About Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health Reporting
Since 2011, the fellowship program has focused on the ways that different states have implemented the Affordable Care Act, and the implications of policy decisions for health care providers and patients. The fellowship program provides a week-long site visit and in-depth state-specific briefings for invited health and health policy journalists, with invitations tailored to the topics and issues addressed. Twelve of these site visits have taken place so far, including visits to California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Many of the participating journalists did stories during the site visit or subsequently based on the briefings and presentations. Links to this reporting can be found below. State-specific background materials produced for each site visit by Kaiser Foundation policy staff are also posted.
2019 KFF Media Fellowship North Carolina Site Visits
In October 2019, KFF invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship focused on North Carolina’s health care landscape and the national implications of the state-level policy work there. Rural health, Medicaid reform and expansion, the uninsured, opioids, community care solutions, care coordination, homelessness, and value-based health plan design were themes throughout the week, as well as social and economic disparities. The site visits in Raleigh, Durham, and Rocky Mount gave the journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders, including: Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services; N.C. Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Winston-Salem); Opportunities Industrialization Center President and CEO Reuben Blackwell; Kathy Johnson, executive director at Oak City Cares; Gerald Petkau, Interim CEO, and senior management, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina; and Dr. Thomas Owens, president, Duke University Hospital, Duke University Health System, to name a few. A major theme throughout the week was community-level engagement and innovation. Meetings at the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, Duke University Health System, North Carolina Rural Center, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina, Oak City Cares, and Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) in Rocky Mount provided reporters with context for covering health in North Carolina and nationwide.
2019 Kaiser Media Fellowship Georgia Site Visits
In June 2019, KFF invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship focused on Georgia’s health care landscape and the national implications of the state-level policy work there. The HIV epidemic, maternal mortality, Medicaid, reproductive health, opioids, and rural health and hospitals were themes throughout the week, as well as the social and economic disparities underlying each of these issues. The site visit in Atlanta gave the journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders, including the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Geoff Duncan and former gubernatorial candidate and minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives Stacey Abrams. A major theme throughout the week was how the local politics have put state health policy efforts on the national stage. Meetings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Grady Hospital, and Mercy Care Atlanta clinic for the uninsured and homeless provided reporters with depth, breadth, and context for covering healthcare in Georgia and nationwide.
2018 Kaiser Media Fellowship California Site Visits
In October 2018, in the run up to the midterm elections, KFF invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship focused on California’s health care landscape and the national implications of the state-level policy work there. The consolidation of hospitals and health systems, health insurance coverage, reproductive and family planning, as well as state demographic and economic data, were themes throughout the week. The site visits in San Francisco and Sacramento gave the journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders on a number of issues, in particular how the state agencies have navigated health policy efforts in light of recent federal actions around the Affordable Care Act, state marketplaces, and Medicaid.
2017 Kaiser Media Fellowship Indiana Site Visits
In April 2017, as Indiana officials began roles in the Trump Administration’s health care leadership, the Foundation invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship focused on Indiana’s health care landscape and its approach to expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The site visits in Indianapolis gave the journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders on the Healthy Indiana 2.0 program — including financing, enrollment, challenges, and implications for patients, providers, and insurers – as well as updates on opioid and HIV epidemics in Scott County and other rural areas. Indiana Secretary of Family & Social Services Administration Dr. Jennifer Walthall provided details on the Medicaid expansion, how it is working, and the state’s proposed next steps, and the journalists toured primary care clinics that provide dental care, that serve immigrant populations, and that do outreach to jails to enroll inmates in Medicaid post-release. The program also included a tour of an Ely Lilly insulin manufacturing facility and briefings with senior executives of the pharmaceutical company.
View the agenda and the participant list from the 2017 Indiana site visit.
