Maria Ortiz-Briones

I am the health reporter for Vida en el Valle, a McClatchy publication in Central California. I cover health issues impacting Latinos in the Central Valley. I have worked for more than a decade in daily journalism. I have worked as reporter covering spot news, served as both a features writer and editor and I have been the editor of a Spanish publication for Lee Enterprises newspapers in California. I was also the features copy editor for three Gannett newspapers - the Visalia Times-Delta, Tulare Advance-Register and The Salinas Californian. I am a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalist (NAHJ), Society of Professional Journalist (SPJ), CCNMA-Latino Journalist of California and the Association of Health Care Journalist (AHCJ). I was selected for the Poynter’s 2013 Specialized Reporting Institute fellowship – Medicare NewsGroup's workshop “Covering Medicare: Care, Costs, Control and Consequences” in May 2013. I am one of 12 journalist selected to participate in the AHCJ 2013-2014 Regional Health Journalism Fellowship West. The Society of Professional Journalists selected me as one of its six Diversity Leadership Fellows to participate in the 2013 SPJ Diversity Leadership Program Fellowship at its annual conference at the end of August 2013. I received a fellowship to attend Families USA’s National Health Policy Journalist Training for Communities of Color in September 2013. And most recently I was admitted to the 2014 California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowship.