Alan Booth
Alan Booth is a senior editor at Labmate-Online who focuses on the intersection of infectious disease, laboratory research and emerging health technologies within the global health landscape. His coverage centres on how outbreaks, vaccines, drug development and antimicrobial resistance connect, rather than treating them as isolated subjects. Within that frame he reports news, laboratory research updates, event coverage and podcast discussions aimed at a specialist but broad laboratory community.
Infectious disease outbreaks and vaccines
Booth’s core reporting follows major infectious disease events and the scientific response to them, with particular attention to tuberculosis, measles, cholera and influenza. He has covered one of the largest tuberculosis outbreaks in the United States since the 1950s, reporting on the spread centred on Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas City and the associated fatalities. In related work he has written on breakthroughs in tuberculosis vaccine and drug development, framing them as global health advances rather than narrow laboratory findings. His health beat extends to malaria, where he has reported on a vaccine that provides long protection and inhibits mosquito transmission, highlighting long-duration efficacy and transmission-blocking as central points of interest. Across these pieces he consistently links clinical burden and transmission patterns to the development and deployment of vaccines and therapeutics, keeping the outbreak context in view.
Antimicrobial resistance and emerging pathogens
Antimicrobial resistance runs through Booth’s work as a recurring theme, both in news reporting and in podcast formats. He has written about a newly identified bacterium with a broad spectrum of antibiotic resistance, treating it as a breaking research story with clear implications for AMR surveillance.
Through his LabMatePod episodes he has discussed AMR in the context of Singapore’s national standards for antimicrobial disinfectants, placing policy initiatives alongside scientific developments. Those same podcast editions bring in other emerging or high-concern pathogens, including rare blood disorders and H5N1 influenza, showing that he uses AMR as a lens on wider pathogen threats rather than a siloed topic.
His coverage gives equal weight to resistance patterns, public health responses and laboratory methodology, which makes his AMR reporting relevant to both clinical and research audiences.
Laboratory innovation, gene therapies and scientific events
Beyond infectious disease, Booth tracks how new laboratory capabilities and funding structures reshape the health and life sciences sector. He has provided additional reporting on the launch of two £50m centres dedicated to cutting-edge gene therapies, detailing the aim to transform diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders through large-scale development of therapeutic genomics. His event coverage includes features on SinS Brighton 2025, presented as a singular must-attend laboratory science meeting, where he has interviewed scientific leaders about why the conference matters for laboratory practitioners and researchers.
These stories underline his interest in how infrastructure - whether in the form of new centres, major conferences or collaborative programmes - supports translation of laboratory research into clinical practice.
Editorial leadership and multimedia science communication
Alongside his reporting, Booth plays an editorial leadership role at Labmate-Online, shaping the content strategy and science communication approach across the masthead’s channels. His professional remit includes leading the editorial vision, generating content across multiple media streams and fostering a global laboratory community, with an emphasis on well-researched and accessible science coverage.
He is the presenter of the LabMatePod, hosting episodes that bring together topics such as measles outbreaks in the United States, cholera cases linked to Ethiopian holy water, AMR standards in Singapore and historical scientific curiosities, which he uses to keep listeners engaged while maintaining technical depth. Outside the site itself, he promotes and expands on this work by highlighting pieces like an article on an AI tool - PandemicLLM - that reframes methodologies for forecasting infectious disease outbreaks, positioning AI-driven modelling as part of the future of pandemic prediction.
Across written articles, interviews and podcasts, his output reflects a consistent aim: to connect laboratory findings, health policy and technological innovation in a way that is clear, current and grounded in primary scientific and public health sources.
4 more health journalists.
Alex Storey
Alex Storey is a journalist at LBC whose work is driven by specific cases that test professional conduct and accountability in health and the public sector. He covers health as his main beat, focusing on the point where individual decisions by clinicians or officials meet public trust in institutions. His reporting is incident-first and case-led, using concrete episodes to show how rules, ethics and policy work in real life. Recent pieces include a disciplinary case where a nurse was struck off after linking a patient’s cancer to Covid jabs, and coverage of civil servants being “paid to play Grand Theft Auto” as “lived experience” training. Across these stories, he examines how professionals, regulators and officials explain their decisions, and what that reveals about trust, responsibility and the standards expected of people in positions of authority.
Alexandra Thompson
Alexandra Thompson is an assistant news editor focused on health who treats health claims as hypotheses to be tested rather than messages to be repeated. She works at New Scientist, combining editing with frontline reporting on ageing brains, cognitive health, chronic illness, contested treatments and infectious disease. Her beat centres on how neuroscience and psychology intersect with everyday health choices and on how scientific findings translate into real-world outcomes for people living with illness. She examines lifestyle advice, rehabilitation programmes and outbreak guidance against current evidence, clarifying risk without overstating it and giving space to controversy without sensationalising it. Alongside written news she appears in audio and video formats, bringing the same clear, news-driven approach to live discussions and helping shape the daily health agenda while keeping a tight focus on evidence and impact.
Alice Wilkinson
Alice Wilkinson investigates how everyday habits, products and routines shape sleep and long-term wellbeing, using test-driven health features to separate hype from real benefit. She holds a senior role on The Telegraph’s health features team, writing and shaping consumer-focused coverage that blends personal trial with clear expert evidence. Her core beat is sleep as a practical, solvable part of daily life, from detailed comparisons of magnesium supplements to service pieces on how sleeping position affects health over time. She treats supplements as a crowded, over-claimed market that demands careful testing and clear-eyed reporting. Alongside long-form features she writes weekly health desk dispatches on sleep, stress and concentration. Across her work she combines substantial self-testing, specialist insight and plain, unfussy prose to give readers measurable, realistic changes they can make.
Alison Lynch
Alison Lynch turns testing and lifestyle expertise into clear, shoppable guidance on sleep, home and beauty. She is head of content for the Good Housekeeping Institute, overseeing product coverage across homes, beauty, wellness, family and food and drink. With more than 15 years’ experience as a lifestyle editor, she covers mattresses, bedding, sleep aids, grooming tools, wellness devices, kitchen products, homeware and smart gadgets. Her reviews combine lab data, panel feedback and long-term use with practical details on comfort, performance, value and ease of use. She also writes service features on cooking, misophonia and television-inspired style, and has interviewed Dame Joanna Lumley and members of the Kardashian family. Her work connects everyday wellbeing, consumer products and lifestyle through actionable advice.