2016 Kaiser Media Fellowship Louisiana Site Visits
In June 2016, the Foundation invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship program focused on health care in Louisiana, as it prepared to become the first state in the Deep South to expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act. The site visits in Baton Rouge and New Orleans gave the journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders on replicable, inexpensive strategies for enrolling 375,000 people in Medicaid over a tight time frame; changes to the state’s model for providing care to low-income and uninsured people; technological advances for managing patient health; and collaborative partnerships in health care. The program included briefings by Gov. John Bel Edwards, Louisiana’s health secretary Rebekah Gee, Louisiana Medicaid Expansion Project Director Ruth Kennedy, and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, as well as visits to Medicaid enrollment centers and primary care clinics established after Hurricane Katrina. The journalists also toured facilities of three of the state’s major health systems, where executives provided updates on the anticipated impact of Medicaid expansion and on the health care environment post Katrina.
View the agenda and see the participant list from the 2016 Louisiana site visit.
2015 Kaiser Media Fellowship Wisconsin Site Visits
In October 2015, the Foundation invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship program focused on health care in Wisconsin. The site visits in Milwaukee and Madison gave the journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders on access to health care and insurance, quality of care and cost containment, managing pediatric population health, redesigning care delivery, and collaborative partnerships in health care. The program included a full-day briefing — led by Epic Systems Corp. founder and CEO Judy Faulkner at the company’s headquarters — on the role of electronic health record systems and their implications for health policy. Wisconsin’s health secretary and Medicaid director gave an update on the state’s approach to providing coverage to low-income residents while not implementing the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.
View the agenda and see the participant list from the 2015 Wisconsin site visit.
2015 Kaiser Media Fellowship Pennsylvania Site Visit
In May 2015, the Foundation invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship program focused on how the Affordable Care Act is shaping Pennsylvania’s health care environment. The site visits in Harrisburg and Pittsburgh gave the journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders on health care costs, health insurance enrollment and access, innovations in clinical care delivery, and health care market consolidation. The program included in-person interviews with the CEOs of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Highmark Health — two companies locked in battle over Pittsburgh’s insurance and provider market — as well as a discussion with some of their customers. The visits also covered a range of issues including the challenges of providing care for the uninsured and underinsured, the implications of the change in Pennsylvania’s Medicaid expansion model, and future alternatives for the state’s health insurance marketplace.
View the agenda and see the participant list from the 2015 Pennsylvania site visit.
2014 Kaiser Media Fellowship Georgia Site Visits
In October 2014, the Foundation invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship program focused on how the Affordable Care Act is shaping Georgia’s health care environment. The site visits in Atlanta gave the journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders on financing health care, health insurance premiums and health plan networks, access to care in urban and rural communities across the state, and the impact of demographic change on health care needs. The program covered a range of issues including the challenges of providing care for the uninsured or underinsured, the implications of Georgia’s decision not to move forward with Medicaid expansion, providing care for Georgia’s rural population, and the work being done at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
View the agenda and see the participant list from the 2014 Georgia site visit.
2014 Kaiser Media Fellowship Washington Site Visits
In June 2014, the Foundation invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship program focused on how the Affordable Care Act is shaping Washington State’s health care environment. The site visits in Seattle gave journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders, including leading State health policy officials. The program covered a range of issues including enrollment in the WA Health Benefit Exchange and ongoing website-related challenges; the unexpectedly high enrollment in WA Apple Health, the state Medicaid plan, and implications for providers and community clinics; the adequacy of insurance plan provider networks; and zip code-based health, economic and racial disparities.
View the agenda and see the participant list from the 2014 Washington site visit.
2013 Kaiser Media Fellowship Florida Site Visits
In November 2013, the Foundation invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship program focused on how the Affordable Care Act is shaping Florida’s health care environment. The site visits in Miami gave journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders, including former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, hospital leaders, insurance executives, community health leaders, and ACA certified application counselors. The program covered a range of issues including the State’s decision not to expand Medicaid, efforts to enroll Florida residents in the health insurance marketplace, providing care for Florida’s ethnically diverse and aging population, and the statewide rollout of Medicaid managed care.
View the agenda and see the participant list from the 2013 Florida site visit.
