Walt Bogdanich, three-time Pulitzer-winning New York Times reporter, has written a phenomenal story about cancer care at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Philadelphia and tapped into a rich source of material for medical writers: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
During our first California Broadcast Journalism Fellowship we listened to Julie Rovner, National Public Radio’s correspondent on the Health Policy and Science Desk, talk on a panel about health care reform. But at NPR, "health care reform" is a banned phrase on the air. Reform, Rovner said, is not a neutral term so she opts instead for "health care overhaul." Whatever you call it, it's a huge and timely issue.
Dr. William H. Dietz is the director of the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Prior to his appointment, he was a professor of pediatrics at the Tufts University School of Medicine and director of clinical nutrition at the Floating Hospital of New England Medical Center Hospitals. His work in the field of pediatric obesity includes the first study to demonstrate the relationship between television viewing and obesity, the earliest report that overweight was increasing among U.S.
Dr. Robert K. Ross is president and CEO of The California Endowment, a $3.7 billion, private grant-making foundation established in 1996 to address the health needs of Californians. Prior to his appointment in September 2000, Ross served as director of San Diego County's Health and Human Services Agency. Ross has an extensive background as a clinician and public health administrator.
Martin Martinez is policy director for the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, an Oakland-based organization working to improve access to health care and eliminate health disparities by advocating for public policies and resources to address the health needs of communities of color. Martinez has served on the statewide Task Force on Culturally and Linguistically Competent Physicians and Dentists, the Office of the Patient Advocate's Cultural and Linguistic Services Workgroup, and other committees.
Dr. Mark D. Smith is president and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation, or CHCF, an independent philanthropy committed to improving the way health care is delivered and financed in California and to helping consumers make informed health care and coverage decisions. Since CHCF's formation in 1996, Smith has led the California HealthCare Foundation in developing research and initiatives aimed at improving California's health care financing and delivery systems.
Dr. Kate Bundorf is a health economist interested in health care financing and delivery. Her research focuses on health insurance markets and examining the factors affecting both individual and purchaser decision-making. She also has studied the impact of insurance on health care cost, quality and outcomes. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, her M.B.A. and M.P.H. from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Gerald Kominski is a professor in the department of health services. He received his Ph.D. in public policy analysis from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985. His current research focuses on evaluating the costs and cost-effectiveness of health care programs and technologies improving access and health outcomes among ethnic and vulnerable populations, and developing models for forecasting population health.
Dr. Douglas Owens is a general internist, an professor of medicine and (by courtesy) of health research and policy at Stanford University, a senior investigator at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System's Center for Health Care Evaluation, and a core faculty member at CHP/PCOR. He directs the Stanford-UCSF Evidence-based Practice Center, the program on clinical decision-making and guideline development at PCOR, and the Palo Alto VA's ambulatory care fellowship program.
Doreena Wong is a senior attorney for the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), a national, nonprofit law firm working to increase and improve access to quality health care on behalf of limited-income individuals. It provides legal analysis and representation, information, education, and policy advocacy. Wong focuses on the needs of immigrants and limited English-proficient populations for culturally and linguistically appropriate health care services.
