Children & Families

A reporting trip that set out to investigate the causes behind a mysterious childhood cancer cluster turned into a valuable lesson in embracing a truer kind of complexity — not the twists and turns of a mystery novel’s plot, but the unpredictable emotions that guide real people’s lives.

Environmental Health, Poverty and Class

When I tackled the topic of loneliness as a 2013 National Health Journalism Fellowship project, I honestly didn't think it would be hard to find people who were lonely so that I could write about the issue. I was right and wrong.

Aging, Mental Health, Environmental Health

Has your child has his tonsils removed or head scanned lately? Whether or not you said yes may have something to do with where you call home. That variation in care is raising some red flags.

Environmental Health

The Nurse Family Partnership, an early intervention program which features home-visits for at risk children, has a track record of better health outcomes and reducing problems among poorer moms and kids. But it isn't a cure-all for the problems darkening the prospects of these children.

Poverty and Class

It is difficult not to view poverty-stricken farmworkers as victims and pesticide manufacturers (and those of us who benefit from them) as perpetrators. Yet, my reporting demonstrated the complexity of the issues involved, leaving me with the uneasy sense that there was no clear-cut solution.

Environmental Health, Poverty and Class

While offering high-quality public preschool programs at scale requires a major investment of dollars, the available research suggests it’s an investment that pays generous dividends.

Immigrant and Migrant Health, Poverty and Class

Low-income Mexican immigrants might be healthier than the overall U.S. population on some measures, but that health advantage fades as immigrants adjust to life in the U.S. That in turn can have worrying consequences when it comes to Latina birth outcomes.

Chronic Disease, Women's and Maternal Health

More than a decade of research in the Salinas Valley of California - one of the most thriving agriculture regions in the world - has shed light on environmental hazards and their potential health risks.

Environmental Health, Poverty and Class

Unyque Jackson started kindergarten in Oakland. Her parents divorced when she was five. And Unyque moved to the San Joaquin Valley where she lived in her father’s house and was raised by her grandmother.

Poverty and Class, Environmental Health, Women's and Maternal Health, Community Safety