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 Bill Graves

From the start, I decided I would take as much time as I possibly could – that is the whole year – to complete my project on health disparities affecting Native Americans in the Portland area. I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could not only about Native health, but also about Native cultures.

Author(s)
By William Heisel

The Bakersfield Californian recently took on one of the most ambitious health care quality projects I have seen attempted by an outlet outside of the really big markets. One reporter, Kellie Schmitt, wanted to answer two questions: whether most of the doctors in Kern County were from another country and whether that mattered.

Author(s)
By Tammy Worth

Michael Felberbaum covered business for the Associated Press in Richmond, Va., as one of his biggest subject matters -- Circuit City -- went under. When the Richmond-based company declared bankruptcy in 2007, Felberbaum began looking more closely at the tobacco industry.

Author(s)
By Heather Boerner

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the bulk of the Affordable Care Act last week was a victory for many people currently unable to access care. But one group was excluded from the innovations and improvement of access to care. Undocumented immigrants make up 11 million of U.S. residents.