Association of Health Care Journalists

'No one can see you now': What states are doing to boost primary care
2024-11-21 13:00 - 14:15 (America/New_York)
Evidence abounds that access to primary care improves health and lowers costs. According to one estimate, the U.S. could save $67 billion a year if everyone saw a primary care provider as their main source of care. And yet, only 5% of health care spending in this country goes to primary care, less than in any other Western democracy.

This webinar will examine what actions states — which regulate the insurance industry and run the Medicaid programs — have taken to increase spending on primary care and what effect these efforts can have on costs.

AHCJ Board President Felice Freyer, an independent journalist, will lead the discussion with three national experts on the topic.

Related webinars

How rising health care prices are harming employers and families

Hospital mergers and health care price increases: A primer for reporters

This webinar series, supported by the Peterson-Milbank Program on Sustainable Health Care Costs, covers the affordability of health care by diving into health care cost drivers and looking at solutions. Journalists will learn about ways that states, employers and other stakeholders can promote affordable health care and will be able to tell these stories in the context of their state and local communities.

Moderator

Felice J. Freyer

Independent journalistPresident, AHCJ Board of Directors

Felice J. Freyer is a health care journalist based in Rhode Island. For 10 years until last spring, she was a health reporter at the Boston Globe, where the crisis in primary care was among the topics she covered. Before the Globe, Freyer was the medical writer at the Providence Journal. Now working independently, she has published articles in the Boston Globe Magazine and Harvard Public Health Magazine, as well as teaching journalism at Emerson College. She was elected to the AHCJ board in 2009 and currently serves as its president.

Christopher F. Koller

President, Milbank Memorial FundFormer Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner

Christopher F. Koller is President of the Milbank Memorial Fund and Publisher of the Milbank Quarterly. The Fund is a more than 100-year-old operating foundation that improves population health and health equity by connecting leaders with evidence and sound experience.

Before joining the Fund in 2013, he served the state of Rhode Island for eight years as the country’s first health insurance commissioner. Prior to that, he was CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island. He has served in numerous national and state health policy advisory capacities and was elected to the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine in 2023. Koller is also a professor of practice in the School of Public Health at Brown University. He resides in East Providence, R.I. with his wife, Colette Cook.

Diane Rittenhouse, M.D., MPH

Senior fellow, MathematicaProfessor of family medicine and health policy, UCSF

Diane Rittenhouse, M.D., MPH, has two decades of experience researching health care organization, delivery, finance, and workforce — and translating that research into policy. She received a Generalist Physician Faculty Scholar award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and has been recognized in the United States and Europe as a leading primary care researcher.

Currently, she is leading several projects focused on optimizing the primary care team workforce; strengthening the connection between primary care and health equity; diversifying California’s physician workforce; and understanding and supporting independently owned physician practices. She serves as an expert advisor for the development of the Health of U.S. Primary Care Scorecard recommended by the National Academies of Sciences, Education and Medicine. Dr. Rittenhouse is a family physician who practiced for 10 years in a community-based faculty practice at the University of California, San Francisco.

Matthew Probst, PA-C

Physician assistant and primary care provider, Sunrise Medical Clinic

Matthew Probst is a Physician Assistant and Primary Care Provider at Sunrise Medical Clinic in Las Vegas, New Mexico. He is also Director of Rural Engagement for the University of New Mexico Office for Community Health. In 2019 he was the American Academy of Physician Assistants PA of the Year and recipient of the Primary Care Community Leadership Award and the National Association of Rural Mental Health Schumacher Award for Excellence in Clinical Service.

In 2020, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich named him a Hometown Hero, and New Mexico Magazine recognized him as a True Hero for COVID-19 response. In 2021, Mr. Probst was the New Mexico Alliance of School-Based Health Center Champion and the National Organization of State Rural Health Offices Community Star. In addition to the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, Matt currently serves New Mexico on the Health Care Workforce Committee, the Primary Care Council, and the Aging and Long-Term Services Division Policy Advisory Committee.

Lunch and Learn: Jump start your freelance biz into 2025
2024-12-12 13:00 - 14:00
The new year is the perfect time to reassess your freelance business. Some freelancers formally do this — even holding a solo business retreat at a hotel or other venue, where they can review their past work, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their freelance business and consider other paths forward. We’ll hear from freelancers who have done this successfully — and discuss other ways to pause and reset for 2025.

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. Eastern Time. This event takes place on the second Thursday of the month due to the holidays. The Zoom link is always the same.

What Kennedy could do: Reporting on U.S. vaccine policy and the powers of the HHS Secretary
2024-12-18 14:00 - 15:00
President-elect Trump’s choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., could significantly impact the perception and uptake of vaccines. Whether he or any of Trump’s other vaccine-skeptical nominees receive Senate confirmation, signs suggest the incoming administration may attempt to change long-established vaccine policy in the U.S.

This webinar will cover the ins and outs of how vaccines are approved and recommended, how vaccine injuries are adjudicated and compensated, and the powers of the HHS Secretary over those procedures. We’ll cover what the secretary has the power to undo, what checks and balances exist on those powers, and what the potential consequences of those actions could be.

Led by AHCJ Health Beat leader for infectious disease Tara Haelle, this webinar will prepare reporters for anticipating possible policy moves in the new administration.

Moderator

Tara Haelle

Health Beat Leader for Infectious Diseases, AHCJ

Tara 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 diseases, 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.

Paul A. Offit, M.D.

Director, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education CenterMaurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology, University of PennsylvaniaPaul 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.

Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, LLB, Ph.D.

James Edgar Hervey Chair in Litigation, UC Law San FranciscoDorit Rubinstein Reiss, LLB, Ph.D. is a professor of law and the James Edgar Hervey Chair in Litigation at UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings). She specializes in vaccine law and policy, including exemption laws and tort liability related to non-vaccination. She also teaches administrative law and public health law. She published in law reviews, peer-reviewed journals and blogs on legal and policy issues related to vaccines and co-authored a book on Vaccines Law and Policy with Professor Y. Tony Yang.

Be careful out there: A digital safety primer for journalists
2025-01-15 13:00 - 14:00
More than 40 percent of journalists dealt with threats and online harassment in 2022. When policymakers turn their attention to science and health issues such as vaccination, access to abortion care, and the health dangers of climate change, journalists covering these topics must be prepared to protect themselves amidst online communities that can mirror — or amplify — harmful rhetoric.

Join AHCJ and the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) for a webinar with Alison Joyce, a senior analyst on the Information Security team at The New York Times, and Tat Bellamy-Walker, program manager of Digital Safety Training and Resources (Media) at PEN America as they share best practices and resources on digital safety for journalists.

Attendees will learn how to gauge their own risks, assess their habits and leave with a list of resources they can deploy to improve their digital safety.

Moderator

Jyoti Madhusoodanan

Civic Science Fellow, AHCJJyoti Madhusoodanan is AHCJ’s Civic Science Fellow, covering race in health algorithms as part of a year-long fellowship funded by the Doris Duke Foundation. She is an independent science and health journalist who regularly covers biomedical research, health equity, clinical trials, and the translation of basic research into clinical care.

