Dan Gorenstein

3 weeks ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Dan Gorenstein |Melanie Evans

eKatherine Wells has been an epidemiologist working to protect the public from disease outbreaks for 25 years. Until January, she had never encountered measles. “I mean, we considered measles eradicated in the United States,” she said. Now, as public health director for Lubbock, Texas, Wells is at the center of a measles outbreak that has infected more than 700 people in Texas alone, sent more than 90 to the hospital and killed two otherwise healthy children.

4 weeks ago | npr.org | Dan Gorenstein |Melanie Evans

Instructions for a Measles vaccination is seen outside of the Lubbock Public Health facility on April 09, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America Katherine Wells has been an epidemiologist working to protect the public from disease outbreaks for 25 years. Until January, she had never encountered measles. "I mean, we considered measles eradicated in the United States," she said.

1 month ago | wgbh.org | Dan Gorenstein

May 05, 2025 When Ari Ne’eman heard Robert F. Kennedy Jr. call autism an “ epidemic ” that “destroys families,” Ne’eman felt like he had stepped into a time machine — heading in the wrong direction. It was during an April 16 press conference where Kennedy, the nation’s top health official, went on to claim that autistic children will “never pay taxes” or “hold a job” and that their condition is preventable. “This is a throwback to how people talked about autism 25 years ago,” Ne’eman said.

1 month ago | npr.org | Dan Gorenstein |Leslie Walker

If Congress cuts Medicaid funding, health policy researcher Ari Ne'eman says people with disabilities face a "unique threat." zeljkosantrac/Getty Images/E+ hide caption toggle caption zeljkosantrac/Getty Images/E+ When Ari Ne'eman heard Robert F. Kennedy Jr. call autism an "epidemic" that "destroys families," Ne'eman felt like he had stepped into a time machine — heading in the wrong direction.

2 months ago | npr.org | Ryan Levi |Dan Gorenstein

Mehmet Oz — the surgeon-turned-TV-star better known as Dr. Oz — faced senators on Capitol Hill last week, asking them to confirm him as the new head of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. "I commit to doing whatever I can, working tirelessly to ensure that CMS provides Americans with access to superb care, especially Americans who are most vulnerable: our young, our disabled, and our elderly," Oz told the members of the Senate Finance Committee in his opening statement.