2012 Kaiser Media Fellowship Massachusetts Site Visits
In May 2012 the Kaiser Media Fellows – journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform – were invited to participate in a week-long program focused on containing health care costs, the impact of almost universal health insurance coverage in Massachusetts, and how the Affordable Care Act relates to Massachusetts’ state health reform law. The site visits in Boston and Cambridge gave journalists the opportunity to hear from a variety of experts and stakeholders, including state health officials, health policy analysts, academics, community clinic staff members and legislative staff. The program focused on a range of issues including the establishment and operation of Massachusetts’ health benefit exchange, initiatives to improve the delivery of health care and reduce costs, the role of Accountable Care Organizations in the local Boston community, and the public health and access to care implications of demographic changes in Boston.
View the agenda and see the participant list from the 2012 Massachusetts site visit.
2011 Kaiser Media Fellowship Texas Site Visits
Based in Austin, Waco, and Dallas, the November 2011 site visits offered journalists the opportunity to meet with a variety of experts and stakeholders in a week-long program focused on health care and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Texas. Journalists met with state health officials, health policy analysts, academics, community clinic staff members and legislative staff. The program focused on a range of issues including the demographics in Texas and their implication for health care, Medicaid in Texas and the 1115 Waiver, and access to health care and the performance of health care safety net systems in Texas.
View the agenda and see the participant list from the 2011 Texas site visit.
2011 Kaiser Media Fellowship California Site Visits
The first site visit in May 2011 focused on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in California. Journalists with a strong focus on health policy, state health reform, and/or California-specific policy issues were invited to participate in a week-long program. Based initially in San Francisco and later in Sacramento, the program offered journalists the opportunity to meet with a variety of stakeholders concerned with the implementation of health reform, including officials from the California Health and Human Services Agency, health policy experts, physicians, community clinic staff members and legislative staff. The program focused on a range of issues including the establishment of the California health benefit exchange, the state’s “Bridge to Reform” 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver, Healthy San Francisco, initiatives to improve the delivery of health care and reduce medical costs, and projects addressing physician shortages in the Medicaid program.
View the agenda and see the participant list from the 2011 California site visit.
Previous Fellows and Their Work
Prior to 2011, in addition to site visits and briefings, the Media Fellows program provided a group of up to ten selected journalists with a fellowship of several months to undertake individual health policy reporting projects.
Below is a complete list of fellowship classes from 2000 – 2009, the fellows’ jobs at the time of their selection to participate, and, where possible, links to work they produced over the course of their fellowship.
2009 Kaiser Media Fellows
Lawrence K. Altman, M.D., “The Doctor’s World” columnist and former senior medical correspondent, The New York Times, NY Reporting on the health of Presidential and political candidates
Paula Andalo, managing editor, El Tiempo Latino, Washington DC
The role community clinics play in providing care for Hispanic immigrants
“El Cuidado Médico Para Todos” (July 30, 2010 in El Tiempo Latino)
“Las Dos Pioneras Salvadoreñas” (August 6, 2010 in El Tiempo Latino)
“Los Pacientes Tienen Voz y Voto” (August 13, 2010 in El Tiempo Latino)
“Atención Que Supera Lo Medico” (August 20, 2010 in El Tiempo Latino)
“Ante Un Futuro Con Interrogantes” (August 27, 2010 in El Tiempo Latino)
Allison Aubrey, health correspondent, National Public Radio, Washington DC
Creating a culture of wellness: what are the key steps needed?
