Elizabeth Gregerson
Elizabeth Gregerson writes about oncology and cancer care for Becker's Oncology, with a focus on how systems, policy and technology shape outcomes for patients and cancer programs. Her coverage stands out for its attention to access and equity in cancer services and for translating new research and expert guidance into practical implications for clinicians and health system leaders. She builds much of her reporting around concrete data, multi-voice analysis and operational detail rather than broad clinical summaries.
Persistent inequities and the cancer access gap
Gregerson returns frequently to uneven access to cancer care, especially where gaps persist despite formal guidelines and available services. In her piece on “persistent” inequities in fertility preservation access for U.S. female adolescents and young adults with cancer, she synthesizes study data on rates of fertility discussions, referrals to specialists and completion of preservation procedures, underscoring how these measures vary widely across settings. She presents specific ranges—such as discussion rates from 9% to 75% and procedure completion from 0.56% to 70.3%—to show that whether patients receive fertility preservation is heavily dependent on where and by whom they are treated.
Her coverage of the clinical trial access gap similarly centers on how structural choices affect who benefits from cancer research. In a roundtable-style article where Becker’s speaks with 14 oncology leaders, she organizes expert perspectives around concrete levers—embedding trial identification into routine care, decentralizing resources, expanding eligibility criteria and automating prescreening—highlighting operational steps needed to make trial participation an expected part of care rather than an exceptional opportunity. She also tracks how policy shifts can widen or narrow these gaps, as in her reporting on cancer centers bracing for coverage losses tied to Medicaid work requirements and other insurance changes. Across these stories, the through-line is the same: she focuses on the points where system design quietly determines access.
Remote monitoring, AI and tools reshaping cancer care
Gregerson devotes significant coverage to how digital tools and data-driven workflows change the experience of cancer treatment. In her article on cancer patients reporting improved quality of life with remote monitoring, she explains how electronic symptom reporting allowed participants to feel more in control of their care and led to better symptom control and physical function over a three‑month period compared with usual care. She notes that the benefits were most pronounced for patients who are younger, female, Black and have lower levels of education, drawing out the equity implications of technologies that can close communication gaps for groups facing higher symptom burden.
Her reporting on AI in breast cancer diagnostics examines how automation can cut the time from suspicion to definitive diagnosis, stressing the operational impact on busy imaging services and the downstream effect on treatment timelines. She carries the theme of AI-enabled decision support into her clinical trial access coverage, highlighting leaders who point to AI-integrated trial matching embedded in routine workflows as a key lever for equitable access at scale. She also covers the limits of emerging evidence, as in her report on a journal retracting a study that claimed time of day influenced chemotherapy efficacy, bringing attention to research quality and the importance of robust data before changing practice. Taken together, these pieces show her interest in both the promise and the guardrails of technology in oncology.
Breast cancer screening and survivorship: what to know
Gregerson often uses a “what to know” format to clarify contested or confusing areas of cancer care, especially around screening and survivorship. In her article on confusion over breast cancer screening age, she walks through survey findings showing that nearly half of women incorrectly believe annual mammograms should start at age 50, while another large segment thinks they should begin at 35. She then sets out the recommendations from major bodies including the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the American Cancer Society, the American College of Radiology, the Society of Breast Imaging, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American Society of Breast Surgeons, noting that most advise annual screening beginning at age 40. By contrasting public belief with guideline consensus, she gives readers a clear, actionable picture of when screening should start and why there is confusion.
Her survivorship coverage keeps the focus on the long arc of cancer care, beyond the acute treatment phase. In a piece on why survivorship care needs a redesign that draws on insights from 10 leaders, she uses multi-voice reporting to surface practical changes—such as integrating fertility preservation into standard pathways, addressing late effects systematically and improving navigation—that would make post-treatment care more coherent and equitable. Together with her fertility preservation work, these stories show her interest in life after diagnosis and the ways small structural choices ripple through survivors’ futures.
