Top of the Morning: Samantha Caiola Edition

Here we check in with prominent health journalists and experts to see what sites, newsletters and social media feeds they turn to first every morning. This week, we caught up with Samantha Caiola, public health reporter for the Sacramento Bee. Here are her top morning reads.

As a local health reporter I've got to keep my eye on health happenings in town, as well as wider state trends that could affect my community. Here's how I do it:

Kaiser Health News Morning Briefing: Drawing on major newspapers and websites, this daily newsletter gives me a roundup of important policy shifts happening statewide and nationally. This is where I catch up on what I missed in insurance regulation, drug pricing, medical research and more. While I don't always have time to read the stories on the list, even reading the headlines is a huge help.

STAT Morning Rounds: This fun, easy-to-read email from STAT's Megan Thielking gives me major health news, but stands out with quirky science stories that I wouldn't find elsewhere. Megan gives a small but satisfying taste of each news item, sometimes incorporating a short Q&A or linking to a long-form piece from her own portfolio or a coworker's. 

NPR Shots: I love the health section on NPR's website because it's easily divided into sections to help save me time. If I want disease info, I click the "treatments" tab. If I want ACA news, then it's "policy-ish". Pieces here are, for the most part, short, sweet and to-the-point., making it a perfect place to scroll around during my morning cup.

Twitter: I still start most mornings by hopping on Twitter, where I've curated a network of relevant follows including important local sources and fellow health journalists. I may pick up on a local story idea, or find an investigative piece to bookmark for later. I'll also take a minute to post my latest published work, or highlight another story from the Bee.