2001 Kaiser Media Fellows

2000 Kaiser Media Fellows

1999 Kaiser Media Fellows

1998 Kaiser Media Fellows

1997 Kaiser Media Fellows

1996 Kaiser Media Fellows

1995 Kaiser Media Fellows

1994 Kaiser Media Fellows

1993 Kaiser Media Fellows

2001 Kaiser Media Fellows

Raney Aronson, producer, FRONTLINE/WGBH, New York CityProject: Alternative medicine.”The Alternative Fix,” FRONTLINE

Bob Davis, medical and science writer, USA TodayProject: Variations in the nation’s emergency medical systems and their impacts on survival rates.”Six Minutes to Live or Die,” USA Today series on the EMS crisis

Don Finley, science, medicine, and environment editor, The San Antonio Express-NewsProject: Obesity in the U.S.”The Supersize Crisis: Obesity in America,” The San Antonio Express-News (12/8/2002 – 12/15/2002)

Merrill Goozner, freelance journalist and associate professor of journalism, New York UniversityProject: The sources and costs of pharmaceutical innovation.”Medicine as a Luxury,” The American Prospect, (Vol. 13, Issue 1, 1/1/2001 – 1/14/2001)

Andrew Julien, health/medical writer, The Hartford CourantProject: The influence of social and economic forces on children’s health.”GenStress: A Landscape of Pain,” The Cartford Courant (12/15/2002 – 12/18/2002)

Andy Miller, health care business reporter, The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionProject: Indoor air quality and its effects on health in the home and workplace.”Sick Buildings: A Special Report,” The Atlanta Journal Constitution (7/20/2003)

2000 Kaiser Media Fellows

John A. Cutter, freelance health/aging writer, St. Petersburg, FLProject: Alzheimer’s disease–prevention research, access to new treatments, and the impact of the disease on patients and their families.Forgetful, Fearing Alzheimer’s and Hoping for a Cure, New York Times (6/24/2001)Living with Alzheimer’s, Copley News Service (6/20/2001)Importing Prescription Drugs Potentially Dangerous Rx, Copley News Service (6/13/2001)‘Safe’ Does Not Mean ‘Risk-Free’ to FDA, Copley News Service (6/6/2001)Progress on Prescription Issue Will Require Give and Take, Copley News Service (2/7/2001)

Mason L. Essif, segment producer, Health Week-PBS, Washington, DCProject: The e-revolution in health care–how the Internet is affecting access and quality of health information, communication between providers and patients, and medical commerce.

Sarah Lunday, health care industry reporter, The Fort Worth Star-TelegramProject: The impact of prescription drugs on the health care industry–financial, ethical, medical and political.

Teresa L. Schraeder, M.D., freelance medical journalist and physician, Boston, MAProject: Television reporting of health and medical news–a critical look at the content and accuracy of medical news coverage, and its impact on medical decision-making.

Stephen Smith, managing editor & correspondent, American RadioWorks, Minnesota Public RadioProject: The apparent epidemic of depressive illness in the U.S. and worldwide–possible causes, emerging treatments and the varying social responses to mental illness.

Karl Stark, health care business reporter, The Philadelphia InquirerProject: The quality of medical care–what data can really help doctors provide high quality treatment, and help patients find good care?

1999 Kaiser Media Fellows

Fred de Sam Lazaro, correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer; executive producer; KTCA-Twin Cities Public Television, St. Paul, MNProject: The role of international medical graduates in providing health care in under-served urban centers and rural areas in the U.S.

Linda Wright Moore, editorial writer, The Philadelphia Daily NewsProject: Disparities in health status and access to medical care between black and white Americans.

Charles Ornstein, health business reporter, The Dallas Morning NewsProject: The evolving role of employers in the health care system-what role should they play in providing benefits for employees, retirees and their families?

Joe Palca, correspondent, science desk, National Public RadioProject: How clinical trials work-the ethical, medical, financial and societal issues involved.

Neil Rosenberg, senior medical reporter, The Milwaukee Journal SentinelProject: Differences in health care treatment due to race, gender and age

Brenda Wilson, correspondent and editor for public health, health policy and medicine, National Public RadioProject: AIDS and HIV prevention efforts in South Africa-attitudes toward sexuality, Western medicine, death and disease-and the implications for the U.S.