“Preventing Diabetes: Small Changes Have Big Payoff” (January 4, 2010, Morning Edition, NPR)
“Emotional Training Helps Kids Fight Depression” (January 18, 2010, Morning Edition, NPR)
“How Revving Up Your Heart Rate, Even A Bit, Pays Off” (February 1, 2010, Morning Edition, NPR)
“The Truth About Grass-Fed Beef” (April 8, 2010, NPR)
Sindya N. Bhanoo, freelance contributor,
The Washington Post Health Section, San Francisco, CA eHealth—balancing the benefits of electronic medical records with privacy concerns
Guy Boulton, business reporter/healthcare, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI
Efficiency and effectiveness in medical care
“Health Care Tries to Figure Out What Works Best” (May 2, 2010 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
“Do They Aid Doctors or Hinder Them?” (June 27, 2010 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
“Research Could be Key to Lower Health Spending” (September 26, 2010 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
“Mathematical Modeling May Improve Health Treatments” (September 3, 2011 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Monique Fields, metro reporter, The Birmingham News, AL
The Mental Health Parity Act and its impact on mental health care in Alabama
“Group Equips Churches to Help With Mental Illnesses” (February 1, 2010 in The Birmingham News)
Mark N. Trahant, freelance journalist, former editorial page editor, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA
Examining the Indian Health Service and its relevance to the national health reform debate
See Mark’s website, MarkTrahant.com
Anita Wadhwani, freelance journalist, Nashville, TN
Cuts to the TennCare program and the impact on patients
See Anita’s website, Tennessee Health Report
David Wahlberg, health/medicine reporter, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, WI
Challenges in providing health care services to rural communities
“Out of Reach: The Rural Health Care Gap” (part of an ongoing series in the Wisconsin State Journal)
2008 Kaiser Media Fellows
Aliyah Baruchin, freelance health contributor, The New York Times and other news outlets, New York, NY
Racial and ethnic disparities in health careSteve Bogira, freelance journalist and author, Chicago, IL
The impact of poverty and race on health, and the disparity in health care, reflected in two adjacent city neighborhoods
Greg Branch, freelance journalist, former Managing Editor, BET News, New York, NY
Recruitment of medical personnel from Africa and Asia and its impact on the developing world and on U.S. medical policies
Karen Brown, health reporter/producer, WFCR-FM Radio, Western New England
An in-depth look at Massachusetts health reform in action – what’s working, what’s not, and what other states can learn
“Urgent Care Clinics – the Primary Care Overflow” (NPR, 11/20/09)
“All Aren’t Happy with Health Insurance for All” (NPR, 5/31/09)
“Fly-by-Night Insurers” (NPR, 3/3/09)
“Massachusetts Artists Get Health Care Help” (NPR, 2/4/09)
“Massachusetts health care reform reveals doctor shortage” (NPR, 11/30/08)
Karen Houppert, freelance reporter and author; special correspondent, The Washington Post Magazine, Baltimore, MD
The state of drug treatment in the U.S., and the human and financial costs of drug treatment policies
Naseem Sowti Miller, health reporter, The Ocala Star-Banner, FL
The quality of medical care in jail and prisons, and the broader impact on public health and health care
Jeremy Olson, medical reporter, St. Paul Pioneer-Press, MN
An exploration of the long-term care crisis and the social, financial and political solutions
“A La Carte Care” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 6/11/09)
“Who will care for them?” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 4/19/09)
“A peek into the gray future” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 4/5/09)
“A bizarre death, and a growing danger” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 2/22/09)
“Buddy up” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 2/3/09)
“Building a ‘Blue Zone'” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 1/16/09)
“We save tax-free for college – why not for long-term care?” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 1/14/09)
“Nursing home abuses – why?” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 12/14/08)
“Often fatal, many falls also are preventable” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 12/1/08)
“Drugs often a shortcut for care” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 12/1/08)
“As assets fail, seniors brace for a few more years of work” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 11/10/08)
“Home from the hospital – for good” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 10/29/08)
“Long looming age crisis has arrived” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 10/21/08)
“Silent sentries for seniors” (St. Paul Pioneer-Press, 10/19/08)
Renata Simone, independent documentary film producer and reporter, Boston, MA
The rise of medical tourism, access and affordability of health insurance, and the globalization of health care
Robert Winn, independent documentary film producer, New York, NY
The unintended impact of anti-immigrant policies on other disadvantaged communities
2007 Kaiser Media Fellows
Dominic Chavez, photographer, and John Donnelly, reporter, Washington bureau, The Boston Globe
Project: Examine the effectiveness of public and private U.S. funding and programs to help AIDS orphans in AfricaSheri Fink, M.D., freelance reporter, New York City
Project: Medical care in times of crisis and disaster, focused on New Orleans, post-Katrina.Deborah Franklin, acting deputy science/health editor, National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.
