AHCJ is thrilled to announce our 2027 cohort for two fellowship programs, each designed to empower journalists in advancing the public’s understanding of health care systems both in the U.S. and globally.
Supported by The Commonwealth Fund, these programs offer unparalleled opportunities for journalists to explore pressing health care issues with depth and impact.
The International Health Study Fellowship, now in its sixth year, supports four talented journalists to investigate and compare health care approaches in other countries with the U.S. This year, projects will highlight lessons from the U.K. and France that can help shape U.S. health policy.
- Ellen Barry of The New York Times: Illuminating how the U.S. and the U.K. diverged dramatically in the treatment of postpartum mental health in the medical and legal systems.
- Drew Hawkins of The Gulf States Newsroom/ NPR: Exploring what the Gulf South, facing federal Medicaid cuts and rural hospital closures, can learn from how France is trying to address medical deserts.
- Maaisha Osman of Politico: Investigating how France pays so much less for the same drugs that cost Americans far more, and what that gap reveals about the choices Washington has yet to make on drug pricing.
- Sophia Paffenroth of Mississippi Today: Examining why infant mortality in the British Midlands – one of the UK’s most economically challenged areas – is still substantially lower than it is in Mississippi and whether Britain’s health insurance system and widespread use of midwifery may offer lessons for policymakers in low-income states like Mississippi.
The U.S. Health Systems Reporting Fellowship is now in its 16th year and will once again support five journalists on year-long projects that examine and compare health care systems in the U.S.
- Katti Gray of the Arkansas Times: Exploring community impacts and health outcomes for Medicaid patients when nurse practitioners are the only clinicians in town but are limited in their ability to provide adequate care.
- Lillian Mongeau Hughes of The Oregonian/OregonLive: Examining workable solutions to the growing gaps in our mental healthcare system that is failing to provide community-based care for people who are seriously mentally ill, severely drug addicted or both.
- Sony Salzman of ABC News: Investigating how high cost and trust erosion in American health care is driving people towards supplements and unregulated remedies.
- Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga of Midwest Newsroom (NPR): Examining the fallout when a community loses obstetric care, what is driving the closures, and what advocates, leaders and hospitals are doing to adapt and bring care to people who need it the most.
- Sharmila Venkatasubban of The Florida Trib (a Report For America partner): Investigating how long Floridians ordered into state psychiatric hospitals wait in county jails, the care they receive, and mental health care within the criminal justice system.
These fellowships embody AHCJ’s mission to enhance the quality and visibility of health journalism while fostering a diverse and informed community of reporters. Recipients receive travel funds, reporting funds, mentorship and training to bring their ambitious reporting projects to life, enriching public discourse and encouraging meaningful solutions to health care challenges.
Learn more about these groundbreaking programs and how AHCJ can help you cover the health beat.
The Association of Health Care Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of health care issues. With about 1,500 members across the U.S. and around the globe, its mission is to improve the quality, accuracy and visibility of health care reporting, writing and editing. The association and its sister organization, the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism, provide training, resources and support for journalists, including health journalism fellowships, webinars, networking and conferences.
The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that aims to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable. The Fund carries out this mandate by supporting independent research on health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy. The Fund is based in New York City.
Source: healthjournalism.org