Her reporting on race adjustments in clinical algorithms was supported by a 2020 project fellowship from the MIT Knight Science Journalism program; reporting on other topics has received fellowship support from the Alicia Patterson Foundation, the GSA Journalists in Aging program, and others.

Madhusoodanan is a senior contributor to Undark magazine and her work regularly appears in Nature, Scientific American, and other outlets. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Science Writers.

Alison Joyce

Senior analyst, New York Times Information Security TeamAlison Joyce is a Senior Analyst on the Information Security team at The New York Times. She specializes in providing tailored training and awareness to staff across the organization on digital security policies and best practices.

Alison has successfully built internal security programs for the newsroom, business departments and senior leadership. Prior to joining The Times, she spent six years working in the financial industry as an Incident Response Analyst. Alison earned a master’s degree in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance from Boston College.

Tat Bellamy-Walker (He/They) is the Program Manager of Digital Safety Training and Resources (Media) at PEN America. Previously, Bellamy-Walker was a communities reporter at The Seattle Times and a newsroom equity team committee member. Bellamy-Walker is program co-director of the Trans Journalists Association’s Peer Career Network, the organization’s inaugural mentoring program.

Before joining The Seattle Times, they worked for NBC News’ diversity verticals and as a digital editor/reporter at Gay City News. Their work has also appeared in The Daily Beast, Inc. Magazine and on CNN. In 2023, they were selected for IWMF’s HEFAT training in Austin, Texas. Bellamy-Walker later shared digital safety tips in a local journalists webinar with the Council on Foreign Relations. They have also been a panel speaker at Investigative Reporters and Editors, NABJ, NAHJ and NLGJA.

Bellamy-Walker has a Master’s in Journalism with a concentration in Health and Science from the Craig Newmark School of Journalism.

Lunch and Learn: Tips and tools to meet your goals
2025-01-16 13:00 - 14:00
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. Eastern Time. The Zoom link is new for 2025.

Finding and sharing hospital prices with your audience
2025-01-29 12:00 - 13:00
In 2001, the federal Department of Health and Human Services required all hospitals to post the prices they charge patients for services. Many, but not all, hospitals have complied with this rule. Still, finding the actual prices that hospitals charge for 300 non-urgent (called “shoppable”) services is challenging if not impossible for most consumers.

That gives journalists an opportunity to empower consumers by finding and publishing hospital price information and to ensure that hospitals are complying with the now four-year-old federal rule.

During this AHCJ webinar, journalists will learn to gather price information from hospitals and compare prices among multiple hospitals. You’ll hear from a Colorado journalist who put transparency to the test when she was expecting a baby and learn from two experts about tools and resources you can use to find prices.

You’ll walk away with the ability to find out what hospitals charge, including what health insurers will pay hospitals and what consumers can expect to pay out of pocket for each service.

This webinar series, supported by the Peterson-Milbank Program on Sustainable Health Care Costs, covers the affordability of health care by diving into health care cost drivers and looking at solutions. Journalists will learn about ways that states, employers and other stakeholders can promote affordable health care and will be able to tell these stories in the context of their state and local communities.

Moderator

Joseph Burns

AHCJ Health Policy Beat LeaderJoseph Burns is AHCJ’s health beat leader on health policy and insurance. He’s an independent journalist based in Brewster, Mass., who has covered health care, health policy and the business of care since 1991. Burns has written for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, Fortune, Hospitals & Health Networks, and Medical Economics, among others.

Early in his journalism career, Burns worked as a reporter in Connecticut, first for The Wallingford Post (a weekly), and then The Meriden Record-Journal (a daily), and later for The Hartford Courant (the largest daily newspaper in the state and the nation’s oldest newspaper). For The Courant, he was a reporter, copy editor and regional news editor. During this time, he also taught news writing at the University of Connecticut.

Patricia Kelmar

Senior director, Public Interest Research GroupKelmar directs PIRG’s health care campaigns, supports its state offices on state-based health initiatives and works with patient advocates nationwide. Previously, she worked as a senior policy advisor at the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, as an associate state director at AARP New Jersey and as a consumer advocate at NJPIRG. In 2022, she was appointed to the federal Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Committee.

Kiana Moore

CEO, Moore ConsultingKiana Moore is the CEO of Moore Consulting, in Washington, D.C. For its clients, Moore Consulting analyzes data to measure outcomes and Inform health care policy. Those clients include the federal Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research, the CDC, CMS, the National Institutes of Health and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

Megan Wingerter

Health care reporter, The Denver PostMegan Wingerter, health care reporter for The Denver Post. Wingerter is an award-winning journalist who joined the Denver Post in February 2019 as an education reporter and switched to health in 2020. She previously worked at The Oklahoman, Kansas News Service, The Topeka (Kansas) Capitol-Journal and The Muskegon (Michigan) Chronicle. She has won awards for business coverage in Kansas and for column writing in Michigan.

Unraveling the myth: ProPublica's investigation into a bad doc and a reckless hospital
2025-02-13 14:00 - 15:00
The infamous “Dr. Death” case in Texas showed just how little oversight there often is of physicians. When confronted with a neurosurgeon who was maiming and killing patients, multiple hospitals looked the other way. Meanwhile, the state medical board dragged its feet in taking punitive action, and Texas malpractice law discouraged private lawsuits.

Now, ProPublica reporter Dave McSwane has investigated yet another shocking case of prolonged physician misconduct — this time in a very different setting. Montana oncologist Thomas Weiner, who was beloved by his patients and their families as well as his staff, now stands accused of numerous legal and ethical breaches that harmed and killed patients.

Among the infractions: treating patients for cancers they didn’t actually have, changing end-of-life care directives without patient consent, and improperly prescribing narcotics. In this webinar, McSwane will talk about what he’s learned about why, in this case, hospital officials and fellow physicians remained silent about their suspicions that Weiner was harming patients, and why federal regulators and health plans failed to step in to stop the abuses.

Moderator

Mary Chris Jaklevic

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Patient SafetyMary Chris Jaklevic is AHCJ’s health beat leader for patient safety based in Chicago. She’s an independent journalist who has covered health care finance, clinical care and medical research for a variety of professional and consumer publications. Her interest in patient safety issues and the potential harms of medical interventions was honed by her experience as a contributor to HealthNewsReview.org, a project that aimed to improve health care journalism by critiquing the accuracy and balance of media messages about medical treatments and tests. She’s a longtime AHCJ member and served on the board for two terms.

J. David McSwane

Reporter, ProPublicaJ. David McSwane is a reporter in ProPublica’s Washington, D.C., office. Previously, he was an investigative reporter for the Dallas Morning News, where his reporting on the state’s outsourced Medicaid system, which benefited companies that systematically deny care to sick children and disabled adults, spurred multiple legislative reforms. Before that he wrote for the Austin American-Statesman and a small Florida newspaper. McSwane’s reporting has spurred new laws and state and federal criminal investigations, forced belt-tightening lawmakers to invest in social programs and won some trinkets along the way, including Harvard’s Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, the Worth Bingham Prize, a Scripps Howard award, an IRE award and the Peabody. He’s a four-time Livingston Award finalist.

