Sometimes it feels like science is distant from our day-to-day lives — but it’s here with us, even (especially) in our most vulnerable moments. The invention of a ventilator, for instance, changed the course of my life and the lives of the people I love the most.

I spoke with the National Press Club Institute recently about how I try to relate science and health to everyday life as much as possible in my writing and reporting.

“Sometimes feeling like a total amateur can lead you to the best stories; it’s when we get over-confident that we start making mistakes. That’s how it is for me, anyway! I always remind myself that most of my readers are also not experts, so I am one of their guides in learning more. Whenever I feel dumb for asking a simple question, I try to remember that I’m asking it on behalf of someone who needs to know.”

Read more at the National Press Club Institute!

I also recently spoke with Climate Tracker to discuss what it’s like to report on climate change and health — especially how they overlap and intersect.

Freelance journalist Melody Schreiber, a veteran in health and science reporting, recalled feeling like “a nerd in the corner” when she followed up on stories about the Arctic and epidemic diseases in the past.

“It always felt like people believed [epidemic diseases] were not going to happen [in the U.S.], that we were beyond that,” she told Climate Tracker. “People are more tuned into these stories now.” 

Read more at Climate Tracker.