Insights

You learn a lot when you spend months reporting on a given issue or community, as our fellows can attest. Whether you’re embarking on a big new story or seeking to go deeper on a given issue, it pays to learn from those who’ve already put in the shoe leather and crunched the data. In these essays and columns, our community of journalists steps back from the notebooks and tape to reflect on key lessons, highlight urgent themes, and offer sage advice on the essential health stories of the day. 

Author(s)
By Sue Luttner

The Medill Justice Project has published a thin slice of its data on shaken baby cases, in conjunction with its analysis of how cases are distributed across the country. The view into the database is very narrow, but the county-by-county searches can be fascinating.

Author(s)
By William Heisel

Wish you had a place to compare hospital post-op infection rates before you consider where to have your procedure? In California you can with the state's map of central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), MRSA and VRE.

Author(s)
By Debra Sherman

The “Give A Scan” program is the first to ask lung cancer patients, as well as those at risk, to donate their CT scans and other medical information to an anonymous data base. A pilot program is going national this week.