1998 Kaiser Media Fellows

Douglas E. Beeman, health care reporter, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, CAProject: Assessing the health of California’s evolving health care safety net and its implications for the nation.

Kathleen Day, business reporter, The Washington PostProject: The marketing of prescription drugs and the economics of drug pricing.

Andrew Holtz, independent television health and medical reporter, Portland, ORProject: How the news media and public health education campaigns affect health behaviors, specifically tobacco use.

Madge Kaplan, Health Desk Editor/Boston Bureau Chief, Marketplace Radio/WGBHProject: Investigating changes in the health care workforce and their impact on health care delivery and patient care.

Josephine Marcotty, health/science Editor, The Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN Project: The transformation in the treatment and understanding of mental illness.

Joan Mazzolini, investigative reporter, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH Project: VA health care–how well are veterans’ medical centers serving those who served us?

1997 Kaiser Media Fellows Debra Gordon, medical writer, The Virginian-PilotProject: Community coalitions; tracking grass root efforts to address child and maternal health problems.

Jon Hamilton, freelance health policy writerProject: An in-depth look at states that have implemented experimental Medicaid managed care programs.

Leslie Laurence, syndicated health columnist, and writer, Glamour magazineProject: The impact of urban hospital closings on local communities.

Christopher Ringwald, demographics and mental health reporter, The Times Union (Albany, NY)Project: The challenges and debate facing alcoholism and addiction treatment programs; what works, why, and how to measure results.

Joanne Silberner, health policy correspondent, National Public RadioProject: How public health research becomes health policy; from academia to the streets.

Tammie Smith, health reporter, The TennesseanProject: How the major black medical colleges in the U.S. are faring in a changing health care environment; focused on Howard, Meharry, Morehouse, and Drew.

1996 Kaiser Media FellowsLisa Aliferis, producer, KPIX-TV (San Francisco)Project: Death and dying; focus includes hospice care, physician assisted suicide, and differences in cultural perspectives.

Susan FitzGerald, medical writer, The Philadelphia InquirerProject: Children’s health issues: growing up in the inner city.

Samuel Orozco, news/satellite director, Radio BilingueProject: Mental health issues facing Latino immigrants in the U.S.

Eugene Richards, photo-journalist and authorProject: The consequences of child abuse.

Joseph P. Shapiro, senior editor, U.S. News & World ReportProject: Long-term care; creating a system of care that is safe, appropriate, affordable and maximizes independence.

Mark Taylor, health reporter, Post-Tribune (Gary, Indiana)Project: Impact of state and federal legislation on healthcare for disadvantaged populations.

1995 Kaiser Media FellowsChris Adams, reporter, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)Project: The impact of the for-profit hospital chains in the changing medical marketplace.

Leon Dash, reporter, The Washington PostProject: Six generations of underclass life in a family.

Jonathan Freedman, author, columnist; freelance contributor, Los Angeles Times Commentary PageProjects: Comprehensive child-development programs; a television documentary profiling families who overcome poverty; prostate cancer; a book empowering men to confront treatment dilemmas and make healthy choices.

Judith Graham, business writer, The Denver PostProject: The restructuring of the health care industry.

Lani Luciano, staff writer, Money magazineProject: Medical quality measures; how real, how useful, how welcome?

Patricia Neighmond, health policy correspondent, National Public RadioProject: Managed care; its implications for patients and their doctors; and the economics of health care.

1994 Kaiser Media FellowsJeanne Blake, Documentary producer and authorProject: Sexuality and the threat of HIV to young people.

Janet Firshein, Editor, Medicine & HealthProject: Training more primary care doctors; the challenge facing the nation’s medical schools and academic health centers.

Carol Gentry, medical writer, St. Petersburg TimesProject: Managed care and HMOs; the impact on the care doctors provide and patients receive.

Angela Mitchell, freelance writer and authorProject: African-Americans and the AIDS epidemic.

Rita Rubin, associate editor, U.S. News & World ReportProject: An examination of the appropriateness of care given to women.

Steven Sternberg, freelance health policy writerProject: The implications; medical, legal, and societal; of emerging infectious diseases.

