Lucky Number 13: A Fellowship of Health Care Journalists
Over the past few days, I’ve sat at a bar next to an Armenian Priest, questioned the US Surgeon General, and stood in an ambulance as an EMS crew tried to save a motorcycle rider with serious head trauma.
I’m on a medical journalism fellowship with 12 of the brightest, most dedicated journalists in the United States. Counting me, there are 13 of us, and I’m convinced I lucked out more than anyone in securing this fellowship. For the past several days, from morning to night, we’ve had the opportunity to pick the brains of the world’s geniuses in health care. We’ve hit the streets, shelters, medical schools and labs.
The idea behind the fellowship is that we will go back to our media organizations and have even more powerful health care reporting. I hope to write several posts over the coming days about what we’re learning. First, I want to introduce you to the other fellows I’ve been privileged to spend this extraordinary time with (they probably wouldn’t have ended that sentence with a preposition):
Sumathi Reddy, ahealth columnist for The Wall Street Journal; Sumathi is calm and polished—and has a wittysense of dry humor. Every now and then we hear her wonderful laugh. I have a feeling if Sumathi had been myrandomly-paired college roommate my freshman year, we would have had a ton offun—and she probably would have imparted some much-needed wisdom on a youngerme.
Ben Tinker, producerfor CNN Health; Ben researches, interviews and writes for CNN, workingclosely with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He’sbased in Atlanta but he sometimes travels to remote places like Turkey’sKurdish region. Ben has been patient enough to listen to my thoughts on CNN’semphasis on politics and its shift away from international news. He became the fellowship hero-for-a-day whenhe insisted we take a break from a seminar for ice cream, and now he’s the officialdessert monitor.
Vivien Leigh, health reporter for NEWSCENTER Maine;Vivien’s dad had a thing for Scarlett O’Hara, thus her iconic name. I knew I hada soft spot for Vivien when, on the opening night of the fellowship, she choseto be vulnerable enough to let a few tears flow in telling us about thechallenges and grief she has experienced as a mother. Her stories airthroughout Maine, and we’ve been sharing “mom” stories since we’re both awayfrom our children during the fellowship.
Emmarie Huetteman,Kaiser Health News; Emmarie was formerly with The New York Times and joinedthe non-profit Kaiser Health News covering Congress. Her wardrobe is chic and classic – but sheconfided in me that she’s got a secret weapon: her husband is a women’sclothing designer. Emmarie is a very caring person, something I learned whenshe took time to make sure I was okay after experiencing the ambulance event.
Lindsey Bever,reporter for The Washington Post: Don’t let Lindsay’s quiet demeanor fool you;her editor says she’s got “ice” running through her veins when an importantstory’s on the line. She worked the overnights at the Post before switching todaytime shifts, which is when she really began to love D.C. And we have something in common: neither of us can keep a Beta fish alive. I’mdetermined to get a few tips on visiting the capital from Lindsay, because Ihave a feeling she’s got some good ones.
Alyssa Jeong Perry,health reporter for Southern California Public Radio; Alyssa brings some West Coast vibe to ourgroup, as well as tremendous perspective on covering the homeless population. She has asked the experts some pointedquestions about the long-term effects of trauma, and she’s got someinvestigative chops I want to learn more about. I assume it’s warmer in L.A.than Boston, because Alyssa spends a considerable amount of time bundled up inher Patagonia coat—including during our (indoor) sessions.
Ethan DeWitt,statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire; as one of the fellows said, Ethan is 26going on 50. He’s always smiling, andhe’s extremely polite. At the same time, I can tell he’s a statehouse reporterbecause he doesn’t raise his hand or wait for other reporters before he asks aquestion—he just goes for it (which is exactly what statehouse reporters haveto do). Ethan is from the East Coast andwent to law school in Scotland before deciding to give journalism a try. We’ve had some solid discussions on NewHampshire’s Medicaid expansion program (and Missouri’s refusal to expand thesame). Rumor has it that Ethan bought gourmet cheese for all of the fellows, sowe should probably all be nice to him.
Larrison Campbell,reporter for Mississippi Today; If Icould choose one of the fellows here to accompany me down a dark alley, itwould definitely be Larrison. She mixes southern spice with a wicked-quick intellect,perhaps a nod to her Mississippi upbringing and elite, East Coast boardingschool education. When the conference center bar was closing down one night,she knocked on the door to inform them they were closing one minute early.
Rhitu Chatterjee,mental health reporter for NPR; Rhituis equal parts brilliant and gentle, and we’ve had fun connecting the dots betweenour experiences at our alma mater, the University of Missouri School ofJournalism. She reports on mental healthfor NPR out of Washington, D.C., and I’ve long admired Rhitu for her ability toblend cutting-edge research with storytelling. We’ve shared conversations about the globalmovement for women’s freedom and respect, something we both care deeply about.
Shannon Dooling, reporterfor WBUR-Boston; Shannon is a local celebrity here—it seems that everyHarvard genius or Red Sox physician or hospital administrator we meet getsexcited to put a face with her name. Sheprimarily reports on immigration and is experiencing this fellowship throughthat lens. It was a true pleasure to experience a Boston Red Sox game at FenwayPark with a hometown girl.
Dan Haar, columnistand editor for Hearst Connecticut Media; Dan will be the first to tell youhe’s an “old school” journalist, and I can totally see his resemblance to theCarl Bernstein character portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the 1976 classic “AllThe President’s Men.” Dan has become thedesignated “photog” of the group, and several of the pictures you’ll see in myupcoming posts will have been taken by him (he tells me I need to change the settings on my iphone camera).
Bonnie Petrie,reporter with Texas Public Radio; Bonniehas reported on both the local and national levels for NPR and currently isdevoted to full-time reporting. She oncehosted a pregnancy podcast and we’ve decided if she ever has her own showagain, it should be called “The Petrie Dish” (Ben gets credit for thatone). Bonnie’s insight into depression,anxiety and trauma have led to some great discussions with experts so far, andshe provided moral support when my hotel room toilet overflowed, as waterseeped out the door and down the hallway.
Larry Tye, directorof the Health Coverage Fellowship: Larryis a nonfiction author and former journalist for The Boston Globe. Larry feels like a kind uncle I’ve known allof my life; his accolades and awards aretoo numerous to mention, so I suggest you just Google him—and prepare to be impressed. His unselfish approach to leadership means hehas devoted one full hour with every fellow for a walk throughout Wellesley orBabson College, during which he mentors us on our challenges and dreams. Larry’s staggering connections have allowedhim to craft an extremely impressive fellowship, with speakers and events frommorning to late at night.
Jessica Gottsegen,coordinator of the Health Coverage Fellowship: “Jessie” is the logistics guru that makesthis extraordinary fellowship flow smoothly. It’s a gargantuan task, but she makes it look simple—and does it allwith a smile. We’re not sure what shedid to catch the attention of a famous Red Sox player, but whatever it was, itworked: he left the practice dugout,walked straight up to her, signed a baseball, and left everyone else with theirmouths agape.
Today, we had lunch with the dean of the Harvard MedicalSchool (on campus), and I’ve got to run now to join the others for pizza with a“surprise guest” Larry and Jessie have lined up for us.
Over the coming days and weeks, I plan to write more aboutthe experiences we’ve been having, and what that means for the health of ourcommunity. Take care, friends, and I’ll seeyou back in Missouri once the fellowship is over!