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 (America/New_York)
Freelancers are invited to a casual virtual happy hour — come as you are, bring a drink, and enjoy conversation with peers.

Vaccine trends and misinformation among older adults
2026-02-26 13:00 - 14:00
Vaccine uptake for influenza, COVID-19, RSV and shingles among adults over age 60 remains low, according to data from the University of Michigan and the CDC. Older adults with multiple chronic conditions are especially vulnerable to these diseases. Meanwhile, emergency department visits and hospitalizations for some of these viruses are increasing, CDC tracking data points to high respiratory virus activity in Alabama and trending upwards in the Pacific Northwest, California, and parts of the south, including Florida, Louisiana and Arkansas. Misinformation, cost and fear of side effects are just a few of the rationales given for not staying up-to-date on these important preventive measures.

In this webinar, experts in epidemiology and infectious disease will review the latest data and immunization trends. We’ll also discuss how these vaccines may provide additional protective benefits beyond preventing severe disease and how journalists can help counter misinformation.

Moderator

Liz Seegert

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for AgingLiz Seegert is AHCJ’s health beat leader on aging. She’s an award-winning, independent health journalist based in New York’s Hudson Valley, who writes about caregiving, dementia, access to care, nursing homes and policy. Seegert is also a contributing writer for Fortune.com, the American Journal of Nursing, and PBS/NextAvenue.org, reporting on myriad health topics, including social determinants of health and women’s health.

She has written for TIME Health, The Wirecutter, Money.com, Medscape, Consumer Reports, The Guardian and Medical Economics, as well as dozens of other trade and mainstream media. Her articles have been syndicated in Forbes.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Hartford Courant, The Saturday Evening Post and other major outlets.

Jennifer Dowd, Ph.D.

Professor of demography and population health and deputy director, Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of OxfordDr. Jenn Dowd has training in Demography, Economics, and Epidemiology, earning a PhD from Princeton University and a postdoctoral fellowship as a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at the University of Michigan.

Jenn’s academic work focuses on statistical analysis of large datasets to better understand population health and mortality. She is interested in how the economic and social world “gets under the skin” to impact our biology. This has included deep dives into the biology of stress, infections and immune function, and the human microbiome. In a currently funded 5-year project from the European Research Council (ERC), she explores reasons underlying stalling life expectancy in the U.S. and Europe.

Subscribe to Jenn’s Substack Newsletter: Data for Health

Preeti Malani, M.D., MSJ

Professor of medicine, division of infectious diseases, Michigan MedicineMalani’s research interests focus on at the intersection of infections and aging. She is deputy editor and director of editorial equity for JAMA and the JAMA Network and previously served as the University of Michigan’s chief health officer and as a member of Michigan’s COVID-19 Nursing Home Task Force during the height of the pandemic.

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.

ACIP meeting countdown: COVID vaccine and what else is at stake
2026-03-17 12:00 - 13:00
Don’t miss this opportunity to get up to speed before the March 18-19 CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting. This webinar, co-hosted by the Expert Vaccine Analysis Team and the Association of Health Care Journalists, will provide independent, evidence-based discussion of topics expected to come up during the meeting.

These items include vaccine safety and quality monitoring, data on COVID vaccine safety, possible recommendation votes related to COVID vaccine injuries, and other issues, such as the evidence framework the CDC uses to assess vaccine data and the risk/benefit analysis of vaccines. We will also discuss other emerging topics that may arise before the meeting.

Whether you’re a journalist covering immunization policy, a public health professional navigating a rapidly shifting vaccine landscape, or a researcher tracking the latest safety data, this webinar will help equip you with the scientific context you need to understand what’s at stake. The panel of senior vaccine scientists — including Norman Baylor, Ph.D., Miles Braun, M.D., Fiona Havers, M.D., and Paul Offit, M.D. — will cut through the noise and offer clear, unbiased analysis.

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.

Norman W. Baylor, Ph.D.

President and CEO, Biologics Consulting GroupDr. Norman W. Baylor is an expert in the development and licensure of new vaccines, evaluating numerous vaccines throughout his career including vaccines for acellular pertussis, varicella, pneumococcal conjugate, human papillomavirus (HPV), influenza and shingles. He is currently the president and CEO of Biologics Consulting Group, Inc, where he is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the company.