1993 Kaiser Media FellowsLisa Belkin, healthcare reporter, The New York TimesProject: Family practice in inner-cities; examining innovative strategies for recruiting and retaining family doctors in U.S. inner-cities.

Mary Flannery, health and medical reporter, The Philadelphia Daily NewsProject: The provision of day treatment programs for adults with mental illness; primarily focused on the clubhouse model at Fountain House in New York, and it effectiveness as a treatment option in other U.S. cities.

Julie Kosterlitz, staff correspondent, The National JournalProject: The Clinton health reform plan; an in-depth analysis of the issues, the legislation, the political process, the results.

Linda Roach Monroe, health and medicine reporter, The Miami HeraldProject: Cultural barriers to medical care in the U.S., and the implications for medical providers and others (including the media), starting with Hispanic communities.

Rebecca Perl, former health and science reporter, Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionProject: Smoking and health; advertising, marketing and lobbying activities of the U.S. tobacco industry, nationally and internationally, and their impact and future implications for specific populations and target groups.

Stuart Schear, health and science reporter, The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHourProject: issues in health reform beyond the legislative process; the implications of moving toward managed care and competition for patients, practioners, administrators, and providers.

Contact Information:

For more information, please email mediafellows@kff.org.

Jonathan Cohn, senior editor, The New RepublicProject: The transformation of American health care in the 1990s. Read about Jonathan’s book, Sick, (HarperCollins, 2007) “Sexual Healing,” The New Republic (6/30/2003) “Beans for Life,” The New Republic (9/8/2003) “Uncharitable?” New York Times (12/19/2004)

Barry Meier, authorProject: Prescription drug abuse, pain management, and addiction-OxyContin as a case study in regulating the next generation of powerful painkillers.Interview with Barry Meier, author of Pain Killer (10/30/2003)

Jon Palfreman, senior producer, FRONTLINEProject: The development, marketing, and pricing of prescription drugs. “The Other Drug War,” FRONTLINE (6/19/2003)

John Price Sankofa, reporter, The New York Amsterdam NewsProject: Examining the social, cultural, and psychological roots of African-American health disparities.

Marc Shaffer, independent television producerProject: Implementing California’s Proposition 36 – treatment as an alternative to incarceration for drug addiction.

Robin D. Stone, freelance writer and editor, New York CityProject: The impact of sexual abuse, focused on African-American families. “No Secrets, No Lies“

Contact Information:

For more information, please email mediafellows@kff.org.

Rebecca Adams, health care reporter, Congressional QuarterlyProject: Examining Medicaid challenges and policy responses in different states.”Medicaid Reform: Will efforts to cut costs hurt the poor?” The CQ Researcher, Vol. 14, No. 25, Pgs. 589-612 (7/16/2004)

Michael Isip, executive producer, KQED-TV, San FranciscoProject: Barriers to health care — financial, cultural, systemic — and the implications for patients and health care workers, and innovative efforts to deliver care.

Liza Mundy, staff writer, The Washington PostProject: Reproductive technology, and the ethical dilemmas that new, fast-emerging techniques present to doctors, policymakers, and the many patients availing themselves of advances in fertility medicine.

Deborah L. Shelton, medical and public health reporter, St. Louis Post-DispatchProject: The drive to increase the number of live organ donors: the medical, ethical, social, economic and other implications.

5 part series on living organ donors, May 6-11, 2005″Good Samaritan donors need independent advocates, some say“”Man’s second chance hasn’t turned out as he expected“”Donor has physical pain, but peace about decision” Articles republished with permission of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Daniel Costello, Health Reporter, Los Angeles Times Project: Examining the fracturing of the employer-based health insurance model and the implications for employees and their families. “Not a future they expected” (10/18/2004) “Asking patients to help shoulder malpractice costs” (10/25/2004) “Costs Make Employers See Smokers as a Drag” (01/28/2005) “At what cost?” (04/04/2005) “Share now, pay later” (05/23/2005) “Taking matters into their own hands” (05/23/2005) “A mini price, a mini policy” (06/06/2005) Articles republished with permission of the Los Angeles Times.

and Events

Fellowship program site visits remain a central part of the redesigned Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health Program, and all Fellows, regardless of the length of their projects, atake part in the group site visits and meetings during the course of the year. The site visits and events provide journalists with the opportunity for in-depth learning about specific topics in health policy, and aim to address timely policy questions which are both current and complex. Typically, there are up to five program site visits during the fellowship year, varying in length from a couple of days to a week, for a total 4-5 weeks in any calendar year.