Decentralized: Navigating the future of inclusive clinical trials
2025-02-19 13:00 - 14:00
Decentralized clinical trials have emerged as a promising approach to overcome traditional barriers, enhance representation, and improve the quality of research by bringing biomedical studies directly into communities. However, recent policy changes under the Trump administration, including the removal of FDA guidance on clinical trial diversity, have raised concerns about the future of inclusive research.

Read more about decentralizing clinical trials here.

In this webinar, Ray Dorsey, M.D., professor of neurology and the director of the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, and Ramita Tandon, Chief Clinical Trials Officer at Walgreens, will discuss how decentralization is reshaping clinical research. They will explore the potential of pharmacy-based trials and strategies for increasing patient engagement.

Join us for an insightful conversation on the future of clinical trials and what it means for patients, researchers, and the healthcare industry.

Moderator

Jyoti Madhusoodanan

AHCJ Civic Science FellowJyoti Madhusoodanan is AHCJ’s Civic Science Fellow, covering race in health algorithms as part of a year-long fellowship funded by the Doris Duke Foundation. She is an independent science and health journalist who regularly covers biomedical research, health equity, clinical trials, and the translation of basic research into clinical care. Her reporting on race adjustments in clinical algorithms was supported by a 2020 project fellowship from the MIT Knight Science Journalism program; reporting on other topics has received fellowship support from the Alicia Patterson Foundation, the GSA Journalists in Aging program, and others. Madhusoodanan is a senior contributor to Undark magazine and her work regularly appears in Nature, Scientific American, and other outlets. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Science Writers.

Moderator

Lara Salahi

AHCJ Health Equity Beat LeaderLara Salahi is AHCJ’s health beat leader on health equity. She’s an award-winning, independent health journalist based in Boston, whose work has appeared in local, national and international television and digital news outlets. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Journalism at Endicott College in Beverley, Mass.

Ray Dorsey, M.D.

Professor of Neurology, University of RochesterRay Dorsey, M.D., is the David M. Levy Professor of Neurology at the University of Rochester and one of the world’s most read, cited, and followed neurologists. With his colleagues, he wrote “Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription for Action,” a book that provides a prescription for preventing and ending the world’s fastest growing brain disease.

Dorsey previously directed the University of Rochester’s Center for Health + Technology, was elected chair of the international Huntington Study Group, led the movement disorders division and neurology telemedicine at Johns Hopkins, and consulted for McKinsey & Company. He completed his undergraduate degree at Stanford University and pursued his medical education and neurology training at the University of Pennsylvania where he also earned an MBA in healthcare management from the Wharton School.

In 2015, the White House recognized Dorsey as a “Champion for Change” for Parkinson’s disease.

Ramita Tandon

Chief BioPharma Services Officer, WalgreensAs Chief BioPharma Services Officer at Walgreens, Ramita Tandon is responsible for leading and driving growth for the Company’s biopharma services, which includes Walgreens Clinical Trials. In her role, Ramita works across the healthcare and life sciences industries to enable next-generation clinical trials, with the goal of making treatments equitable and accessible to patients.

Ramita brings more than 25 years of leadership and operational experience across a portfolio of industry-leading businesses in real-world evidence and patient-centered health outcomes. Since spearheading the launch of Walgreens Clinical Trials in June 2022, Ramita and her team have been working to make clinical research an inherent care option for patients across the nation when the standard of therapy is not a viable option.

Through its tailored efforts and collaboration with biopharma companies, Ramita and her team have connected with more than 17 million people for potential recruitment into a sponsor-led clinical trial, with that number growing daily. Research shows that only 5% of the U.S. population participates in clinical trials and nearly 80% of trials fail to meet their enrollment goals in the timeline presented, which often contributes to delays in getting novel therapies to patients.

Ultimately, Ramita and her team’s main goal is to bring community pharmacy-led clinical trials to patients quicker by meeting them where they want to be met…in their own communities.

Lunch and Learn: Freelancer free-for-all
2025-02-20 13:00 - 14:00
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. Eastern Time. The Zoom link is new for 2025.

For February’s freelancer free-for-all, journalists can bring any question or issue they want to discuss and we’ll share advice.

Reporting on the crucial role doctors play in gun violence prevention
2025-02-21 12:00 - 13:00
Gun suicides reached an all-time high in 2023, and almost 4% of gun-related deaths in the United States were unintentional shootings — the worst year on record for unintentional shootings by children.

At the same time, firearms are used in more than three out of five intimate partner homicides in the United States. Yet more than half of clinicians report that they avoid discussing firearm access and safety with patients because they don’t feel equipped to do so or worry about alienating their patients.

In this webinar, trauma surgeon Dr. Joseph Sakran will talk about how the medical community must overcome its reticence, take responsibility and prepare to have these difficult conversations.

He’ll talk through a new resource guide from the gun violence prevention organization Brady United that helps clinicians talk to their patients about firearm access and safety. He will also share how health care journalists can cover firearm access and highlight story ideas.

Moderator

Kaitlin Washburn

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Firearm ViolenceKaitlin Washburn is AHCJ’s health beat leader for firearm violence and trauma and an independent journalist based in Chicago, primarily working for the Chicago Sun-Times. She was a gun violence reporter for two years in Missouri for The Kansas City Star as a Report for America corps member. Previously, Washburn was an agriculture reporter covering the omnipresent industry in California’s Central Valley for The Sun-Gazette, also as a part of RFA. Previously, Washburn had internships at the Morning Call in Pennsylvania, the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C. and The Oregonian in Portland. She spent three years as a researcher for Investigative Reporters and Editors, based at The University of Missouri.

Joseph Sakran, M.D.

Board Chair and Chief Medical Officer, Brady UnitedTrauma surgeon, Johns HopkinsAn award-winning researcher and pioneer in promoting firearm injury prevention, Dr. Sakran’s dedication to his field is rooted in his lived experience of trauma from gun violence.

At the age of 17, Dr. Sakran was nearly killed after being shot in the throat with a 38-caliber bullet after a high school football game.

An active leader at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Dr. Sakran serves as the executive vice chair of Surgery, director of Clinical Operations for Surgery, and associate professor of Surgery and Nursing. His public health research — specifically on firearm injury prevention — has been recognized by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Academy Health.

Dr. Sakran gained international prominence in 2018 when the NRA told doctors concerned about gun violence to “stay in their lane” and avoid addressing the topic. Dr. Sakran spoke out to illustrate that healthcare professionals are on the frontlines of this epidemic. In response, Dr. Sakran launched @ThisIsOurLane, a grassroots movement of medical professionals committed to reducing firearm injuries and deaths.

How research misconduct harms patients and science
2025-02-26 13:00 - 14:00
Fraud, manipulation and research misconduct can lead scientists down a slippery slope, affecting drug development, grant funding, and patients’ lives. Scientists working in the field of Alzheimer’s research are under enormous pressure to maintain grant funding, publish, and, ultimately, find a cure. For decades, their primary focus has been preventing or eliminating amyloid plaque in the brain, an approach that builds on prior research discoveries. We’re now learning that decades of research may have been misguided, or even fraudulent.

Charles Piller, an investigative journalist for Science and author of “Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s,” has reported on clear signs of manipulated images by a top National Institute of Aging scientist, found multiple examples of deception by other Alzheimer’s researchers, and exposed questionable behavior by FDA officials about who had a role in Alzheimer’s drug development and approvals.