Prior to this, he spent 20 years at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most recently as Director of the Office of Vaccines Research and Review (OVRR) in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). In this role, he oversaw all facets of the clinical and product regulatory review activity, including quality assurance and oversight of review functions in addition to planning, developing and administering CBER’s broad national and international programs and operational activities for vaccines and related products. Dr. Baylor served as FDA’s liaison to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Vaccine Advisory Committee, and the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines. He served on the board of the Infectious Disease Research Institute and continues to serve as an expert advisor to the World Health Organization on several global vaccine initiatives.

Fiona P. Havers, M.D.

Adjunct associate professor, Emory University School of MedicineFiona Havers, MD, MHS, FIDSA, is an infectious diseases physician and former medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Havers is a senior subject matter expert on vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases and vaccine policy. She was the CDC lead of the Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RESP-NET) Team in the Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division within the U.S. CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Dr. Havers oversaw the COVID-19 and RSV platforms within RESP-NET, a population-based surveillance platform that covers ~9% of the US population and collects data on COVID-19, RSV, and influenza-associated hospitalizations. Dr. Havers left CDC in June 2025.

The author of >100 publications while at CDC, Dr. Havers’ research interests have focused on the epidemiology, prevention, treatment and vaccine policy for vaccine-preventable respiratory pathogens, including influenza, pertussis, RSV and SARS-CoV-2. She was previously the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Work Group lead for the Pertussis Vaccines Work Group and has worked extensively on COVID-19 and adult RSV vaccine policy, including as senior author on the initial adult RSV vaccine ACIP policy recommendations published in 2023.

Paul A. Offit, M.D.

Director, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education CenterPaul A. Offit, M.D., is the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as well as the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology and a Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Offit is currently a voting member on the FDA’s Vaccine Advisory Committee and has previously served on the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices to the CDC. He is also the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq, recommended for universal use in infants by the CDC in 2006 and by the WHO in 2013. This vaccine was estimated recently to save about 165,000 lives a year. He is also the author of 11 books written for the public about science, medicine, and vaccines.

M. Miles Braun, M.D.

Adjunct professor, Georgetown University School of MedicineIn April 2018, M. Miles Braun MD MPH, was appointed Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Braun directs a new educational initiative to bring integrative approaches to optimize health and quality of life of adolescent and young adult cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. Integrative approaches include mind and body practices, natural products and lifestyle modifications.

Dr. Braun is board-certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine. He served for 20 years as a medical officer in the US Public Health Service (USPHS), including at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) where he was for more than 8 years Director of the Division of Epidemiology in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. He has received more than 20 USPHS awards and authored or co-authored well over 100 scientfic-medical publications, including multiple studies with important clinical impact and epidemiological studies on the causes of various cancers. Dr. Braun has practiced yoga (including meditation) for 25 years, is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance (RYT200), has completed multiple trainings and has extensive personal experience with integrative approaches.

Lunch and Learn: How to land a pitch
2026-03-19 13:00 - 14:00
Freelancers, what was the secret to your successful pitches? We’ll talk about how to pitch for different types of stories—narrative, short explanatory pieces, wellness, trade publications, and more.

At AHCJ’s Lunch and Learns, freelancer members chat about a designated topic over Zoom every third Thursday of the month at 1 p.m. ET. Registration is required for Lunch and Learns and is only available to current freelance AHCJ members.

Lunch and Learn: How to stay accountable
2026-04-16 13:00 - 14:00
Think about your goals for your freelance work: Are you hoping to get assignments from a wider number of publications? Or maybe from a “dream” publication? Do you want to be more organized and productive? Or just to feel more encouraged and motivated?

We’ll talk about how to stay focused on your goals, either with an “accountability partner” or by finding your own way to stay accountable.

At AHCJ’s Lunch and Learns, freelancer members chat about a designated topic over Zoom every third Thursday of the month at 1 p.m. ET. Registration is required for Lunch and Learns and is only available to current freelance AHCJ members.

HJ26 PitchFest Prep
2026-04-28 16:00 - 17:00
Whether it’s your first or tenth time at PitchFest, please join this virtual session to review the dos and don’ts of your one-on-one with editors. The PitchFest committee will share feedback it has gotten from previous years’ editors and advice on how to make the most of your 10-minute time slots.

This year’s PitchFest will take place at Health Journalism 2026 in Minneapolis.

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!
