HJ26 Recap
- May 27-30, 2026
Scroll down to check out the highlights of Health Journalism 2026 in Minneapolis! Check back daily as we add articles, videos and more.
- Inspire Change Clinic CEO Munira Maalimisaq speaks during her plenary session at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Emily P.G. Erickson, an independent mental health journalist, asks New York Times reporter Apoorva Mandavilli a question during her lightning talk. Photo by Kevin Ridder
- An attendee on the HJ26 field trip to Children’s Minnesota takes a selfie with the Ghostbusters. Photo by Kevin Ridder
- Cara Reedy, founder and director of the Disabled Journalists Association, laughs as fellow panelist Ericka A. Dixon speaks at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Jen Caudle, D.O., speaks about covering wellness at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Buffalo Toronto Public Media Disability Reporter Emyle Watkins asks a question at the Inspire Change Clinic during an HJ26 trip to the field. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Attendees visited Alex Pretti’s memorial on a trip to the field at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- KFF Health News Regional Editor Hayat Norimine speaks during the “Market advice (and more) from editors” session at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Tradeoffs Founder and Executive Editor listens to a pitch during PitchFest at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- An HJ26 attendee pitches to Fierce Life Sciences and Healthcare Editor-in-Chief Ayla Ellison at PitchFest. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Ericka A. Dixon with the Disability Project at the Transgender Law Center talks at HJ26 about the resurgence of eugenics-coded health policies and products. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Jessica Horstmann, a family nurse practitioner and mobile health clinic lead at Native American Community Clinic, addressing attendees at HJ26. (Photo by Zachary Linhares)
- American Medical Association immediate past president Bobby Mukkamala, M.D., speaks during a plenary at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Hemi Tewarson, president and executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy, addressing attendees during the “Medicaid work rules are coming. Can states handle it?” panel. (Photo by Zach Linhares)
- LA Times Column One Editor Steve Padilla speaks to a crowded room during his HJ26 session “Writing tips you’ll use every day.” Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Independent journalist Rina Raphael speaks at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- HJ26 attendees take notes during the workshop “How to uncover great medical stories in court.” Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Moderator Eli Cahan asks The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer about his experience interviewing RFK Jr. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Barbara Feder Ostrov, editorial director, Medscape/WebMD; Lei Chen, postdoctoral scholar, University of California San Francisco; Vanessa Sanchez, senior health reporter, El Timpano (from left to right)
- Mary Owen, M.D., associate dean of Native American Health at University of Minnesota, speaks at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Moderator Megan Molteni of STAT News on the HJ26 panel “Survival of the fittest: Covering the resurgence of eugenics-coded health policies and products.” Photo by Zachary Linhares
- HJ26 fellowship awardees speak during Friday’s reception. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- American Public Health Association Executive Director Georges C. Benjamin, M.D., at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- “Coverage Denied: How Health Insurers Drive Inequality in the United States” by Miranda Yaver. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Miranda Yaver, author of “Coverage Denied: How Health Insurers Drive Inequality in the United States,” speaks about her book at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Tara Haelle speaks about how to effectively use a remote personal assistant at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Milena Bates, co-founder of the Minnesota Autistic Alliance, speaks at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Nada Hassanein speaks at the HJ26 session “Abortion in America: Finding hidden stories locally and nationwide.” Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Grace Chamberlin, a senior policy associate with the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Saranya Wyles, M.D., Ph.D., speaks during HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Adriana Goblirsch at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- HJ26 attendees listen to the session titled “Bringing Global Health Stories Home: USAID Cuts and Beyond.” Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Moderator Abené Clayton listens to Dr. Selwyn O. Rogers, Jr., speak at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Health Equity Lara Salahi at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- AHCJ Contest Committee Co-Chair Renuka Rayasam announces winners at HJ26 next to Committee Co-Chair Jonathan Rockoff. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Dr. Rogers’ book “Healing the Gun Violence Epidemic: A Trauma Surgeon’s Perspective.” Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Independent journalist Lisa Krieger speaks at HJ26. Photo by Zachary Linhares
- Demetre Daskalakis, M.D., speaks at the panel “Why can’t we end the HIV epidemic in the US?” Photo by Zachary Linhares
Conference coverage
Each session that has an associated article will be listed by session title and sorted by date and time in the dropdown menus below. Check the HJ26 program if you’re not sure when a specific session took place.
