I am an American freelance journalist living in Europe for the past three years, which means I know (and love) a lot about the U.S. and my brain is flooded with story ideas about other cultures. I like stories that are complicated (Why Are Americans So Unhealthy?), stories that are useful (What is the Fittest Fitness for the Oldest Old?) and stories that are quirky (Why Isn’t Dental Health Considered Primary Medical Care?)
My journalism degree is from Missouri School of Journalism, and I have two master’s degrees– English literature and public administration–from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
My career started as a city/county government reporter for two daily newspapers. When I was assigned the business beat at a third daily, I found my right fit for the next several years. I moved to the American City Business Journals chain, where I covered many beats–including investigative, real estate, public companies, accounting firms and PR/marketing firms–before landing on the healthcare beat. That proved to be the next sweet spot for me, and I have spent the last 20 years as a freelance journalist focused on the business of health care and U.S. healthcare policy.
As a freelancer, I have two threads to my work. The first is writing about health policy for general audiences. My stories for Knowable magazine, an affiliate of Annual Reviews, have ranged from measuring surgical quality and the rise of telemedicine to the deadly effects of income inequality and the effectiveness of online opioid treatment. For Undark, an affiliate of the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program at MIT, I have written about the controversy over brain-death diagnosis, the cost-effectiveness of high-cost medicines, screening doctors based on their age, and devastating mix-ups in patient medical records. My work has been published in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Scientific American, Salon, Smithsonian Magazine, Mother Jones, Discover Magazine, The Week Magazine and others.
The other thread of my freelance career has been writing for physicians who need to know about healthcare policy; my work has been published in Modern Healthcare, Neurology Today, Physician Leadership Journal, Medscape, HealthLeaders, Oncology Times, MDEdge, Brain & Life, Today’s Hospitalist, Emergency Medicine News, Biotechnology, various publications of the American Hospital Association and the Healthcare Financial Management Association, and other trades.
Subjectshealth policy, neurology, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, ethics, medical education, inequality, dental care, healthcare quality, value-based medicine, medical errors, diagnostic errors, prior authorization, electronic medical records, telemedicine, home hospitalization, public health, physician leadership, end-of-life care, palliative care, hospice care, philanthropy, fundraising, peer review, primary care, academic medicine, multidisciplinary care, population health management.
Skills
Writing CreditsEl País, The Washington Post, Yahoo News, The Atlantic, CQ Researcher, Fast Company, Quartz, Scientific American, Salon, Smithsonian Magazine, Medscape, Medscape Noticias Médicas, Popular Science, Emergency Medicine News, Men’s Health, Mother Jones, Neurology Today, Oncology Times, Yahoo, Discover Magazine, The Wire (India), HotAir, Genetic Literacy Project, The Week Magazine (US), UNDARK, MDedge | Cardiology News, Modern Healthcare, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, RealClear Science, Route Fifty, LA Progressive, Saturday Evening Post Magazine, Knowable Magazine, Tucson Sentinel, Freethink, Brain & Life, Healthcare Financial Management, The Hospitalist, Portside, Quality Digest, Healthcare Facilities Management, Physician Leadership Journal, Today’s Hospitalist, Rethinking 65, FHIcommunications
Awards, Honors, AppointmentsSelected Awards:
Azbee Awards of Excellence Finalist in two categories, 2024. Co-author of analysis about the state of value-based care. Sole author of feature about structural inequities in healthcare delivery. (Healthcare Financial Management Association).
Azbee Awards of Excellence Finalist, 2023. One of three authors on a package of stories about the future of healthcare (Healthcare Financial Management Association).
Gerontological Society of America Journalists in Aging Fellows Program, 2020. Support for a long-form article (Undark) on why U.S. life expectancy and many other measures of health status are worse than that of other high-income nations.
Finalist, National Institute of Health Care Management Foundation Health Care Print Journalism Awards, 2019. Awarded for feature about controversies surrounding health care quality measurement (Managed Care).
Association of Health Care Journalists Fellowship on Comparative Effectiveness Research, 2018. Week-long training session at Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Washington DC.
American Society of Business Press Editors, Gold Regional Award, 2015. Awarded for feature about sustainability practices in health care (Hospitals and Health Networks).
Association of Health Care Journalists Reporting Fellowship on Health Care Performance, 2014. Training sessions at The Commonwealth Fund headquarters, New York, and support for five-part series on cancer care costs (Oncology Times).
As author, unless indicated otherwise.
Americans have shorter lives than international peers. Some researchers now say conservative policies may be to blame.
ReadA movement to provide hospital-level care for sick patients in their own beds, in the comfort of familiar surroundings, is growing in the United States — a trend already embraced in some other countries
In response to concerns about complications that impact patients with Parkinson's disease while hospitalized, neurologists and other health care providers have developed recommendations and standards for ensuring better care.
“Dangerous Miracle,” by Liam Shaw, is a sweeping account of the rise and precarious future of a live-saving medicine.
Chairs and research heads in neurology departments in academic medical centers targeted for federal budget cuts are urging faculty to explore alternative sources of funding and stay true to their program and research goals. Though some faculty are demoralized by the cuts, others contend that the commitment to excellence in biomedical research in the United States will not waver.
Bariatric surgery volume has taken a hit, but some experts speculate a rebound is possible.
In “Doctored,” Charles Piller examines evidence that many important Alzheimer’s studies are based on faulty data.
Despite efforts to level the playing field for women in neurology, they are still earning less compared with men in the field, a new study found. Leaders in the field say that transparency about salaries will help women and men advocate for a better salary.
Ailments of the mouth can put the body at risk for a slew of other ills. Some practitioners think dentistry should no longer be siloed.
As the need for therapies for neurologic conditions grows, so does the demand for clinical trials—and researchers—to test them. Programs that include mentorship opportunities are now helping those interested in joining the research field get experience at the bench.
