Insights

You learn a lot when you spend months reporting on a given issue or community, as our fellows can attest. Whether you’re embarking on a big new story or seeking to go deeper on a given issue, it pays to learn from those who’ve already put in the shoe leather and crunched the data. In these essays and columns, our community of journalists steps back from the notebooks and tape to reflect on key lessons, highlight urgent themes, and offer sage advice on the essential health stories of the day. 

Author(s)
By Ryan White

A massive new cohort study was supposed to help researchers and policy makers better understand how environmental factors shape children's health into adulthood. But delays, leadership changes and soaring costs have put the study's future in jeopardy.

Author(s)
By William Heisel

Miranda Dyer's young son started suffering from migraines at a young age. Tests would later reveal signs of a genetically inherited heart disorder, passed down by his mother. The discovery forced the family to make a very difficult decision.

Author(s)
By Kyle Harvey

A reporting project that aimed to tease out the root causes of homelessness in one California community ran into a few roadblocks along the way. Here's what one reporter took away from the experience, and what he might do differently next time.

Author(s)
By Ryan White

A conference held last week in San Francisco marked the rising prominence of childhood adversity as a key concept in public health circles. The event also highlighted recent data that give a newly detailed look at how childhood adversity plays out across, race, class, and geographic boundaries.