- The cost of fear: The short- and long-term health consequences of aggressive immigration enforcement
- Health care for all: Dream, nightmare or one big muddle?
- AMA President Dr. Bobby Mukkamala on ‘tumor wisdom’ and U.S. health care
- Survival of the fittest: Covering the resurgence of eugenics-coded health policies and products
- Bob Herman wins AHCJ’s inaugural Sunshine Award
- Pills, prices, and policy: Prescription drugs in the Trump era
- Health care for all: Dream, nightmare or one big muddle?
- How to uncover great medical stories in court
- The crisis in primary care: What does the future hold?
- Book talk: The causes and consequences of coverage denial
- How to report on health care affordability efforts
- Reporting on autism through a neurodiversity lens
- Abortion in America: Finding hidden stories locally and nationwide
- Finding and effectively using remote personal assistants to save time
- How doctors are using AI to transform clinical care
- The U.S. research machine has been hobbled. What will replace it?
- Demystifying community engagement: How listening leads to better health reporting
- Book talk: ‘Healing the Gun Violence Epidemic: A Trauma Surgeon’s Perspective’
- Covering wellness … well
- Native American health: Stories beyond the headlines
- Covering health disparities using a solutions journalism approach
- Better ethical decision-making: It takes a team — and practice
- How next-generation obesity drugs will shape public health
- Visual storytelling: How to cover your bases
- The 10-year public health story in a 24-hour news cycle
- Reporting on immigration detention conditions
- Beyond the byline: Working with trusted community creators to fight health misinformation
- Glymphatics: Explaining the brain or red herring?
- Bringing global health stories home: USAID cuts and beyond
- Medicaid work rules are coming. Can states handle it?
- The cost of fear: The short- and long-term health consequences of aggressive immigration enforcement
- ‘The most powerful man in science’: The inside scoop on RFK Jr.
- Health Workforce 101: The role of immigrant workers in the U.S
- Government Gagged: Overcoming agencies’ secrecy barriers
- The toll of reporting on trauma: A workshop with yoga
- Repairing the body from within: Advances in regenerative medicine
- Baby KJ’s next steps: The future of personalized gene therapy
- When health data meets immigration enforcement: What journalists need to know
- Survival of the fittest: Covering the resurgence of eugenics-coded health policies and products
- Reporting on Medicare can offer clarity on complicated questions
- Why can’t we end the HIV epidemic in the U.S.?
- Surviving a starved surge capacity in a time of upheaval (or how pickleball saved my sanity and might save yours)
- ‘Why should I trust you?’: Reporting at the intersection of mistrust and MAHA
Recorded sessions
Videos of our largest panels and plenaries from HJ26 are available to members and non-members free of charge.
- The cost of fear: The short- and long-term health consequences of aggressive immigration enforcement
- Luncheon talk: AMA President Dr. Bobby Mukkamala on ‘tumor wisdom’ and U.S. health care
- Flipping the food pyramid: Understanding the new U.S. dietary guidelines
- Health care for all: Dream, nightmare or one big muddle?
- Covering wellness … well
- The U.S. research machine has been hobbled. What will replace it?
- Black men’s brain health: New initiatives in the wake of DEI challenges
- Survival of the fittest: Covering the resurgence of eugenics-coded health policies and products
- Baby KJ’s next steps: The future of personalized gene therapy
- Investigating medical debt at your local hospital
- Medicaid work rules are coming. Can states handle it?
Health journalism saves lives.
Everyone should have access to quality health care information so they can make informed decisions. Join AHCJ today for exclusive access to training and education to inform your community.






































