Your Best Work 2010

Author(s)
Published on
December 24, 2010

The ReportingonHealth community has been busy this year. They're writing about health issues, building new websites and finding innovative ways to tell stories. For your holiday reading, here's a sampling of the work that members have been most proud of in 2010. Get inspired and share your best work in comments.

As always, find this week's job, fellowship and award opportunities at the end of this post. Keep up with Career GPS by subscribing to the ReportingonHealth weekly newsletter or via RSS.

Christina Hernandez starts us off with her March feature in Latina magazine. She tackles a startling statistic -- one in seven Latina teenagers will attempt suicide in the United States -- and the innovative programs tackling the problem (PDF).

Health advocate Manny Hernandez is most proud of his work on the Big Blue Test, an initiative that raised awareness and money for diabetes treatment.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkLHgK94Z0E]

Andrew Holtz completed his third book House M.D. vs. Reality: Fact and Fiction in the Hit Television Series which you can preorder on Amazon now.

Dr. Manoj Jain writes openly about practicing medicine in columns for the Washington Post; one column about defensive medicine and malpractice published in August stands out as a must-read.

Shuka Kalantari shares the story of an Iraqi refugee trying to get mental health care in California. She reported the story for KQED Health Dialogues in December.

Roseann Keegan  reported a series on child abuse and families in Nevada and California -- individual cases and issues around protective services -- which will run through the new year at the Tahoe Daily Tribune. Keegan told the backstory of the series when it began in December.

Linda Marsa made the cover of Discover's December issue. "The Hot Zone" chronicles the effects of climate change on the spread of disease. In November, she talked to Career GPS about how she developed her freelance career.

Shuriah Niazi investigated illegal clinical trials by multinationals in India. He reported the story from Bhopal, India in September for Free Speech Radio News.

Charles Ornstein‘s standout work was as part of the ProPublica mega-investigation Dollars for Docs, which not only provides excellent reporting, but a searchable database of information about drug companies' payments to doctors. Tracy Wood and Dan Nguyen were also part of the reporting team.

Rebecca Plevin wrote about a California community without a sewer system in Vida en el Valle in October and explained the story further, with videos, on her Harvesting Health blog.

What was your best work in 2010? Log in and share links in comments below.

Jobs, Fellowships, Awards

Director of Public Relations, Kaiser Permanente (via AllHealthcareJobs.com)
Location: Washington, D.C.
Status: Full Time
Medium: Communications/Public Relations

Editor/Writer, BioWorld Today (via Washington Post)
Location: Washington, D.C. (telecommute)
Status: Full Time
Medium: Daily Trade

Online Assistant Editor, Men's Health
Location: Emmaus, PA
Status: Full Time
Medium: Online

Digital Content Producer, Modern Healthcare
Location: Chicago, IL
Status: Full Time
Medium: E-Newsletter, Breaking News Emails

Reporter, Modern Healthcare
Location: New York, NY
Status: Full Time
Medium: Business Magazine

Reporter, Modern Healthcare
Location: Chicago, IL
Status: Full Time
Medium: Business Magazine

Reporter, Government & Medicine Section, American Medical News
Location: Washington, D.C.
Status: Full Time
Medium: Online Trade

Reporter/Correspondent, Agriculture, National Public Radio
Location: Washington, D.C.
Status: Full Time
Medium: Radio/Online

Reporter/Correspondent, Money, Power & Influence in Science & Health, National Public Radio
Location: Washington, D.C.
Status: Full Time
Medium: Radio/Online

Senior Writer/Editor, Coram/Apria Healthcare (via AllHealthcareJobs.com)
Location: Denver, CO
Status: Full Time
Medium: Communications/Marketing

Staff Writer, Advisory Board Company, News Division
Location: Washington, D.C.
Status: Full Time
Medium: News Digests

2011 Journalism Awards of Excellence for Coverage of Emergency Medicine Issues, American College of Emergency Physicians
Eligibility: News stories by credentialed journalists published in 2010 in broadcast, print or online
Award: Winners will receive an award and recognition during ACEP's annual Leadership & Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC, May 22-25, 2011*. Winners will be publicized through a press release, and special letters of congratulation will be mailed to each recipient's organization.
Deadline: Jan. 15, 2011
From the Website: "Entries will be judged based on the below criteria by members of ACEP's Public Relations Committee and further approved by ACEP's National President."