Fellows are consulted in planning for site visits and briefings, and are asked to contribute suggestions about topics and locations. Past programs have focused on prescription drug pricing and access to medication, safety net services and care for the uninsured, and cultural barriers to health care.

During the course of a typical fellowship year, Fellows can expect to meet in DC in September, at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, FL for a three day program on computer-assisted health reporting, in the Spring for a weeklong site visit, in DC in May, and in the Summer for another weeklong site visit.

Site visit topics vary greatly, but focus mainly on U.S. health policy issues such as post-Katrina Health Issues in the Gulf Coast and the Medicaid program in Florida. From time to time, we conduct site visits outside of the States to examine issues with direct relevance to the U.S. Our August 2004 site visit to Canada, for example, focused on prescription drug pricing, and our May 2003 site visit examined Brazil’s response to HIV/AIDS and the lessons to be learned for the U.S. (see the agendas below for examples of past events). While it is not required, many fellows choose to do reporting based on site visits and events, and examples of this work can be found below.

2008 Site Visits2007 Site Visits2005 Site Visits

2004 Site Visits

2003 Site Visits

2002 Site Visits

State Health Care and Reform Initiatives, Northern California – March 2008In March 2008, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Northern California with state and local policymakers, migrant farm worker community representatives, and leaders from the business community for a week-long series of briefings on state and local health reform initiatives.Agenda

The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida – November 2007In November 2007, the Kaiser Media Fellows met at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida, for a three day program on multimedia reporting including database work, blogging, and podcasting. The Kaiser Media Fellowships Program take a group of journalists to the Poynter Institute each year.Agenda

Multimedia Workshop with Amy Webb – Washington, D.C., September 24-27, 2007In September, 2007, the fellows met in Washington, D.C. with Amy Webb of Webbmedia Group, LLC, for a three day workshop on multimedia tools to help them in their fellowship projects and their reporting in general. During the workshop they also received briefings on funding for global health issues and health care concerns related to immigration.Agenda

Health Issues Post-Katrina: New Orleans, LA and the Gulf Coast Region – March 2007In March 2007, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in New Orleans, LA and travelled to Gulfport, MS and Baton Rouge, LA for a weeklong series of briefings with health experts, policymakers and health care providers on the changing health challenges in the Gulf Coast Region.Agenda Reporting from New Orleans Site Visit

• 2006 Kaiser Media Fellow, Eric Eyre’s, The Charleston Gazette article, “Drowning in despair 18 months later” (03/26/2007)
• Invited Journalist, Josh Norman’s, The Sun Herald article, “Real devastation is inside the survivors” (03/16/07)

Quality of Care Issues Brifing: Washington, DC – February 2007In February 2007, the Kaiser Media Fellows met in Washington, DC, for a one-day seminar on evaluating and improving the quality of medical care.Agenda

Hospital Financing Seminar: Boston, MA – November 2006In advance of the 2006 Nieman Conference, some of the 2006 Kaiser Media Fellows attended a halfday-long seminar on hospital financing issues with Nancy Kane, Professor of Management in the Department of Health Management at the Harvard University School of Public Health.Agenda

The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida – November 2006In November 2006, the Kaiser Media Fellows met at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida, for a three day program on computer-assisted health reporting. The Kaiser Media Fellowships Program take a group of journalists to the Poynter Institute each year.Agenda

THERE WERE NO SITE VISITS BETWEEN AUGUST 2005 AND NOVEMBER 2006 WHILE THE KAISER MEDIA FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM WAS ON HIATUS.