Project: Genetic testing and its implications for individuals and their health insurance coverage
“Family Struggles With Ambiguity Of Genetic Testing” (NPR, 12/30/08)Felice J. Freyer, medical writer, The Providence Journal, Rhode Island
Project: The causes and costs of premature births
“The Price of Miracles” (Providence Journal, special multimedia project)
Tom Jennings, documentary producer, New York City
Immigrant health issues, migrant workers, and health policies related to immigration
Documentary: “Seeking Cures With No Prescription” (New York Times, 05/10/08)
Joshua Norman, health reporter, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Mississippi
Mental health and trauma recovery in the Gulf region
“Resiliency After Trauma Can Lead to Spiritual Growth” (Sun Herald, 12/24/07)
“Traumas Can Lead to Spiritual Growth” (Sun Herald, 12/23/07)
“Katrina’s Aftermath: news with no end in sight” (Nieman Reports, Fall 2007 Issue)
“Resiliency Training Aims to Improve First Responders’ Coping” (Sun Herald, 10/13/07)
Czerne M. Reid, health and science reporter, The State, Columbia, South Carolina
Federal and state funding for HIV/AIDS treatment and care, and the economic and social impact of the disease in South Carolina
T.R. Reid, Rocky Mountain bureau chief, The Washington Post
A comparative analysis of other countries’ health care financing and delivery systems and the lessons for the U.S.
“Sick Around the World” (Frontline, April 2008)
2006 Kaiser Media Fellows
Laura Beil, freelance journalist, Dallas, TX
Project: Abstinence education – the impact, philosophy, curricula and funding
“Abstinence education faces an uncertain future” (New York Times, 7/18/07)
June Cross, independent documentary film producer, New York City, NY
Project: Hurricane Katrina’s impact on the healthcare safety net across the country
“The Old Man and the Storm” (Frontline, 1/6/09)
Eric Eyre, reporter, The Charleston (West VA) Gazette, Charleston, WV
Project: West Virginia’s dental health problems and potential policy solutions
Dental health in W. Virginia
Howard Gleckman, senior correspondent, Business Week, Washington, D.C.
Project: Financing long-term care
Paul Jacobs, project team reporter, The San Jose Mercury News, San Jose, CA
Project: The effect of the new World Trade Organization pharmaceutical patenting requirements on health in the developing world, and its potential impact on the U.S.
Joanne Kenen, Washington Congressional correspondent, Reuters News Agency, Washington, D.C.
Project: End-of-life and palliative care – ethics, quality of care, accessibility and cost.
“Hospice polishes image” (AARP Bulletin Today, 1/16/09)
“The New specialty in cancer care” (cure, Spring 2008)
“Doctors in training” (cure, Spring 2008)
“For when it hurts” (cure, Spring 2008)
“Needs of dying children wins heart of actress” (Reuters, 11/23/07)
“Rx for care: being there” (Hadassah Magazine, Vol. 89, November 2007)
“In search of a gentler end” (Stateline.org, 10/29/07)
“The Comfort Connection” (AARP Magazine, September/October 2007)
“A new focus on easing the pain” (Washington Post, 7/3/07)
“Finding palliative care, near and far” (Washington Post, 7/3/07)
“Treating the Body and Soul” (Washingtonian, 7/1/07)
Seema Mathur, medical reporter, CBS 42 KEYE-TV, Austin, TX
Project: Overcrowding in the ER and its impact on healthcare
Seema won a number of awards for her series, ER: In Critical Condition, including: National Edward R. Murrow: News Series
Lone Star Emmy: Health/Science – News Series
Anson Jones, MD Award Honoring Excellence in Health Communication
Association of Health Care Journalists: 2006: Excellence in Health Care Journalism
American College of Emergency Physicians: 2006: Journalism of Excellence Award
South Asian Journalism Association: Outstanding Story on Any Subject: Specialists
Maryn McKenna, journalist and author, Minneapolis, MN
Project: The worsening crisis in emergency departments
“After the Deluge” (04/2008) More
“Two Years Later, Every Day is Monday in New Orleans Emergency Departments” (01/2008) Annals of Emergency Medicine
“HIV testing: should the emergency department take part?” (03/2007)
“Polyheme and the ethics of informed consent” (11/2006)
“Anatomy of a pandemic: Emergency departments woefully unprepared for bird flu outbreak” (09/2006)
“Debate rages over the ‘future of emergency care'” (08/2006)
Joe Neel, health editor, science desk, National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.
