williams, ScD

Professor of epidemiology and population health, Stanford University School of Medicine Michelle A. Williams, ScD, is a professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University School of Medicine and former Dean of the Faculty at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, where she also served as the Angelopoulos Professor in Public Health and International Development and currently holds an adjunct professorship. An internationally renowned epidemiologist and award-winning educator, Dr. Williams is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Epidemiological Society. She has authored more than 550 peer-reviewed research articles and is recognized as a leading voice in public health science and global health.

Linda Marsa

Investigative journalist and authorContributing editor, DiscoverLinda Marsa is a former Los Angeles Times reporter and a Discover contributing editor who covers medicine, health, and the environment. Her latest book, which she wrote with Dr. Michelle Williams, “The Cure for Everything: The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving,” will be published in February 2026. Her work has been anthologized in “Best American Science Writing,” and she has previously authored two books, most recently: “Fevered: Why a Hotter Planet Will Harm Our Health and How We Can Save Ourselves.”

Vaccine injury compensation in the U.S.: Current practices and future prospects
2026-02-12 13:00 - 14:00
The U.S. has relied on the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program since 1986 to ensure that individuals who have experienced a verified injury related to a vaccine have an opportunity to receive compensation without the difficulties and legal fees of pursuing individual litigation against companies or healthcare institutions that likely would not succeed with the high burden of proof needed in such cases.

Recent announcements from the HHS and statements by HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., however, suggest he may try to make substantial changes to the program that may threaten petitioners’ ability to receive appropriate compensation or threaten vaccine production and supply in ways similar to those that led to the program’s development. Hear from experts how the U.S. vaccine court came about, how the program works from both the petitioner’s and the government’s sides, how changes might affect vaccine supply and access, and what might result from different potential changes to the program.

Moderator

Tara Haelle

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Infectious Diseases and Medical StudiesTara 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.

Anna Kirkland, J.D., Ph.D.

Kim Lane Scheppele Collegiate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Michigan

Anna Kirkland, J.D., Ph.D., is the Kim Lane Scheppele Collegiate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan. She is also an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor. She received her law degree (2001) and Ph.D in Jurisprudence and Social Policy (2003) from the University of California, Berkeley. She holds courtesy appointments with the School of Law, Sociology, Political Science, and Health Management and Policy at Michigan. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Prof. Kirkland is a member of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and served as a committee member on the 2018 National Academies panel charged with studying sexual harassment in the STEM fields of academia. Prof. Kirkland is the author of several books including Vaccine Court: The Law and Politics of Injury (New York University Press, 2016), along with multiple journal articles about vaccine injury compensation.

Michael Milmoe, J.D.

Partner, Law Offices of Leah V. Durant & AssociatesMichael P. Milmoe currently represents vaccine-injured petitioners at the Law Offices of Leah V. Durant, LLC, in Washington, D.C. where he has been a Senior Partner since 2017. Prior to becoming a petitioner’s attorney, he worked at the Department of Justice for 31 years, 28 of which were spent as an attorney in the Vaccine Litigation Section of the Civil Division where he defended Vaccine Program cases. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Milmoe came to the Department of Justice as an Honors Program Attorney in 1986. He was the first attorney hired into the Civil Division’s then newly created Office of Vaccine Litigation in 1988, the same year the Vaccine Act became effective.

Walter Orenstein, M.D.

Professor Emeritus of Medicine, Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Global Health, Emory UniversityWalter A Orenstein, MD, DSc (Hon) is Professor Emeritus of Medicine, Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and Global Health at Emory University. He is also the Director of OrensteinVax, LLC, a consulting firm. Dr. Orenstein worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for 26 years and was the Director of the United States Immunization Program for 16 years (1988-2004). He has co-edited the standard textbook in Vaccinology, Plotkin’s Vaccines for the last 6 editions. His work has focused on developing and implementing vaccination policies especially with regard to polio eradication and measles elimination.

Virtual freelance happy hour
2026-02-20 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-03-20 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-04-24 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-15 16:00 - 17:00
Freelancers are invited to a casual virtual happy hour — come as you are, bring a drink, and enjoy conversation with peers.