Piller collaborated with Matthew Schrag, M.D., Ph.D., a top neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University, who first spotted these instances of data manipulation. Piller’s reporting was a wake-up call for many in the scientific community, including at the National Institutes of Health.

In this webinar, Piller and Schrag will discuss what they uncovered, how the situation spiraled, how to spot red flags on questionable papers, and what journalists should know about the future of Alzheimer’s research.

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.

Charles Piller

Investigative journalist, ScienceCharles Piller is an investigative journalist for Science magazine whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Sacramento Bee, and other publications. Piller has been honored with many national journalism awards and is the co-author of “Gene Wars: Military Control over the New Genetic Technologies” and the author of “The Fail-Safe Society: Community Defiance And The End Of American Technological Optimism” and “Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s.” He has reported on public health, biological warfare, infectious disease outbreaks, and other topics from the United States, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Central America.

Matthew Schrag, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant professor of neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical CenterMatthew Schrag, M.D., Ph.D., is an assistant professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a principal investigator at Schrag Lab, who studies the overlap between vascular and cognitive neurological diseases. His research focuses on the mechanisms of vascular degeneration in cerebral amyloid angiopathy and how this contributes to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Schrag’s investigative work is independent of his job at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is not speaking on behalf of the university for this webinar.

Make facts matter again: Pushing back against misinformation and disinformation
2025-03-05 12:00 - 13:00
It’s exhausting and disheartening to work as a journalist these days, dutifully reporting the facts only to see accurate reporting engulfed and overwhelmed by misinformation and disinformation — especially on social media. The consequences are dire — for example, declining vaccination rates and a growing number of measles outbreaks.

While there is no simple solution to the misinformation epidemic, the situation isn’t hopeless, and journalists still play a vital role in conveying accurate, nuanced information about health. Join us to hear from Stephan Lewandowsky, a cognitive scientist at the University of Bristol and one of the lead original authors of “The Debunking Handbook,” as he talks about how misinformation spreads, why people cling to it — rejecting accurate information — and what he thinks journalists can do to help address this crisis.

Moderator

Tara Haelle

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Infectious DiseasesTara Haelle is 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.

Stephan Lewandowsky, Ph.D.

Chair of Cognitive Science, University of BristolProfessor Stephan Lewandowsky, Ph.D., is a cognitive scientist at the University of Bristol whose research examines the consequences of the clash between social media architectures and human cognition, such as countermeasures to the persistence of misinformation and the spread of “fake news” in society, and how platform algorithms may contribute to the prevalence of misinformation.

He also studies the factors that determine whether or not people accept scientific evidence. He has received a range of prestigious research awards across multiple continents and has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles since 2000. He also authored a report on Technology and Democracy in 2020 that has helped shape EU digital legislation.

Telehealth on the line: What could happen this spring?
2025-03-07 12:00 - 13:00
As part of the American Relief Act signed by President Biden in December, certain telehealth benefits for Medicare beneficiaries were extended only until the end of March 2025 — instead of a three-year extension as proposed in a Continuing Resolution. These benefits and the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program are now set to expire on March 31. Some areas, like in-home cardiology rehabilitation visits, were left out of this extension.

In this AHCJ webinar, Kyle Zebley, senior vice president of public policy for the American Telemedicine Association and executive director of ATA Action — an affiliated advocacy group — will spell out what services are covered in this extension, what was omitted, and what updates we might expect to see during the next few weeks of President Trump’s second administration. You’ll walk away with story ideas and insights to inform your reporting.

Moderator

Karen Blum

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Health ITKaren Blum is an independent health and science journalist, based in the Baltimore area. She 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; covered numerous medical conferences for trade magazines and news services; and written many profiles and articles on medical and science research as well as trends in health care and health IT. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and chairs its Virtual Education Committee; and a member of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) and its freelance committee.

Kyle Zebley. Photo by Christopher Huang

Kyle Zebley

Senior VP of public policy, American Telemedicine Association & executive director, ATA ActionZebley works with and on behalf of the American Telemedicine Association and members of ATA Action (an affiliated advocacy organization) and like-minded organizations to eliminate barriers to the expansion of telehealth and ensure patients, providers, and payers can realize the benefits of virtual care.

Prior to joining ATA, Zebley was the chief of staff in the Office of Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He collaborated with senior leadership from HHS, the White House and other cabinet departments to develop, advise and promote U.S. global health policy, including in areas such as drug pricing, medical devices, global health security and non-communicable diseases.

He is a sought-after policy expert and frequently quoted in major media coverage of telehealth. In January 2022, Zebley was named by Politico as one of the “Four Washington players poised to shape digital health in 2022.”

Finding sustainable work you love in an era of relentless layoffs
2025-03-12 13:00 - 14:00
If you’re a health journalist who has recently been laid off or bought out, you might feel lost, discouraged, angry or scared. Even if you’re gainfully employed as a staffer or freelancer, you probably experience waves of uncertainty about the profession and your place in it from time to time. We get it — and we’re here to offer not just encouragement and community, but also advice from writers, editors and recruiters with personal experience and an intimate understanding of the journalism landscape today.

Join AHCJ freelance beat leader Anna Medaris, a staff reporter-turned happy freelancer, as she leads a conversation with writers and editors who were laid off in 2023 or 2024 about their paths to sustainable and satisfying work since. The webinar will also feature industry experts who will share where journalism jobs are now, how journalism skills can be applied to other industries, and how we all can gain some control over careers in a volatile profession.

Moderator

Anna Medaris

AHCJ Freelance Beat Leader(She/her)Anna Medaris is a freelance health and lifestyle journalist with 15 years of experience writing features, narratives, explainers, and news hits for publications including the Washington Post, Women’s Health, Vox, Cosmopolitan, US New & World Report, Everyday Health, AARP, Monitor on Psychology, among others. She left her last full-time role as health correspondent for Business Insider to go freelance full time in June 2023.

Anna is passionate about, and skilled in, telling sensitive human-interest stories, critiquing quirky cultural trends, and answering questions you didn’t know you had. She’s appeared on the “TODAY Show,” “Good Morning America,” Hulu’s “Age of Influence,” and many podcasts and local TV and radio stations. Anna also serves as AHCJ’s New York City chapter lead and as a writing coach through the New York Writing Room. She graduated with high honors from the University of Michigan in 2009 and later earned her master’s in interactive journalism from American University. She’s an avid swimmer who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their basset rescue, Lou Longbody.

Chandra Turner

Founder, The Talent FairyEditorial recruiter and career coach(She/her)Chandra is the founder of The Talent Fairy, a boutique recruiting agency that connects brands with editorial leaders to elevate their storytelling and content products. When she’s not seeking out new talent, Chandra works as a career coach, helping editors, content marketers, and other content strategists find new jobs they love, or thrive in the ones they’ve got. A former editor herself (Parents, CosmoGirl, Cosmopolitan), she is a vocal advocate for editorial talent; she believes that their skills are infinitely valuable — inside and outside of traditional media. #editorsmakethebesthires

Liz Szabo

Veteran health reporter(She/her)Liz is a reporter with 30 years in journalism, including more than two decades covering health and science at publications such as USA TODAY, The Virginian-Pilot, and KFF Health News. An independent journalist since 2023, Liz has been covering medical news for The New York Times, NBC News, Scientific American, Medscape, AARP, and other publications.

