The key to writing a good story on a hot topic is finding the right experts as quickly as possible.

Searching for America’s Doctor
I wrote this piece in October 2014. The Ebola virus was causing panic among people in America, and no Surgeon General was in place to calm the fears and offer hard facts about the virus. That was because President Obama had nominated Dr. Vivek Murthy, shown left, who had angered the NRA by saying that gun control was a public health issue—so certain Congress members who were supported by the NRA would not confirm Dr. Murty until mid-term elections had passed. He became the Surgeon General in 2014 but was asked to step down by Trump in 2017.

Women’s Deaths From Painkillers An Epidemic
When the opioid epidemic was first beginning to catch the attention of doctors and journalists, the Centers for Disease Control issued a statistic that stood out—there had been a 400 percent increase in overdose deaths among women from 1999 to 2010, with midlife women especially vulnerable. In this piece I explored the possible causes and what could help.

From Hot to Not
Work stress, fatigue, parenting … here are some of the reasons why sex goes away in happy couples.