William Heisel

State medical boards should transform themselves from boards composed mainly of doctors to a model where members of the general public occupy most of the board seats, according to consumer advocates. The push for change follows on a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

A strong relationship with the county coroner or medical examiner and an understanding of autopsies and forensic investigations will serve you well on the health beat. Here's how to make use of these resources, while still remaining empathetic to those grieving their loss.

Death and birth records are crucial to public health and health reporting. They can help verify causes of death, point you to family members, or allow you to track larger public health trends. Here's how to start using them for your stories, if you aren't already.

The University of Minnesota is replacing the chairman of its psychiatry department following two scathing reviews of its safety protocols in research involving human subjects and its recruitment of a troubled man who later died by suicide in a schizophrenia drug trial.

When reporting on hospitals, it pays to download and read the hospital’s Joint Commission report. These reports are an important first step in understanding the basic outlines of how a hospital is performing relative to others.

Contributing editor William Heisel looks back over last week's annual gathering of the Association of Health Care Journalists and shares some of his favorite tips and lessons from the bounty of panels and conversations on hand at the conference.

Headed to the Association of Health Care Journalists annual conference in Santa Clara this week? It's always hard to pick from the annual bounty of presentations, but contributing editor William Heisel's selection of don't-miss sessions will get you started.

The New York Times' science and health editor Barbara Strauch died this week. Columnist William Heisel looks back at her exemplary career and shares a handful of lessons drawn from Strauch's editorial intelligence and warm, engaging presence. She will be missed.

How does someone argue against the seemingly seemingly rational argument that people should go on drinking as much soda as they want as long as they get exercise, too? With facts.

The sweetened-beverage industry frequently pushes the idea that you should be free to consume whatever you want as long as you exercise afterward. Maybe beverage warning labels should point out how long you'd need to exercise to burn off the calories.