Understanding ChatGPT Health: How large language models are being used to triage care
2026-03-12 12:00 - 13:00
Earlier this year, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, a feature allowing users to incorporate data from their medical records and wellness apps to ask questions about their health and test results, and understand potential treatment options.

In this webinar, panelists will cover how it works, the potential benefits and cautions for this and other ChatGPT platforms, how patients and physicians are using large language models in health care now, and what journalists and consumers need to know.

Moderator

Karen Blum

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for AI and Patient SafetyKaren Blum is AHCJ’s health beat leader for AI and Patient Safety, guiding coverage at the intersection of emerging technology and patient protection. An independent health and science journalist based in the Baltimore area, she previously covered Health IT for AHCJ.

Blum has written for publications such as the Baltimore Sun, Pharmacy Practice News, Clinical Oncology News, Clinical Laboratory News, Cancer Today, CURE, AARP.org, General Surgery News and Infectious Disease Special Edition; has covered numerous medical conferences for trade magazines and news services; and has written many profiles and articles on medical and science research as well as trends in health care and health IT. She has been a contest judge for AHCJ’s Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. Blum also is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and chairs its Virtual Education Committee.

Henry Bair, M.D., MBA

Resident physician, Wills Eye HospitalHenry Bair M.D., MBA, is a resident physician at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. Previously, he was a fellow at Stanford University’s Clinical Excellence Research Center, a researcher at the Stanford Center for Policy, Outcomes, and Prevention, and curriculum director of digital health courses at Stanford Medical School. His writings on health policy and digital health have appeared in JAMA Pediatrics, NEJM AI, Digital Health, Public Health Reports, and Academic Medicine, as well as SF Chronicle, The Hill, STAT News, and MedPage Today.

Rachael Robertson

Enterprise and investigative writer, MedPage TodayRachael Robertson is a New York City-based health journalist and audio producer. She covers all things medicine as part of MedPage Today’s investigative and enterprise team, with a particular focus on pop culture, public health, and medical misinformation. Rachael is also MedPage Today’s beat leader for ob/gyn news and the creator, host, and producer of the bi-weekly health news podcast MedPod Today. In 2025, Rachael was one of AHCJ’s inaugural Uncovering Pathways to Better Health fellows. She is a proud graduate of the City University of New York’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Before pivoting careers to journalism, Rachael worked in communications for a New York City elder care organization.

Health Journalism 2026
2026-05-27 00:00 - 2026-05-30 23:59
Pack your bags for the City of Lakes! The Association of Health Care Journalists and the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism are thrilled to bring Health Journalism ’26 to Minneapolis from May 27–30. Expect four energizing days of immersive field trips, standout sessions, hands-on workshops and abundant opportunities to connect with colleagues from across the country.

“I’m excited that we’re returning to the middle of the country for our annual conference, after holding the last two in LA and New York,” said Gideon Gil, AHCJ board president. “This year, we’re starting the conference a day earlier, on a Wednesday, and ending on Saturday afternoon, to make it easier for attendees to stay through the last sessions before having to head home.”

At a moment when truth and accountability matter more than ever, we’ll bring together journalists, health care professionals, policymakers and industry experts for timely discussions. Be a part of the conversation (and pitch your ideas for sessions until Jan. 30, 2026) as we explore health care’s biggest challenges and examine emerging opportunities and solutions. As always, you’ll walk away with plenty of story ideas and new contacts.

This year’s conference will also feature the 22nd annual Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism, a celebration of the best work in health care reporting.

“AHCJ is committed to moving our conference around the U.S. to make it more accessible to our members,” said Kelsey Ryan, AHCJ executive director. “We’re excited to give a national lens to local places each year, and Minneapolis has a lot that everyone can learn from.”

Beyond the sessions, Minneapolis offers so much to see and do. Visit George Floyd Square at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, which will soon have a memorial. Listen to live music on First Avenue or wander through the legendary Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, home to Claes Oldenburg’s iconic “Spoonbridge and Cherry” sculpture. Dive into the city’s vibrant art scene at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Mill City Museum, the Weisman Art Museum and the Walker Art Center. And don’t forget to schedule a guided tour of Paisley Park, Prince’s former home and recording studio.

More details coming soon — but for now, save the dates, submit a session pitch and start making plans to be in Minneapolis!
