Issue

Health

In Health, Pulitzer Center grantees delve into some of the world’s most pressing health issues and challenges. Featuring a wide range of topics from chronic illnesses to outbreaks and epidemics to reproductive health and public health systems, our reporting looks at the breadth of health issues found across the globe.

We also look at the global footprint of cancer, which kills more people than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. We examine the disproportionate burden placed on poorer countries, as well as the medical and business innovations that allow for treatment once thought too costly or too difficult to deliver.

Other projects look at mental health, including the trauma caused by conflicts like the wars in Syria and Yemen, the effects of pollution on communities, and safety and injury-related deaths, such as in our ongoing Roads Kill project.

By telling the stories of patients, caregivers, and scientists, our reporters are drawing outbreak comparisons and providing lessons for prevention. They are also taking on the challenge of communicating technical information to the lay ear, and ultimately filling the gap between the scientific and public understanding of health crises.

Health

Wuhan Coronavirus Hunter Shi Zhengli Speaks Out

The coronavirus pandemic has thrust virologist Shi Zhengli into a fierce spotlight. Many have speculated that the pathogen that causes COVID-19, accidentally escaped from her lab. Some have even suggested it could have been engineered there. Claims “that SARS-CoV-2 was leaked from our institute totally contradicts the facts,” Shi said. “It jeopardizes and affects our academic work and personal life.”

Capturing Stories of Life in Illinois

The Illinois State Museum launched an initiative to record history as it is happening, inviting the people of Illinois to share their experiences living through the pandemic.