National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation Print Journalism Award and Television and Radio Journalism Award
Eligibility: Entries published in 2010
Award:$10,000 awards for general circulation publication, trade publication,and broadcast winners
Deadline: Feb. 15, 2011
From the Website: "Advances in health policy find their foundation in academic research and are achieved through public discourse facilitated by the media. To recognize the critical role both the research and journalism communities play in the health care system, each year NIHCM Foundation presents awards for outstanding work in health care research and journalism."

REMINDER: Food: An MIT Boot Camp, Knight Science Journalism Fellowships at MIT
Eligibility: Applicants may be reporters, writers, editors or producers from any country, and must have at least three years of full-time experience in journalism.
Included:Twelve journalists will be selected to attend The Food Boot Camp. Winners will be announced by February 11, 2011. We will reimburse up to $750 of travel expenses to Cambridge, provide accommodation, and provide most meals to selected participants. The Workshop begins Tuesday, March 22 and runs through Friday, March 25.
Deadline: Jan. 14, 2011
From the Website: "The Boot Camp will teach the basics of the issues and address the underlying science and the overlying social, economic and political factors. This will be an intensive course-all day, every day for a week-devoted primarily to discussions and lectures. Some of the most knowledgeable researchers and leaders from universities, government and industry will teach in the workshop. We'll also talk about the journalistic issues-how, in light of industry trends to make stories shorter and shallower, journalists can successfully cover the complexities of food and science."

REMINDER: Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism, Association of Health Care Journalists
Eligibility: Work published in 2010 on a wide range of health topics including public health, consumer health, medical research, the business of health care and health ethics, entry fee $30-$75
Award: Cash prize of $500 for first place winners in five categories, a framed certificate and complimentary lodging for two nights and registration for the annual AHCJ conference
Deadline: Dec. 28, 2010 (discounted rates), Jan. 28, 2011
From the Website: "The contest was created by journalists for journalists and is not influenced or funded by commercial or special-interest groups."

REMINDER: Kaiser Media Internships Program
Eligibility: New journalists who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with experience reporting on health issues of diverse and immigrant communities, typically graduating from college and/or journalism school
Included: 12-week summer program with stipend, travel, training, and some accommodations, and 10 weeks residency with a news organization
Deadline: Jan. 6, 2011 for broadcast (print deadline has passed)
From the Website: "The Media Internships Program provides an initial week-long briefing on health issues and health reporting in Washington, D.C. Interns are then based for ten weeks at their newspaper, online, or radio/TV station, typically under the direction of the Health or Metro Editor/News Director, where they report on health issues. The program ends with a 3-day meeting in Boston to hear critiques from senior journalists and to go on final site visits. The aim is to provide young journalists or journalism college graduates with an in-depth introduction to and practical experience on the specialist health beat, with a particular focus on diverse and immigrant communities."

REMINDER: 2011 Hillman Prizes
Eligibility: Work published in 2010 in the United States with impact on social justice or public policy
Award: $5,000 plus a certificate and travel to NYC for our reception
Deadline: Jan. 31, 2011
From the Website: "Since 1950, the Sidney Hillman Foundation has honored journalists, writers and public figures who pursue social justice and public policy for the common good."

REMINDER: Nieman Fellowships in Global Health Reporting
Eligibility: Full-time journalists with at least five years experience
Included: One academic year of of study at Harvard's School of Public Health, access to faculty and courses across the university, three to four months of fieldwork in a developing country
Deadline: January 31, 2011
From the Website: "Nieman Fellows represent the changing face of journalism. They come to Harvard from locations as different as Bangor, Maine, and Younde, Cameroon. They work for national and local print publications, broadcast news outlets, news Web sites, and documentary film ventures. Some are making their mark as freelance journalists. Some have practiced their craft under repressive governments or on far-flung fields of conflict. Together, each year they form a Nieman class that is rich in diversity, experience and aspirations for the years ahead."

REMINDER: Online Community Building and Health Program, USC Annenberg
Eligibility: California-based bloggers and founders/top editors of online news web sites
Included: 10 fellows will receive $2,000 to support the completion of an ambitious community health news or storytelling project, expenses-paid development seminars from April 28 - May 1, 2011 & June 23 - June 25, 2011, coaching and technical assistance with reporting project.
Deadline: Feb. 7, 2011
From the Website: "USC Annenberg's California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships is launching a new program in 2011 to educate bloggers and editors of online news sites on ways to chronicle the health of their communities. At the same time, the program will help participants improve the "health" and sustainability of their own websites, with strategic and technical advice provided through a partnership with the Renaissance Journalism Center at San Francisco State. This program is co-sponsored by theOnline News Association. "