Liz has won numerous state, local, and national journalism awards, including the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting and the National Headliner Awards’ first place prize. Her investigation of dangerous doctors for The Virginian-Pilot won two National Press Club Awards and spurred the state legislature to pass a new law to better protect patients.

Melissa Dahl

Independent health journalist(She/her)Melissa Dahl is an award-winning journalist with more than 15 years of experience on staff at publications like New York magazine, Bustle Digital Group and NBC News. She is the author of “Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness,” published by Penguin Random House in 2018, and is now working on her second book.

Rebecca Aguilar

Freelance reporter(She/her)Rebecca is a freelance reporter who believes that part of surviving the news business is being prepared for the unexpected. She has experienced a layoff, firing, and newsroom downsizing in her career. The Emmy Award-winning journalist remains in the news after four decades because she has found that you create your path to success by tapping into your network and what you know.

Photo by Lori Hoffman/Bloomberg

Zachary Tracer

Senior editor for business and policy, STAT(He/him)Zach oversees business and policy coverage at the health and medicine publication STAT. He joined STAT in June after being laid off from Business Insider in early 2024. Zach worked at Business Insider for more than five years, where he built and led the health care team. He began his journalism career at Bloomberg News, covering financial services and then the health insurance industry.

Lunch and Learn: Pitching your ideal publication
2025-03-20 13:00 - 14:00

Lunch and Learn: Need Advice? Ask a Freelancer!
2025-04-17 13:00 - 14:00
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.

For April, we’ll crowdsource advice to your freelance challenges, such as how to handle being ghosted by an editor, having “scope creep” in your assignment, and finding a home for a cherished story idea.

PitchFest Prep Session
2025-05-02 13:00 - 14:00
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. Bring your pitches. As time allows, you’ll have a chance to practice a pitch and get some input from fellow attendees and the committee.

PitchFest will be held at Health Journalism 2025 in Los Angeles.

Lunch and Learn: What's in your contract?
2025-05-15 13:00 - 14:00
Update: This session has been moved from April to May. Find the April Lunch and Learn here.

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. Eastern Time. The Zoom link is new for 2025.

For May, we’ll talk about freelance contracts; understanding terms, negotiating terms and new issues for the current times.

Health care in court: A prep session for a big June
2025-05-21 13:00 - 14:00
Buckle up: The Supreme Court is expected to rule before the end of June in a number of cases with significant implications for health in America. With transgender health care, Planned Parenthood funding, preventive care, and several environmental cases, among others, in the balance, what’s the best way to prepare to cover these important stories?

This webinar will highlight the big cases and point you toward resources and strategies for writing solid court-related stories on deadline. You’ll hear from Chris Geidner, also known as Law Dork for his Substack newsletter on court happenings, and Alison Tanner of the National Women’s Law Center. They’ll talk about what to look for, how to find an expert to help you interpret accurately and other tricks to reporting on the legal stuff with less stress.

Moderator

Alice Miranda Ollstein

Senior health care reporter, POLITICOAlice Miranda Ollstein is a senior health care reporter for POLITICO, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health.

Her coverage of state and federal health policy developments on Capitol Hill, within government agencies, in the courts, and on the campaign trail draws connections between decisions made by elected officials and their impact on the ground. She has broken stories on the Covid-19 response, the strategies of both anti-abortion and pro-abortion-rights groups, and both the Biden and Trump transitions.

Alice graduated from Oberlin College in 2010 and has been reporting in D.C. ever since, covering the Supreme Court, Congress and national elections for TV, radio, print, and online outlets. Her work has aired on Free Speech Radio News, All Things Considered, WAMU and WTOP, and her writing has been published by Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, and La Opinión. She was elected in 2016 as an at-large board member of the DC Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2017, she was named one of the New Media Alliance’s “Rising Stars” under 30. She is the author of a forthcoming book on the broader health care impacts of post-Roe abortion restrictions, set to be published by The New Press.

Alice grew up in Santa Monica, California and began freelancing for local newspapers in her early teens. When not working on a story, she can be found riding her bicycle around the region, attempting to grow vegetables in her backyard, and playing with her nephews.

Chris Geidner

Law DorkChris Geidner is an award-winning journalist who covers the Supreme Court, law, and politics at Law Dork. His more than two decades in journalism includes widely recognized coverage of the courts, LGBTQ issues, the criminal legal system, and other complex legal and political questions.

He previously worked as the Supreme Court correspondent and legal editor at BuzzFeed News and has written for many publications, including The New York Times and MSNBC. Among other recognition, Geidner was named Journalist of the Year by NLGJA, the LGBTQ journalists’ association, in 2014.

Before moving to Washington, D.C., in 2009, Geidner was a practicing lawyer in Columbus, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Ohio State Law Journal. It was in law school that Geidner originally started the Law Dork blog.

Alison Tanner

Senior litigation counsel for reproductive rights and health, National Women’s Law CenterAlison Tanner (she/her) litigates cases defending and expanding access to reproductive health care, including emergency abortion care and assisted reproductive technologies.

Previously, she was a staff attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Steven Gey Constitutional Litigation Fellow at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She graduated magna cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law.

Health Journalism 2025
2025-05-29 00:00 - 2025-06-01 23:59
Get ready to join us on the West Coast! The Association of Health Care Journalists is thrilled to announce Health Journalism 2025 will take place in Los Angeles from May 29 to June 1, with four days of fun field trips, inspiring sessions, hands-on workshops and invaluable networking opportunities.

“I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in L.A., hopefully including a large contingent of our West Coast members and friends,” said Felice J. Freyer, AHCJ board president. “We try to vary our location to accommodate folks far and wide. What doesn’t vary, though, is the quality of the learning and networking you’ll always experience at AHCJ’s annual conference.”

In a time when the pursuit of truth and accountability is more critical than ever, join us for a vital gathering of journalists, health care professionals, policymakers and experts to confront the pressing challenges and opportunities shaping health care and journalism today.

This year’s conference will also include the 21st annual Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism, which are now accepting entries.

Health Journalism 2025 will feature an inspiring lineup of keynote speakers, hands-on workshops, thought-provoking panel discussions, immersive field trips, and powerful networking opportunities. This is more than a conference – it’s a platform to strengthen your reporting, amplify underrepresented voices and explore the vital intersections of health, equity and policy in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Rest deprived? Why rest, not just sleep, matters
2025-07-09 13:00 - 14:00
If you’re getting sufficient sleep but still feeling mentally burnt out, at a loss for creativity, or frequently distracted, the solution isn’t necessarily quitting your job or taking a vacation—it’s understanding what types of rest you really need and how to get them most effectively.

In this webinar co-hosted by the National Association of Science Writers and the Association of Health Care Journalists, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, an internal medicine physician, will talk about the seven types of rest—from physical and sensory to creative and social—and how health and science communicators can recharge in ways that support their craft without sacrificing other aspects of their lives.

