COLUMBIA, Missouri, June 22 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on June 21, 2024: * * * FDA Advisory Boards Vote on Approving New Drugs. But How Do They Work? By Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga In a 15-minute lightning talk, Suzanne Robotti discussed some of the surprising ways FDA Advisory Board committee meetings work and lifted the curtain on how committee members vote to approve or disapprove drugs. Most committee members are researchers, professors,   more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, June 22 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on June 21, 2024: * * * For Young Children, Trauma During Critical Periods Can Alter Brain Development By Rob Waters A panel examined the ways young childrens' brain development is affected by traumatic experiences such as violence, war, and separation from parents. Charles Nelson, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, explained that the development of children's brains is influenced  more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, June 22 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on June 21, 2024: * * * How an Accidental Freelancer Landed on Her Feet By Rosemary Westwood Anna Medaris didn't plan it this way. As she put it, one year ago she "stepped off a cliff." Medaris had held a series of staff jobs for years, until she decided to take a buyout and leave her health correspondent job at Insider. "I hadn't developed a plan, saved up money or rebranded my websi  more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, June 22 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on June 20, 2024: * * * Individuals, Communities Face Rippling Health Effects of Incarceration By Lara Salahi Incarceration impacts not only the health of millions of Americans who pass through U.S. prisons and jails each year, but it also exacerbates health disparities in communities. "Very few people get healthier from interacting with the prison system," Dana Rice, Dr.PH., assistant  more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, June 22 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on June 21, 2024: * * * Measles Outbreaks are Dangerous and Unnecessary, Expert Says By Ashad Hajela A pediatric disease expert cautioned journalists about the unnecessary threat of measles outbreaks during a lightning talk titled, "Beyond the headlines: Unveiling the truth about measles," at Health Journalism 2024. Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, M.D., is a former president of the Nation  more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, June 22 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on June 21, 2024: * * * Pro Tips for Securing a Paid Journalism Fellowship By Hilary Powell and Cassie M. Chew When the growth of digital media pushed rates for independent journalism from $2 to $3 per word to a fraction of that rate, Melba Newsome knew those arrangements wouldn't support her ability to produce the in-depth investigative stories for which she had begun to make a name for  more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, June 22 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on June 21, 2024: * * * Summer SNAP Rollout Could Help Millions of Kids By Addie Costello Millions of U.S. families qualify for a new, summer food assistance program designed to combat rising child hunger. Experts discussed the program's potential impact, its limits and the difficulties prepping for its rollout during the panel, "Hunger doesn't take a break: The promise of summer EBT,"  more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, June 22 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on June 21, 2024: * * * Use Audio Storytelling Techniques to Enhance Health Care Journalism By Jennifer L.W. Fink Three experienced podcasters emphasized the power of action and emotion to capture attention during a skill-building session, "What podcasters can teach us all about enlivening health care reporting" at Health Journalism '24. The session opened with an audio clip produced by  more