The VA System: Washington, DC, Wilmington, DE, Coatesville, PA, Baltimore, MD – August 2005In August 2005, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Washington, DC, and traveled to Coatesville, PA, Wilmington, DE, and Baltimore, MD, for a weeklong series of briefings on the VA health care system. Agenda

Washington, D.C. – May 2005In May 2005, the Kaiser Media Fellows met in Washington, DC for briefings on SARS and Medicare Part D, and also met with the national advisory committee to discuss fellows’ projects, fellowship program experiences, and lessons for future selections. AgendaFlorida’s Medicaid Program: Tallahassee & Miami, Florida – April 2005In April 2005, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Tallahassee and Miami for a weeklong series of briefings focused on Governor Bush’s proposed changes to the State’s Medicaid program, and the potential implications of such reform. Agenda

Reporting from Florida Site Visit

• 2004 Kaiser Media Fellow, Phil Galewitz’s, Palm Beach Post article, “Medicaid plan counts on networking” (05/01/2005)

The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida – November 2004In November 2004, the Kaiser Media Fellows met at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida, for a three day program on computer-assisted health reporting. The Kaiser Media Fellowships Program takes a group of journalists to the Poynter Institute each year.Agenda

Washington, D.C. – September 2004In September 2004, the Kaiser Media Fellows met in Washington, DC for a series of briefings on the uninsured and the Medicare prescription drug benefit with Kaiser Foundation staff and CMS officials. Agenda

SARS & Prescription Drug Issues: Toronto & Ottawa, Canada – August 2004In August 2004, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Toronto and Ottawa for a weeklong series of briefings on SARS and prescription drug issues in Canada, and to discuss the lessons to be learned for the U.S. Agenda

Reporting from Canada Site Visit

• 2004 Kaiser Media Fellow, Dan Costello’s, Los Angeles Times article, “Canadian sites look overseas for drug supply” (08/30/2004)
• 2004 Kaiser Media Fellow, Phil Galewitz’s, Palm Beach Post articles, “Little hinders imports” and “Canada struggles, despite reputation” (09/26/2004)

Minority Journalists’ Workshop, “Reporting on HIV/AIDS in the US,” Washington, D.C. – August 2004In August 2004 the Kaiser Media Fellowships Program held a workshop for minority journalists ahead of the UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. convention in Washington, D.C.Agenda Racial Barriers to Health Care: Atlanta, GA – April 2004In April 2004, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Atlanta, GA for a weeklong series of briefings that examined diversity issues and barriers to health care, and the implications for the city.Agenda“AIDS in America: The Forgotten Epidemic? A Conference for News Leaders,” Washington, DC – March 2004 In March 2004, The Kaiser Media Fellowships Program, in partnership with the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, hosted “AIDS in America: A Forgotten Epidemic? A Conference for News Leaders,” a conference for editors and news directors.

The conference included presentations by David Satcher, M.D., former U.S. Surgeon General, Director of the National Center for Primary Care; Julie Gerberding, M.D., Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control; Anthony Fauci, M.D., Director of the National Institutes on Health, and others and a discussion of “AIDS at 21: Media Coverage of the HIV Epidemic 1981-2002,” a comprehensive Kaiser study published in the March/April edition of the Columbia Journalism Review.

The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida – November 2003 In November 2003, the Kaiser Media Fellows met at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida, for a three day program on computer-assisted health reporting. The Kaiser Media Fellowships Program takes a group of journalists to the Poynter Institute each year.Agenda

Washington, D.C. – September 2003 Agenda

Challenges to the County Public Health Care System: Los Angeles, CA – August 2003In August 2003, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Los Angeles for a weeklong series of briefings focused on the challenges facing the Los Angeles County public health care system, including the services in place to provide care for the uninsured. Agenda

Washington, D.C. – May 2003 Agenda

Brazil’s Response to HIV/AIDS: Brazil – May 2003 In May 2003, the Kaiser Media Fellows and a group of senior health/medical journalists visited Brazil for a weeklong series of briefings on Brazil’s response to HIV/AIDS. Agenda

Reporting from Brazil Site Visit

• Susan Dentzer, of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, joined the Kaiser Media Fellows in Brazil to report on the country’s HIV treatment and prevention programs.
• Sue Valentine, editor of the South African news agency Health-e, joined the Kaiser Media Fellows on the sitevisit to Brazil and reported on Brazil’s response to HIV/AIDS.
• 2002 Kaiser Media Fellow, Jonathan Cohn’s, New Republic article, “Sexual Healing” (06/30/2003)

Airlie House Reunion, Warrenton, VA – October 2002 In October 2002, the Kaiser Media Fellowships Program hosted a reunion at the Airlie Center in Warrenton, VA, that gave the Fellows an opportunity to meet and catch up with other Fellows, the advisory committee, and other invited health journalists. Agenda

