Insights

Many people think that large health trend studies in high-income countries rely on “hard data,” while in low-income countries the numbers must be mostly estimates. In fact, researchers make estimates everywhere because, the data from vital statistics, censuses and surveys all have their limitations.

After the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Americans look to our political leaders, our faith leaders, and our police investigators for explanations. We also look to our media to help us understand what happened, how and why.

Here's a look at the four broad categories of surveys globally -- what information can reporters glean from them and what limitations do they need to note.

ICF International is looking for a new Public Health Writer and Editor, Georgia Public Broadcasting has a journalist position open and the California Nurses Association is searching for an experienced Web Editor.

Rural and inner-city health facilities have been dealing with doctor shortages for years. One innovative approach has successfully attracted dedicated health professionals to rural Kansas and Iowa, and urban Memphis, and might provide clues for other communities facing a shortage.

Every 10 years, the government wants to ask you some questions. How you answer and how many of you answer makes a world of difference in how accurately researchers and policymakers are able to discern health trends and react appropriately.

The Guardian newspaper follows the saga of Liz Fowler, healthcare lobbyist extraordinaire, who recently left the White House for a senior level position leading global health policy at Johnson & Johnson’s government affairs and policy group.

The journalists at California Watch have created a simple, yet powerful way to visually tell the story of a woman they couldn't reveal.

The world’s most famous pregnancy brought overnight visibility to a little-known but serious prenatal complication, when Britain’s royal family announced the Duchess of Cambridge’s hospitalization for treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) – a debilitating and even life-threatening condition.

Tracking basic human events has an incredible downstream effect on measuring and making sense of health trends. Vital registration helps policymakers take targeted action to improve health. For example, the CDC has a National Birth Defects Prevention Study that relies partly on birth certificates.