The session, moderated by NASW’s Joy Drohan and AHCJ’s Anna Medaris, will include plenty of time for Q&A with Dr. Dalton-Smith, author of “Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity.”

Attendees are invited to look over or take Dr. Dalton-Smith’s free “Rest Quiz” beforehand, an option that includes submitting contact information for Dr. Dalton-Smith’s mailing list.

Registration is free and open to all interested professionals and students.

The webinar recording will be made available to NASW members.

A reminder that per NASW’s Code of Conduct attendees must use their name as their Zoom display name in order to be admitted. Please review the code for additional expected behaviors.

Moderator

Anna Medaris

AHCJ Freelance Health Beat LeaderIndependent journalistAnna Medaris is a freelance health and lifestyle journalist with 15 years of experience writing features, narratives, explainers, and news hits for publications including the Washington Post, Women’s Health, Vox, Cosmopolitan, US New & World Report, Everyday Health, AARP, Monitor on Psychology, among others. She left her last full-time role as health correspondent for Business Insider to go freelance full time in June 2023.

Anna is passionate about, and skilled in, telling sensitive human-interest stories, critiquing quirky cultural trends, and answering questions you didn’t know you had. She’s appeared on the “TODAY Show,” “Good Morning America,” Hulu’s “Age of Influence,” and many podcasts and local TV and radio stations. Anna also serves as AHCJ’s New York City chapter lead and as a writing coach through the New York Writing Room. She graduated with high honors from the University of Michigan in 2009 and later earned her master’s in interactive journalism from American University. She’s an avid swimmer who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their basset rescue, Lou Longbody.

Moderator

Joy Drohan

Independent science writer and editorJoy is an independent environmental science writer and editor with three decades of experience in translating complex environmental topics into clear, compelling narratives. She has authored or edited a wide range of scientific and popular materials, including books, peer-reviewed journal articles, grant proposals, reports, web content, magazine articles, and educational curricula.

Her experience includes water quality, watershed management, PFAS, microplastics, hydrogeology, sea-level rise, wildfire ecology, natural gas development, waste management, and risk communication.

Her clients reflect the breadth and depth of her expertise. She has worked with leading universities (Penn State, North Carolina State University, University of Maryland), national and state environmental agencies (National Park Service, US Department of Agriculture, US Fish and Wildlife Service), publishers (W. W. Norton & Co., Island Press, Santa Fe Institute Press), scientific and nonprofit organizations (Interstate Technology Regulatory Council, American Society for Enology and Viticulture, The Conservation Fund), and private companies.

Saundra Dalton-Smith, M.D.

Internal medicine physician, speaker and authorDr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a Board-Certified internal medicine physician, speaker, and award-winning author. She is an international well-being thought-leader featured in numerous media outlets, including Prevention, MSNBC, Women’s Day, FOX, Fast Company, Psychology Today, INC, CNN Health, and TED.com.

She is the author of numerous books, including her bestseller “Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity,” which includes insight on the seven types of rest needed to optimize your productivity, increase your overall happiness, overcome burnout, and live your best life. Her newest book is “Being Fully Known: The Joyful Satisfaction of Beholding, Becoming, and Belonging.” More than 250,000 people have discovered their personal rest deficits using her free assessment at RestQuiz.com. Learn more about Dr. Saundra at DrDaltonSmith.com.

This event is not intended to be a substitute for therapy. We encourage participants to use the resources below to explore therapy or other forms of professional help as needed. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or others, please contact a doctor immediately and/or contact:

988lifeline.org or dial or text 988 (Available in 240 languages within the United States)

Additional resources for mental health support, many of which are specific to media, can be found at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. This re-cap of the October 2020 ScienceWriters session “Taking care of yourself” has some tips and links to additional resources, as well.

AHCJ German Health Care Study Group informational webinar
2025-07-16 13:00 - 14:00
Join us for an informational webinar about the AHCJ German Health Care Study Group, a weeklong, immersive experience in Berlin this October. Selected U.S.-based journalists will explore Germany’s health system — one that delivers universal coverage and strong outcomes without medical debt.

Supported by The Commonwealth Fund, the program covers airfare, lodging, meals, local transportation and more. Participants will leave with deeply reported stories and new perspectives on cost, coverage, equity and care delivery.

Learn how to apply, ask questions about the program and get tips for strengthening your application.

From big picture to local story: Reporting on the impact of the megabill
2025-08-01 14:00 - 15:00
The 2026 budget act signed into law on July 4 will impact the health of millions of Americans — especially those on Medicaid and other safety net programs including SNAP. How can journalists wrap their arms around these massive changes?

Panelists will highlight what aspects journalists should pay close attention to right now and how to use the power of storytelling to make these coming changes real for audiences.

Moderator

Lara Salahi

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Health EquityLara Salahi is AHCJ’s health beat leader on health equity. She’s an award-winning, independent health journalist based in Boston, whose work has appeared in local, national and international television and digital news outlets. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Journalism at Endicott College in Beverley, Mass.

Moderator

Joe Burns

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Health Policy and InsuranceJoseph Burns is AHCJ’s health beat leader on health policy and insurance. He’s an independent journalist based in Brewster, Mass., who has covered health care, health policy and the business of care since 1991. Burns has written for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, Fortune, Hospitals & Health Networks, and Medical Economics, among others.

Early in his journalism career, Burns worked as a reporter in Connecticut, first for The Wallingford Post (a weekly), and then The Meriden Record-Journal (a daily), and later for The Hartford Courant (the largest daily newspaper in the state and the nation’s oldest newspaper). For The Courant, he was a reporter, copy editor and regional news editor. During this time, he also taught news writing at the University of Connecticut.

Joanne Kenen

Journalist-in-Residence, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthContributing writer, Politico MagazineLong-time health reporter on and off Capitol Hill. Oversaw all the health coverage at Politico for about a decade – now I’m a contributing writer to Politico Magazine, and the Journalist-in-Residence at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where I also teach. I’m a regular on the KHN “What the Health” podcast. I was AHCJ’s first topic leader (on health reform) and the conferences are a highlight of my year. @JoanneKenen

Kristen Jordan Shamus

Health reporter, Detroit Free PressShamus’ work has taken her across the Mitten State, the U.S. and to Europe. There, she covered the stories of children who were evacuated from war-torn Ukraine to eastern Poland. She also led coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on Michiganders.

Over the past two decades, Shamus has worked as a reporter, an editor and columnist including at the Oakland Press and the News-Herald Newspapers. Shamus was among 20 journalists selected in 2019 for a National Press Foundation fellowship, was a Mayo Clinic-Cronkite Medical Journalism fellow and a finalist for three consecutive years for the Richard Milliman Michigan Journalist of the Year award from the Michigan Press Association Foundation.

Katherine Hempstead, Ph.D.

Senior policy officer, Robert Wood Johnson FoundationHempstead works on healthcare issues, mostly those related to health insurance, costs, and access to care, using data and analyses to illuminate policy discussions at the federal and state levels. She is particularly interested making new sources of data that can inform policy available to researchers and the public sector. Hempstead frequently speaks and writes about health insurance and other healthcare topics. She is also an active researcher, and has authored numerous articles in the peer reviewed literature.