Washington, D.C. – September 2002 Agenda

Multicultural Health and Immigration Issues: Seattle, WA and Vancouver, Canada – August 2002In August 2002, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Seattle, WA and Vancouver, Canada for a weeklong series of briefings on multicultural health and immigration issues. Agenda

XIV International AIDS Conference, Barcelona, Spain – July 2002 Agenda

“Covering the Global AIDS Crisis,” Columbia University, New York, NY – May 2002 Agenda

Washington, D.C. – May 2002 Agenda

Menlo Park, CA – January 2002 Agenda

Contact Information:

For more information, please email mediafellows@kff.org.

International Health Journalism Fellowship Project: INDIA

Read more information about HIV/AIDS and related health issues in India on GlobalHealthReporting.org – India Country Page and in the updated fact sheet on HIV/AIDS in India. For a reporting guide on AIDS in India (available in English, Tamil, Marathi and Hindi), see The HIV/AIDS Reporting Guide for India. See the Health e-Letter, a monthly newsletter about public health in India.

About the Project

The Kaiser Family Foundation announced the new International Health Journalism Fellowship Project at the Media Leaders’ Summit, which was held at the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi in January 2005. The goal of the International Health Journalism Fellowship Project is to encourage substantive coverage of the health, social, economic, political and cultural implications of HIV/AIDS and associated health problems, as well as policies and programs to address HIV/AIDS and related health issues in India. Selected news organizations undertake an individually tailored project that focuses on HIV/AIDS and related health issues in India. Select examples of completed work are posted below. Please note that this program has ended and we are no longer granting these project awards.

The selected news organization designates a team of editors, reporters, photographers and/or graphic designers to lead the project. Priority is given to:

• projects otherwise unlikely to be undertaken or completed without outside funding,
• projects that focus on issues currently under-reported or not reported at all
• projects that have a high likelihood of being published/broadcast and
• are accessible to a relatively large audience

Eligibility

Awards are intended to produce in-depth, substantive and sustained reporting on HIV/AIDS and related issues. Selected broadcast news organizations may also be eligible to receive an award for in-depth reporting, to cover project expenses such as travel and research expenses typically up to and no greater than a maximum award of 220,000 Indian Rupees (approximately U.S. $5,000).

The Project in India is funded entirely through a generous grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as part of a larger initiative on increasing understanding of global health issues. The Gates Foundation is not involved in the selection of any project-award recipient, and no representation should be made that the Gates Foundation supports the activities of any project-award recipient.

What is Covered?

The project award covers travel expenses and other expenses including research, photography, internet access, telephone/fax and photocopying, laptop rental, camera crew and project-related production expenses. These expenses could include additional pages or print inserts, graphics, website information, online features such as Q&A with readers, additional television studio or editing time. Up to 20% of the award could be designated for additional staff time/salary expenses or to commission freelance contributions. The award may not be used to pay anyone who is being interviewed or who is being used in some other way as a news source.

Recent Project Events

• Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Journalism Workshop “Reporting on HIV: Issues and Concerns“, October 26-27, 2007
• Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Panchgani, Jaipur, India, U.S. Journalists’ Sitevisit, April 2-13, 2007Click here for the NPR report by Joe Neel about our site visit to India (7/6/07)
• Patna, Bihar, India, Issues on Covering HIV/AIDS, October 9-10, 2006
• Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Issues on Covering HIV/AIDS, March 9-10, 2006
• [Internews Network Project] Lucknow, U.P., India, “Voice of U.P: Raising the profile of Health and HIV/AIDS in the U.P. Press,” February 11-12, 2006
• Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Reporting on HIV: Issues and Concerns, October 21-22, 2005
• New Delhi, India, Media Leaders’ Summit on HIV/AIDS, January 2005
• Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Media Consultations, November 2004
• New Delhi, India, Media Consultations, October 2004

Health e-LetterIn February 2007 Kaiser International Fellow, Kalpana Jain, launched the Health e-Letter, a monthly newsletter about public health issues in India with contributions from journalists from India and around the world.

