Association of Health Care Journalists

03/09/2026

HJ26 fellowship applications are open — don’t miss your chance to apply. Recipients receive financial assistance to attend our conference in Minneapolis, May 27–30, along with one year of AHCJ membership.
🗓️ Deadline to apply: March 27
Learn more:

Improve your skills and connect with fellow health care journalists with AHCJ fellowships.

03/06/2026

Struggling to organize all your assignments, fees, deadlines and other mundane but vitally important tasks that make up a day in the life of a freelancer? You're not alone. Check out these tools, tips and tricks from AHCJ's freelance members:

During February’s Lunch and Learn, freelancers showed what they use to keep track of projects, payments and other mundane but necessary tasks.

03/06/2026

Struggling to turn your freelance pitch into a major feature story? This piece breaks down how one journalist went from pitching at AHCJ’s PitchFest to landing a feature in The Guardian. Here’s what to know:

Health journalist Carina Storrs’ feature on super-recognizers in The Guardian started with a meeting at AHCJ’s PitchFest.

03/05/2026

Join us in Minneapolis, May 27–30 for interactive workshops, immersive field trips and meaningful networking with fellow reporters and leading health experts. Walk away with sharper skills, new sources and fresh story ideas. Learn more:

AHCJ and the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism are thrilled to bring Health Journalism 2026 to Minneapolis from May 27–30.

03/05/2026

Programs that support older adults are getting funding in the new federal budget — but questions remain about whether it’s enough to meet growing needs. Here’s what journalists should know.

The 2026 budget bill provides ongoing funding for many programs and services for older adults — but some advocates say it's not enough.

03/04/2026

Why are some potentially harmful chemicals still allowed in U.S. products?
This reporting guide explains the regulation gap journalists should watch.

There’s an unsettling paradox at the heart of reporting on toxic chemicals in consumer products and food in the United States.

03/03/2026

Do you have questions about how OpenAI's plans for ChatGPT Health will impact care? Join our upcoming webinar at Noon ET on March 12 to hear from digital health expert Henry Bair, M.D., and MedPage Today reporter Rachael Robertson about the platform and how LLM's are already being used to triage care. Register here:

In this webinar, panelists will cover how ChatGPT Health works, its potential pros and cons, and what journalists and consumers need to know.

03/02/2026

New cervical cancer screening guidance supports self-collected testing for women ages 30–65 at average risk, starting in 2027. But questions remain about adoption, follow-up care and broader health impacts. Find out what this could mean for patients and providers: https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2026/02/will-at-home-screening-methods-for-cervical-cancer-impact-patient-health/

02/27/2026

If you missed Thursday's webinar on vaccine uptake and misinformation among older adults or would like a refresher, the recording is now available. The slides and multiple other resources from the session are also linked.

In this webinar, epidemiology experts review the latest immunization trends, and discuss how to counter vaccine misinformation.

02/27/2026

AHCJ’s new AI and Patient Safety beat will provide reporting tips, webinars and expert resources to help journalists cover this evolving landscape. Thank you to for supporting this work.

In this role, Blum will guide coverage and develop resources to show how AI is reshaping health care and impacting patient safety.

02/27/2026

Unapproved “shadow AI” tools are spreading in clinical settings — while patient trust lags. New survey data offer sharp angles on oversight, safety and transparency. Learn more:

Recent surveys found unauthorized AI tools, or "shadow AI," have been used in about 40% of hospitals while 93% of patients have at least one concern about AI.

02/26/2026

Before amplifying the “screen time crisis” narrative, consider what the research actually shows about kids and social media — including where the evidence is solid and where it’s more nuanced.

Parents keep asking for a magic number: How much social media is safe for kids? In short, research says there isn't a single “safe” cutoff.