Reporting on 'sweeps' and the criminalization of homelessness: How to handle the story
2025-08-19 14:00 - 15:00
The Trump administration is making clear its intention to banish, arrest or imprison people who are homeless in the nation’s capital, as well as threatening forced treatment for those struggling with substance use disorders. But front-line workers, activists and experts are expressing skepticism about this old and failed approach to homelessness.

So what is the state of affairs in D.C.? How are people who work on homelessness responding to the impending campaign, and what is the likelihood that other cities will take a similar approach? This webinar will equip reporters to cover the story in their own cities and towns with guidance from a national reporter who is covering the D.C. story, an addiction researcher, a longtime activist and a journalist who did a year-long project on homelessness.

Moderator

Katia Riddle

Health correspondent, NPRFormer AHCJ fellow

Katia Riddle is a correspondent at NPR covering mental health. She has reported extensively on the impact of events such as Hurricane Helene, Los Angeles wildfires and the loneliness epidemic.

Prior to her current role, she covered public health including reproductive rights and homelessness. She won a 2024 Gracie Award for a series on reproductive rights, and was an AHCJ U.S. Health System Reporting Fellow from 2023-2024.

Riddle lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and three kids.

Photo by Nancie Battaglia

Brian Mann

National addiction correspondent, NPRBrian Mann is NPR’s first national addiction correspondent. He also covers breaking news in the U.S. and around the world.

Mann began covering drug policy and the opioid crisis as part of a partnership between NPR and North Country Public Radio in New York. After joining NPR full time in 2020, Mann was one of the first national journalists to track the deadly spread of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, reporting from California and Washington state to West Virginia.

After losing his father and stepbrother to substance abuse, Mann’s reporting breaks down the stigma surrounding addiction and creates a factual basis for the ongoing national discussion.

Mann has also served on NPR teams covering the Beijing Winter Olympics and the war in Ukraine.

During a career in public radio that began in the 1980s, Mann has won numerous regional and national Edward R. Murrow awards. He is author of a 2006 book about small town politics called Welcome to the Homeland, described by The Atlantic as “one of the best books to date on the putative-red-blue divide.”

Mann grew up in Alaska and is now based in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. His audio postcards, broadcast on NPR, describe his backcountry trips into wild places around the world.

Keith Humphreys, OBE, Ph.D.

Esther Ting Memorial Professor, Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesCIGH fellow, Stanford Center for Innovation in Global HealthKeith Humphreys is the Esther Ting Memorial Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. His research addresses addictive disorders and the translation of science into public policy. In addition to over 400 scientific publications, he has written extensively for outlets like The Washington Post and The Atlantic.

Dr. Humphreys’ public policy work includes testimonies to U.S. House and Senate Committees, to the Canadian and U.K. parliaments, and in many state legislatures. He served on the White House Commission on Drug-Free Communities during the Bush Administration and as Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Obama. He created and co-directs the Stanford Network on Addiction Policy, which brings scientists and policy makers together to improve public policies regarding addictive substances. To recognize his service to addiction-related scholarship and policy, Queen Elizabeth II made him an Honorary Officer in the Order of the British Empire in 2022.

Lisa Daugaard

Co-executive director/policy, Purpose. Dignity. Action.Lisa Daugaard is Co-Executive Director/Policy at Purpose. Dignity. Action. (PDA), formerly the Public Defender Association, based in Seattle. She joined the Defender Association in 1996 as a public defense staff attorney, later served in multiple management positions and led TDA’s Racial Disparity Project, combatting racial discrimination in, and generated by, the criminal legal system at the height of mass incarceration, from 2000-2013.

From 2001-2008, Lisa led a successful selective enforcement litigation challenge to drug arrests of Black people in Seattle. The settlement of that litigation effort resulted in an agreement by SPD and the King County Prosecutor’s Office to launch a pilot pre-booking diversion framework for drug offenses, which came into being in 2011 as the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) model. Lisa was founding Co-Chair of the Seattle Community Police Commission, & served on the CPC until 2019.

In 2019, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for work building consensus around community-based responses to illegal behavior related to unmet behavioral health needs and extreme poverty. From 2020-present, she has helped design and implement JustCARE, a response to unsheltered homelessness in the Seattle area combining low-barrier entry with non-congregate shelter, intensive case management, and aftercare, that has allowed resolution of over 40 large encampments without dispersal or displacement of individuals to other areas.

Lisa grew up in the Seattle area, attended the University of Washington, was an anti-apartheid activist at Cornell University in the mid-1980s while occasionally attending class and earning an MA, and obtained her JD from Yale Law School (class of 1992). After law school, she worked in New York City as a fellow at the ACLU National Legal Department, leading a successful challenge to the first US detention camp at Guantanamo (for HIV-positive Haitian asylum seekers); as Legal Director of the Coalition for the Homeless; and as Organizing Project Director at the Urban Justice Center.

Rural Health Journalism Workshop
2025-08-21 08:00 - 17:30 | Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Hotel, 1 Hartsfield Center Pkwy, Atlanta, Georgia, 30354, United States
AHCJ will help you understand the implications of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and other changes to federal policy that have occurred since January at the annual Rural Health Workshop on August 21 in Atlanta.

We’ll also dig into:

What Georgia learned from its experiment with a Medicaid work requirement, also part of the budget bill.

How rural infrastructure affects access to health care, especially broadband and public transportation.

What’s happening with efforts to rebuild the rural health care workforce and how that work could be affected by immigration visa changes and other federal policies.

Trends in opioid use, overdose and treatment.

Where to find good, reliable data in a “disappearing data” environment.

Book your hotel room in the AHCJ block at the Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Hotel by July 29 to receive the discounted rate.

Registration (advance registration includes lunch):

Members: $30

Non-members: $45

Non-members + a six-month AHCJ membership: $75

PR/PIO: $100

After advance registration closes on August 7, on-site registration will be available at the event: $60 (AHCJ members) and $80 (non-members). Please note: on-site registration does not include meals.

Scholarships are available to offset registration and hotel costs. Contact Andrea Waner for more information.

Preparing for reporting on autism, vaccines and related science
2025-09-11 11:00 - 12:00
Join moderator Tara Haelle and an expert panel — including Paul Offit, M.D. (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), and Jessica B. Steier, DrPH, PMP (Founder and CEO of Unbiased Science) — for a webinar that will help reporters navigate the science behind autism, vaccines, and the expected Health and Human Services report on autism causes.

Facilitated by: Jesse Goodman, M.D., MPH, Chair of the E-VAT — Expert Vaccine Analysis Team.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get the context and insights you need to report accurately and confidently.

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.

Paul A. Offit, M.D.

Director, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education CenterMaurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology, University of PennsylvaniaPaul 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.

Jessica Steier, DrPH, PMP

Founder and CEO, Unbiased ScienceAn accomplished public health expert specializing in science communication, Dr. Jessica Steier is committed to providing clients — and the general public — with accurate, unbiased, and methodologically sound information. Through her podcast and other public avenues, she strives to connect citizens with accurate evidence about the forces that affect all of our lives.

While working in both the private sector and academia, she has built a career founded on providing data-driven solutions in real-world environments and communicating the importance of “old school” scientific values in contemporary education and public discourse. At her professional core, Steier is dedicated to rigorous scientific inquiry and bettering the health and welfare of communities.