Project: Counterfeiting of prescription drugs
“Priest revives former TB clinic for AIDS patients” (7/6/07)
Julie Salamon, author, New York City, NY
Project: Portrait of a big urban hospital, and the multicultural community it serves. Salamon’s book: Hospital (Penguin, May 2008)
2004 Kaiser Media Fellows
Daniel Costello, Health Reporter, Los Angeles Times
Project: Examining the fracturing of the employer-based health insurance model and the implications for employees and their families.
“Not a future they expected” (10/18/2004)
“Asking patients to help shoulder malpractice costs” (10/25/2004)
“Costs Make Employers See Smokers as a Drag” (01/28/2005)
“At what cost?” (04/04/2005)
“Share now, pay later” (05/23/2005)
“Taking matters into their own hands” (05/23/2005)
“A mini price, a mini policy” (06/06/2005)
Micah Fink, Coordinating Producer, Wide Angle, Thirteen/WNET, New York City
Project: Global epidemics and the politics of international cooperation.
“H5N1: Killer Flu,” documentary about avian influenza, Wide Angle, Thirteen/WNET (09/20/2005)
Filmmaker notes with producer Micah Fink.
Transcript of The Washington Post Q&A session with producer Micah Fink and director Steven Silver (09/21/2005)
Phil Galewitz, Health Writer, Palm Beach Post
Project: Examining community-based solutions for the uninsured and the consequences of lack of coverage on controlling chronic diseases.
Palm Beach Postseries Caring for the Uninsured, on the local initiatives to provide health care for the uninsured.
“Fragile system the only option” (12/06/2004)
“Palm Beach County program for uninsured seen as model” (12/6/2004)
“North Carolina city sets healthy pace” (02/20/2005)
“N.C. leads the way in free health care” (02/20/2005)
“Rivalry, fear hinder P.B. County efforts” (02/20/2005)
“Medicaid plan counts on networking” (05/01/2005)
“Caring for the poor; Palm Beach County follows Austin’s lead” (05/15/2005)
“Mulling changes for uninsured care, Palm Beach County studies South Florida neighbors” (07/24/2005)
“Local governments find ways to assist with care for uninsured” (07/31/2005)
“Sales taxes used for uninsured health care” (07/31/2005)
Karen Thomas, Feature Writer, The Dallas Morning News
Project: Examining the long-range impact on families living without health insurance or with inadequate coverage.
The Dallas Morning News 3-part series Getting By, on health care and the insurance gap in Texas.
“Insurance gap at root of kids’ teeth troubles” (01/15/2006)
“Vanishing safety net” (01/22/2006)
“Living from checkup to checkup” (01/29/2006)
Susan Wagner, Producer, 20/20 ABC News
Project: Exploring how celebrity awareness campaigns influence public health behavior and policy, including an in-depth look at paid pharmaceutical spokespeople.
2003 Kaiser Media Fellows
Rebecca Adams, health care reporter, Congressional QuarterlyProject: Examining Medicaid challenges and policy responses in different states.
“Medicaid Reform: Will efforts to cut costs hurt the poor?” The CQ Researcher, Vol. 14, No. 25, Pgs. 589-612 (7/16/2004)Michael Isip, executive producer, KQED-TV, San Francisco
Project: Barriers to health care — financial, cultural, systemic — and the implications for patients and health care workers, and innovative efforts to deliver care.Liza Mundy, staff writer, The Washington Post
Project: Reproductive technology, and the ethical dilemmas that new, fast-emerging techniques present to doctors, policymakers, and the many patients availing themselves of
advances in fertility medicine.
Deborah L. Shelton, medical and public health reporter, St. LouisPost-Dispatch
Project: The drive to increase the number of live organ donors: the medical, ethical, social, economic and other implications.