Cancer centers opening, expanding and collaborating
Alongside research- and policy-focused coverage, Gregerson closely tracks the physical and organizational footprint of cancer care. In one article, she compiles a list of 40 hospitals and health systems that are opening cancer centers or expanding existing programs, emphasizing how capacity is shifting across regions and systems. Her reporting on Trinity Health of New England joining a Dana‑Farber collaborative similarly focuses on institutional alignment, examining how partnerships can extend specialized oncology expertise and services across broader networks. She also covers leadership moves, such as USA Health tapping a new cancer institute leader, to show how executive appointments connect to strategic priorities in oncology programs.
Her author archive extends across dozens of pages of oncology coverage, reflecting a sustained focus on cancer centers, collaborations and program design as key drivers of what patients experience. Whether she is cataloging new facilities, tracking coverage threats, or detailing how academic–community partnerships are structured, she consistently ties organizational news back to questions of access, capacity and the practical delivery of care.
4 more health journalists.
Abida Tasnim
Abida Tasnim is a health writer for The Daily Star who focuses on clear, practical guidance that helps readers recognise risks early and act before everyday illnesses turn into wider public health problems. She reports on infectious disease prevention, using measles coverage to show how outbreaks start with individual decisions and behaviours, not just hospital statistics. Her work explains what happens during an outbreak and then anchors the story in simple steps people can take, such as avoiding crowded places when symptoms appear, practising good hygiene, and seeking medical advice early. She writes direct, action‑oriented health explainers that turn clinical questions about contagion and disease burden into everyday choices. Across her beat, she stresses early recognition, timely care, and prevention as the foundations of healthier communities.
Adrián Carballo Casla
Adrián Carballo Casla stands out for turning complex cohort data on ageing into clear, food‑level advice on what older adults should eat to protect brain health and slow chronic disease. He is a researcher in nutritional epidemiology focused on ageing and chronic disease prevention and a postdoctoral researcher in geriatric epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet, writing health explainers for The Conversation. He reports on how diet quality, especially Mediterranean and Mind‑style patterns, shapes dementia risk, grey matter loss and neurocognitive ageing, and how healthy versus pro‑inflammatory diets alter multimorbidity trajectories. His articles translate findings on flavonoids, polyphenols, folate, omega‑3 fats and dietary nitrates into specific food choices and small, practical changes. Much of his coverage is anchored in his own studies on multimorbidity, high‑risk older adults and tailored dietary recommendations, often syndicated to other outlets.
Ahmed Elbediwy
Ahmed Elbediwy brings a lab-based understanding of cancer biology and clinical biochemistry to public-facing health reporting, linking drug mechanisms and molecular pathways to everyday choices about medicines and products. He writes for The Conversation on weight-loss injections, cancer overdiagnosis and anti-ageing supplements, focusing on obesity medicine, cancer signalling, screening trade-offs, skincare and supplement science. His pieces on GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro explain why some people do not respond, how gut hormones and appetite signals work, and where psychological support and nutrition fit alongside prescriptions. He co-authors explainers on cancer risk and overdiagnosis and on whether supplements can reverse ageing, separating established knowledge from emerging research. An award-winning senior lecturer at Kingston University, he favours clear, structured explainers, careful definition of key terms and evidence-based appraisal over hype.
Amanda Sheppeard
Amanda Sheppeard is a managing editor and health journalist known for long, detailed explainers that connect complex clinical research, disability policy and political narratives with the daily realities of doctors and patients. She works at The Medical Republic across editorial leadership and commercial content while reporting widely on medicine for its specialist titles. Her real beat spans autism, disability policy, autoimmune disease, infectious threats and system pressures in primary care and hospitals. She covers subjects such as autism diagnosis and the NDIS, rheumatology’s clinical shifts, weight-loss agents in rheumatoid arthritis, infection control, antimicrobial resistance and new modalities like CAR T-cell therapy and microneedles. She reports by doing the synthesis inside the story, linking trial design, molecular targets, funding rules and policy changes to concrete decisions and workflows in clinics and hospitals.