Writing Portfolio for KFF Health News
Excerpts from my Master’s Thesis
For the past three years, I have been researching prescription prices, studying healthcare policy, conducting interviews, and doing my own investigations into a simple question: how do diabetics in America survive when they can’t afford their insulin? This work has culminated in a long-form nonfiction project that was accepted as my MFA thesis at the University of New Hampshire. KFF Health News has been the single most important source of information and inspiration throughout the experience (I cited you as a source more than any other organization!) The human-centered, clear reporting that you produce is unparalleled and greatly shaped how I approached the book.
To the right you will find download links to three PDFs, containing three chapters from my master’s thesis. The first two (chapters 8 and 9) are both centered on crowdfunding as a survival method and the third (chapter 14) is a broader look at the life, death, and legacy of Alec Raeshawn Smith, who died of rationing his insulin.
Example articles for UNH Today magazine
To the right are links to three articles I was assigned to write and completed on deadline for UNH Today magazine. The first was basic event coverage of an academic competition and how the organizers overcame covid-related logistical challenges. The next two are both profiles of scholars working at UNH’s Carsey School of Public Policy.
For more of my published writing, please navigate to the “Writing” section at the top of the site.
A final word: I understand that the creative nonfiction in my thesis is distinct from journalism and has much more color, personal analysis, and opinion than what KFF Health News strives to produce. However, I hope that it demonstrates my ability to capture the human cost of American healthcare and elucidate the industry’s underlying issues. I also understand that the articles from UNH Today magazine are not hard-hitting pieces of reporting, but I hope they do show that I can shift to a more classic journalistic style when appropriate. Cumulatively, I hope that the above work helps to prove that I have the skill, drive, and subject expertise necessary to thrive as a rural health correspondent. Thank you.