5 part series on living organ donors, May 6-11, 2005
“Good Samaritan donors need independent advocates, some say”
“Man’s second chance hasn’t turned out as he expected”
“Donor has physical pain, but peace about decision”
Oriana Zill de Granados, staff reporter/producer, Center for Investigative Reporting, San Francisco
Project: Gun violence as a public health issue, focused on gun violence among Latino youth and its impact on communities in California and nationwide.
“Gangs Reach Out of Prison to Commit Crimes,” American RadioWorks and Center for Investigative Reporting.
Oriana’s documentary, “Nuestra Familia/Our Family” won the 2007 National Association of Hispanic Journalists Journalism Award for Best Television Documentary.
2002 Kaiser Media Fellows
Jonathan Cohn, senior editor, The New Republic
Project: The transformation of American health care in the 1990s.
Read about Jonathan’s book, Sick, (HarperCollins, 2007)
“Sexual Healing,” The New Republic (6/30/2003)
“Beans for Life,” The New Republic (9/8/2003)
“Uncharitable?” New York Times (12/19/2004)
Barry Meier, author Project: Prescription drug abuse, pain management, and addiction-OxyContin as a case study in regulating the next generation of powerful
painkillers.
Interview with Barry Meier, author of Pain Killer (10/30/2003)
Jon Palfreman, senior producer, FRONTLINE
Project: The development, marketing, and pricing of prescription drugs.
“The Other Drug War,” FRONTLINE (6/19/2003)
John Price Sankofa, reporter, The New York Amsterdam News
Project: Examining the social, cultural, and psychological roots of African-American health disparities.
Marc Shaffer, independent television producer
Project: Implementing California’s Proposition 36 – treatment as an alternative to incarceration for drug addiction.
Robin D. Stone, freelance writer and editor, New York City
Project: The impact of sexual abuse, focused on African-American families.
“No Secrets, No Lies”
2001 Kaiser Media Fellows
Raney Aronson, producer, FRONTLINE/WGBH, New York City
Project: Alternative medicine.
“The Alternative Fix,” FRONTLINE
Bob Davis, medical and science writer, USAToday
Project: Variations in the nation’s emergency medical systems and their impacts on survival rates.
“Six Minutes to Live or Die,” USA Today series on the EMS crisis
Don Finley, science, medicine, and environment editor, The San Antonio Express-News
Project: Obesity in the U.S.
“The Supersize Crisis: Obesity in America,” The San Antonio Express-News (12/8/2002 – 12/15/2002)
Merrill Goozner, freelance journalist and associate professor of journalism, New York University
Project: The sources and costs of pharmaceutical innovation.
“Medicine as a Luxury,” The American Prospect, (Vol. 13, Issue 1, 1/1/2001 – 1/14/2001)
Andrew Julien, health/medical writer, The Hartford Courant
Project: The influence of social and economic forces on children’s health.
“GenStress: A Landscape of Pain,” The Hartford Courant (12/15/2002 – 12/18/2002)
Andy Miller, health care business reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Project: Indoor air quality and its effects on health in the home and workplace.
“Sick Buildings: A Special Report,” The Atlanta Journal Constitution (7/20/2003)
2000 Kaiser Media Fellows
John A. Cutter, freelance health/aging writer, St. Petersburg, FL
Project: Alzheimer’s disease–prevention research, access to new treatments, and the impact of the disease on patients and their families.
Forgetful, Fearing Alzheimer’s and Hoping for a Cure, New York Times (6/24/2001)
Living with Alzheimer’s, Copley News Service (6/20/2001)
Importing Prescription Drugs Potentially Dangerous Rx, Copley News Service (6/13/2001)
‘Safe’ Does Not Mean ‘Risk-Free’ to FDA, Copley News Service (6/6/2001)
Progress on Prescription Issue Will Require Give and Take, Copley News Service (2/7/2001)
Mason L. Essif, segment producer, Health Week-PBS, Washington, DC
Project: The e-revolution in health care–how the Internet is affecting access and quality of health information, communication between providers and patients, and medical commerce.
Sarah Lunday, health care industry reporter, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Project: The impact of prescription drugs on the health care industry–financial, ethical, medical and political.
Teresa L. Schraeder, M.D., freelance medical journalist and physician, Boston, MA
Project: Television reporting of health and medical news