We are delighted to announce that the winner of the Health Systems Global Inaugural Media Fellowship is journalist Irene Rodriguez-Salas. Irene is based at La Nacion newspaper in Costa Rica.
The six media fellows all undertook cutting-edge investigations on critical health systems and health policy topics in diverse contexts and settings ahead of the Fifth Global Symposium for Health Systems Research (HSR2018). The idea was to promote high quality and diverse journalistic practices that address critical health systems and health policy related topics.
Irene’s winning feature piece focused on the inclusion and integration of cultural and traditional practices in a remote hospital in Costa Rica. This piece weaved the human story into a much broader narrative around cultural understanding and integrating peoples own experiences and beliefs into their care. She articulated the need to work and involve the community in their health and the systems that support them, and crafted powerful and positive message of how this can change health systems only for the better.
We would also like to extend our congratulations to all of the media fellows for their stellar contribution through their feature pieces and coverage of to the conversations taking place at the Fifth Global Symposium for Health Systems Research and through their media platforms.
- Anoo Bhuyan, The Wire, India
- Abantika Ghosh, The Indian Express, India
- Patience Nyangove, Confidente Newspaper, Namibia
- Vanessa Adie Offiong, Media Trust Limited, Abuja, Nigeria
- Irene Rodriguez-Salas, La Nación newspaper, Costa Rica
- Daria Sarkisyan, Meduza.io, Russia
The pieces were all reviewed and judged by our diverse panel of journalists, policymakers and researchers, including:
- Darren Dodd, Health Journalist, Financial Times
- Jenny Lei Ravelo, Health Journalist, Devex
- Akaki Zoidze, Chairman of Healthcare and Social Issues Committee, Parliament of Georgia
- Daniela Rodriguez, Co-Chair of HSG’s Evidence to Action TWG and Associate Researcher, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Kabir Sheikh, outgoing Chair of Health Systems Global and Policy Advisor for Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research.
A recognition of Irene’s winning piece will be profiled in the Financial Times Health Newsletter on 19 October, which is a weekly newsletter for decision makers around the world.
Image credit: Toby Phillips Photography