She is the CEO of Vital Statistics Consulting (VSC), which specializes in health program and policy evaluation using data science and advanced analytics. With a team of expert consultants, VSC helps its clients improve healthcare outcomes while managing the cost challenges of this demanding sector.

Steier is also the founder of “Unbiased Science.” It underpins a diverse social media platform dedicated to translating complex scientific concepts into everyday language. The essence of this endeavor is pushing back against the wave of pseudoscience and misinformation that the Internet and other social forces have recently unleashed. Its motto — “No Nonsense, Just Science” — is meant to capture Steier’s direct and impassioned approach to disseminating technical knowledge in our technologically-driven culture.

Facilitator

Jesse L. Goodman, M.D., M.P.H.

Director, Georgetown University COMPASSProfessor of medicine and infectious diseasesChair, Expert Vaccine Analysis Team (E-VAT)Jesse L. Goodman, M.D., MPH is Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases and Attending Physician at Georgetown University. He was previously Chief of Infectious Diseases at the University of Minnesota where his laboratory isolated the causative agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis.

From 2003-2009, he served as Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), regulating vaccines, blood and cell and gene therapies, and then as Chief Scientist of the U.S. FDA until 2014, serving in U.S. leadership for numerous public health responses. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has served on numerous WHO, CDC, NIH, NAM and other advisory committees and previously served as a member of GSK’s board, chairing its science committee.

AI chatbots and mental health: How to report responsibly on a new risk
2025-09-16 14:00 - 15:00
Artificial intelligence-powered chatbots can provide round-the-clock access to supportive “conversations,” which some people are using as a substitute for interactions with licensed mental health clinicians or friends. But users may develop dependencies on the tools and mistake these transactions for real relationships with people or true therapy. Recent news stories have discussed the dangers of chatbots’ fabricated, supportive nature. In some incidents, people developed AI-related psychosis or were supported in their plans to commit suicide.

What is it about this technology that sucks people in? Who is at risk? How can you report on these conditions sensitively? Join moderator Karen Blum and an expert panel, including psychiatrists John Torous, M.D. (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center); Keith Sakata, M.D. (UC San Francisco), and Mashable Senior Reporter Rebecca Ruiz, to learn more.

Moderator

Karen Blum

AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Health ITKaren Blum is AHCJ’s health beat leader for health IT. She’s an independent health and science journalist, based in the Baltimore area. She 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; covered numerous medical conferences for trade magazines and news services; and written many profiles and articles on medical and science research as well as trends in health care and health IT. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and chairs its Virtual Education Committee; and a member of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) and its freelance committee.

Rebecca Ruiz

Senior reporter, MashableRebecca Ruiz is a Senior Reporter at Mashable. She frequently covers mental health, digital culture, and technology. Her areas of expertise include suicide prevention, screen use and mental health, parenting, youth well-being, and meditation and mindfulness. Rebecca’s experience prior to Mashable includes working as a staff writer, reporter, and editor at NBC News Digital and as a staff writer at Forbes. Rebecca has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a master’s degree from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Keith Sakata, M.D.

Psychiatry resident, UC San FranciscoKeith Sakata, M.D., is a psychiatry resident at the University of California, San Francisco, where he founded the Mental Health Innovation and Digital Hub (MINDHub) to advance AI-enabled care delivery. He provides treatment and psychotherapy across outpatient and specialty clinics, with a focus on dual diagnosis, PTSD, OCD, pain, and addiction.

Dr. Sakata previously trained in internal medicine at Stanford Health Care and co-founded Skript, a diagnostic training platform adopted by UCSF and Stanford that improved medical education outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. He currently serves as Clinical Lead at Sunflower, an addiction recovery startup. He also helps and advises startups working to improve access in mental health: including Two Chairs, and Circuit Breaker Labs, which is providing a safety layer for AI tools in mental health care.

His professional interests bridge psychiatry, neuroscience, and digital innovation. Dr. Sakata holds a B.S. in Neurobiology from UC Irvine and earned his M.D. from UCSF.

John Torous, M.D., MBI

Director, Digital Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterJohn Torous, M.D., MBI, is director of the digital psychiatry division in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a Harvard Medical School-affiliated teaching hospital, where he also serves as a staff psychiatrist and associate professor. He has a background in electrical engineering and computer sciences and received an undergraduate degree in the field from UC Berkeley before attending medical school at UC San Diego. He completed his psychiatry residency, fellowship in clinical informatics and master’s degree in biomedical informatics at Harvard.

Torous is active in investigating the potential of mobile mental health technologies for psychiatry and his team supports mindapps.org as the largest database of mental health apps, the mindLAMP technology platform for scalable digital phenotyping and intervention, and the Digital Navigator program to promote digital equity and access. Torous has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles and five book chapters on the topic. He directs the Digital Psychiatry Clinic at BIDMC, which seeks to improve access to and quality of mental health care through augmenting treatment with digital innovations.

Torous serves as editor-in-chief for the journal JMIR Mental Health, web editor for JAMA Psychiatry, and a member of various American Psychiatric Association committees.

Lunch and Learn: Let's talk about money
2025-09-18 13:00 - 14:00
Let’s talk about money. As in…how are you making it? Do you balance journalism with content writing—and if so, how do you manage potential conflicts? Do you have side gigs, such as teaching or editing/proofreading/factchecking (or even a part-time job)? Do you make money from a Substack column or YouTube channel or other alternative platform? We’d love to hear about it.

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 now required for Lunch and Learns.

U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship and International Health Study Fellowship informational webinar
2025-09-24 14:00 - 15:00
Applications are now open for two of our most competitive and career-changing reporting fellowships: The U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship and the AHCJ International Health Study Fellowship. These fellowships are your chance to take on ambitious projects, sharpen your skills and bring vital health stories to life with the time, resources and support you need.

In this webinar, you’ll hear from the Association of Health Care Journalists and program alumni to learn about these opportunities to advance the craft of health journalism and encourage nuanced, informed reporting that can drive meaningful change in health care systems worldwide. Start working on your project pitches, talk to your editors and apply early!

Reporting on GLP-1s and eating disorders
2025-09-25 18:00 - 20:00
A few years after drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy hit the mainstream, stories about their widespread use and unexpected consequences (for better and worse) continue to capture readers’ and editors’ attention. What angles still need to be explored, particularly when it comes to how the meds might both exacerbate and quell eating disorder symptoms? What do mental health professionals and obesity medicine specialists think journalists have gotten wrong or have overlooked?

In partnership with Equip, AHCJ New York invites you to an intimate panel discussion featuring Equip co-founder and clinical psychologist Erin Parks, Bea Better Eating co-founder and clinical psychologist Sera Lavelle, and likely one physician with relevant expertise. Anna Medaris, who’s covered everything from GLP-1s’ promise in addiction medicine to their infiltration in the running community and their psychological implications, will moderate. Refreshments will be served.

The Malin NoMad387 Park Ave South, 5th FloorNew York, NY

RSVP by emailing Anna Medaris at the link below before Sept. 23 to ensure entry.

RSVP here
