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 Barbara Feder Ostrov

<p>Here are 10 ideas from three journalists talking about how to cover health reform’s rollout at the <a href="http://www.healthjournalism.org">Association of Health Care Journalists</a> conference in Chicago:</p> <p>1. Will there be a physician shortage in your area? Start checking in with your local medical school or teaching hospital and the <a href="http://www.aamc.org/">Association of American Medical Colleges and Teaching Hospitals</a>.</p>

Author(s)
By William Heisel

<p>Reading Dr. Michael E. Stoddard's history of infractions, like so many medical board records in Colorado, is a little like reading Tom Stoppard's play <em>Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead</em>. Each disciplinary document focuses on what happened offstage, omitting key details and leaving the real drama, tragedy, or dark comedy to the imagination.</p>

Author(s)
By Barbara Feder Ostrov

<p><img src="/files/u47/Antidote_-_Salt_2.jpg" width="67" height="100" style="float: right;" />Yikes: "Analysts estimate that population-wide reductions in sodium could prevent more than 100,000 deaths annually."</p>

Author(s)
By William Heisel

<p>In October, <em>Antidote</em> reported that <a href="../../../../../../../../blogs/researcher-regrets-ghostwritten-hormone-therapy-review">Dr. John Eden</a>, a well-respected Australian hormone researcher and the founder and director of the <a href="http://www.sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au/rhw/MenopauceCentre.asp">Sydney Menopause Centre</a>, had second thoughts about his participation in a review article about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that was written with the help of pharmaceutical giant Wyeth.</p>

Author(s)
By William Heisel

<p><a href="http://www.marynmckenna.com/home.html">Maryn McKenna</a> has lived inside the "hot zone" for much of her reporting career. She honed her craft at the <em>Atlanta Journal-Constitution</em>, where she was much admired for her coverage of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It takes skill to persuade any large government agency to give up some of its secrets, but McKenna did just that and turned them into fascinating stories. She has since taken the enviable career path of writing books.

Author(s)
By William Heisel

<p>What does it take for a doctor to lose his license in Arkansas?</p> <p><a href="http://www.armedicalboard.org/public/verify/results.aspx?strPHIDNO=ASMB…. Randeep Singh Mann</a> appears to have pushed the envelope just about as far as it can go, and he is still holding an active medical license from that state.</p> <p>Mann, an internist in Russellville, is accused of <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao/are/news_releases/PDFs_2010News_Releases/Ja…; the head of the Arkansas State Medical Board by planting a bomb in his driveway.</p>

Author(s)
By Andre Blackman

<p>The '<strong>Public Health Awareness</strong>' segment will be a recurring feature here on the Pulse + Signal blog where we highlight relevant public health focused observances (e.g. cancer awareness, heart disease awareness, etc). The purpose of this feature is to continue to spread the word around specific health awareness dates to spur increased understanding and prevention.</p>

Author(s)
By Angilee Shah

<p>Health care reform, and the ideological, political and public health battles that surrounded it, reached a fever pitch in the media by the time the legislation reached the House of Representatives in March. Many members of ReportingonHealth were watching and chronicling these events closely. Here, a cross-section of reporters discusses their experience working on these complex stories.</p>