To see past issues of the Health e-Letter click below:

2008 January 2008February 2008March 2008April 2008May 2008June 2008

2007February 2007March 2007April 2007May 2007June 2007July 2007August 2007September 2007October 2007November 2007December 2007

Fellowship Work

A selection of articles from our fellows’ work are represented below. Many of the articles are translated from their original language (Marathi or Hindi) into English for greater accessibility. It is important to note that as a result of the translations, the language in the articles may not reflect the full original intended meaning or tone.

• Hindustan newsaper (Hindi) Sudhir Mishra, principal correspondent, Lucknow

  “Every hundreth person in Manipur is HIV positive” May 26, 2006 “Songachi’s Agrey Wali has become Folklore” June 19, 2006 “Flying Sex Workers have to give in to Customers’ Demands” July 3, 2006

• Indian Express newspaper Toufiq Rashid, principal correspondent, New Delhi

  “New surveys to pin AIDS count” February 16, 2006 “Moving Down South” April 2, 2006 “Back to Basics” April 2, 2006 “72,000 New HIV cases, high-risk group is problem” April 5, 2006

• Loksatta newspaper (Marathi) Shekhar Deshmukh, senior sub-editor/reporter, Mumbai

  “Reporting on HIV needs a positive attitude” March 13, 2006 “Living Positively with HIV” March 18, 2006 “‘Disease from Mumbai’ spreads in Uttar Pradesh” April 4, 2006

• Rajasthan Patrika (Hindi) Harindra Singh Bagwala, principle correspondent, Jaipur

“AIDS spreading rapidly in Shekhawati region” June 9, 2006 “Anonymity of AIDS, radiance of Stars” August 19, 2006 “India becomes ‘AIDS Guru’” November 26, 2006

Partners

The Heroes Project, co-chaired by Parmeshwar Godrej and Richard Gere, seeks to harness India’s communication power and potential to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and reduce stigma and discrimination. It works through two avenues: media partnerships and its societal leaders program.

Internews

A number of factors have been suggested as possible reasons for increasing cost of medical malpractice insurance. For each factor I mention, please tell me whether you feel it is very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not important at all in causing higher malpractice insurance costs. If you do not know enough about some of these factors to have an opinion, just let me know. How important is…

Note: Asked of one-half of respondents

Very important

Somewhat important

Not too important

Not at all important

Don’t know/ Refused

a. Too many doctors making mistakes in treating patients?

43

33

13

1

9

b. Too many patients making unwarranted claims against doctors?

53

23

9

6

9

c. Too many lawyers filing unwarranted lawsuits?

60

22

6

6

6

d. Too many juries making larger awards than are justified?

42

30

8

7

13

e. High profits made by insurance companies selling malpractice insurance?

49

28

5

5

12

Of those factors you said are very important in causing rising malpractice insurance costs, which one do you think is the MOST important reason these costs are rising?

Note: Also includes those who said “very important” to only one reason

32         Too many lawyers filing unwarranted lawsuits

15         High profits made by insurance companies selling malpractice insurance

14         Too many patients making unwarranted claims against doctors

11         Too many doctors making mistakes in treating patients

9          Too many juries making larger awards than are justified

*          Other reason is most important

2          All same/equally important        

17         None of these very important    

*          Don’t know      

*          Refused           

Survey by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard School of Public Health. Methodology: Fieldwork by ICR-International Communications Research, November 4-November 28, 2004 and based on telephone interviews with a national adult sample of 1,396. 

(I’m going to read you a list of things some people worry about and others do not. I’d like you to tell me how worried you are about each of the following things.) How worried are you about…your health plan being more concerned about saving money for the plan than about what treatment is best for you? Are you very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not at all worried?

Subpopulation/Note: Those who have health insurance

30%  Very worried

31   Somewhat worried

16   Not too worried

20   Not at all worried

4    Don’t know/Refused

Survey by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Methodology: Conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, October 4-October 9, 2005 and based on telephone interviews with a national adult sample of 1,200.

Do you think…managed care companies such as HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) generally do a good or bad job of serving their consumers?

41%  Good job

54   Bad job

5    Not sure/Refused

Methodology: Conducted by Harris Interactive, April 5-April 10, 2005 and based on telephone interviews with a national adult sample of 1,010. Data provided by The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut.

This fact sheet summarizes and compares seventeen states’ approved Medicaid waivers related to Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

Fact Sheet (.pdf)