Kevin Maimann
Kevin Maimann focuses on how health risks, recalls and emerging science affect people’s daily lives, turning complex evidence and regulation into clear, actionable reporting for the CBC’s audience. He works as a senior writer for CBC News, covering health stories alongside broader assignments in technology, crime, politics and culture, which gives his health coverage a broad social and policy context. His background includes reporting for outlets such as VICE, the Toronto Star, Xtra Magazine and the Edmonton Journal, which informs a style that is direct, evidence‑driven and attuned to how marginalized and everyday communities experience risk.
Drug recalls and consumer safety
Drug and product recalls are a central strand of Maimann’s health coverage, where he explains not only what has gone wrong but what readers need to know to stay safe. His reporting on generic acetaminophen pills recalled over possible “foreign material” contamination walks through the nature of the defect, the affected products and the guidance from regulators, emphasizing practical steps for consumers and clinicians.
Coverage of a blood‑pressure drug recalled after a mix‑up similarly details how the error occurred, who is at risk, and how Health Canada and manufacturers are responding, translating regulatory language into plain advice. He extends this recall lens to food, as in his reporting on Whole Foods Market product recalls tied to a U.S. salmonella investigation, connecting supply‑chain issues, inspection findings and the implications for shoppers and retailers.
Across these pieces, he treats recalls as moments where regulatory systems, corporate practices and individual behaviour intersect, making clear what is known, what is being done and what readers should watch for.
Infectious disease threats and public risk
Maimann’s health work repeatedly examines infectious disease fears and the real level of threat, with an emphasis on keeping public risk perception aligned with the evidence. In his hantavirus coverage, he reports that the virus does not have pandemic potential and explains why, while still exploring why fears persist, bringing together expert assessment, historical outbreaks and public anxiety. A piece on a worrying Ebola outbreak follows the same pattern: it explains why the situation is medically and logistically concerning, yet sets out why it does not translate into an immediate threat to people in Canada, separating global health alarm from local risk. The confirmed tick story, on the advancing range of ticks and the need for people to adapt, fits this through‑line by showing how climate and ecological change shift disease vectors, then spelling out what adaptation looks like at the level of outdoor habits, surveillance and health‑system preparedness. His work in this area consistently blends epidemiology, expert commentary and practical guidance, aiming to prevent both complacency and panic by keeping the focus on what the evidence supports.
Science of wellness trends and the mental toll of technology
Beyond outbreaks and recalls, Maimann often tests fashionable health narratives against the underlying science, particularly around wellness practices and psychological strain.
In his piece on cold plunges, he treats the trend as a health claim to be evaluated, reviewing what research actually shows about benefits and risks, and distinguishing anecdote from peer‑reviewed findings in straightforward language. His reporting on AI‑fuelled delusions examines how new technologies can exacerbate or shape psychosis, outlining case examples, expert perspectives and systemic challenges for mental‑health services, with a focus on real‑world consequences for affected people and their families.
These stories share a concern with how ideas about health spread through culture and technology, and how evidence‑based practice can or cannot keep pace with that spread.
Broader assignments that frame health in a wider context
Although his beat includes health, Maimann’s wider portfolio in news, world affairs, business and entertainment adds context to how institutions and narratives operate around health risk and safety.
He has covered cases like the trial of Lindsay Clancy, accused of killing her three children, where legal process, public sympathy and questions about mental health and responsibility converge. His work on AI agents underperforming human workers while tech companies push layoffs explores how automation, corporate strategy and labour markets interact, a theme that complements his interest in technology’s psychological and social effects. Pieces on Western secession and its economic prospects, on Minnesotans flirting with the idea of joining Canada, on the pricing of new iPhone models in Canada, and on art thefts inspired by a Louvre heist all show an ability to move between political sentiment, economic structure and cultural stories without losing clarity or focus.
Taken together, this broader reporting helps situate his health coverage within a wider picture of how institutions respond to risk, how narratives gain traction, and how ordinary people experience the consequences.
4 more health journalists.
Alanna Smith
Alanna Smith is a national health reporter whose work links health policy and politics to real access to care, with a constant focus on health equity, infectious disease and the toxic drug crisis. She reports for The Globe and Mail on infectious diseases, hospitals and long-term care, mental health, drug policy and the pressures on health systems in Western Canada. Her stories connect big-picture decisions to patients, families, front-line workers and volunteers, showing how funding, privatization and federal standards shape public care. She has covered trauma care inequities, proposed public‑private models in Alberta, drug toxicity and overdose policy, respiratory virus surges, measles elimination, gene‑editing advances and gender‑affirming health care laws. Her work combines narrative reporting, data, legal and policy analysis, and has been recognized by national journalism and press freedom organizations.
Allan Levine
Allan Levine is a historian and author whose journalism uses the past to explain present-day issues. He writes for the Winnipeg Free Press, including the Now & Then column, which examines current events through history. His subjects include public health, disease, medical treatment, health systems, politics, social conflict, strikes, wars, antisemitism and Canadian public life. His polio reporting traces Manitoba epidemics, hospital pressures, treatment, mortality and the arrival of vaccines through archival data and medical history. He also writes about the Winnipeg General Strike and Jewish communities, including discrimination, rights and security. His work draws on books about Canadian political leaders, Jewish history and the wartime economy, including The Dollar A Year Men. He writes long-form, analytical pieces that combine dates, statistics, policy decisions and narrative storytelling to connect people and institutions with broader historical change.
Angela Amato
Angela Amato is a digital news producer with CTV News, and her coverage is distinct for linking health research and public safety concerns to legal and policy decisions that shape daily life. She reports on health, justice, politics, business, arts and culture, crime and public-interest stories. Her health work covers academic and clinical research, including studies on vaping and lung blood flow, exercise tolerance and early heart dysfunction in young adults. She also reports on motorcycle gang arrests, homicide and death investigations, Indigenous justice stories, wildfire evacuations, ambulance contracts, property taxes, labour negotiations and political advocacy rules. She explains complex findings in plain language and stays close to documents, data and expert sources. Her background includes investigative and daily newsrooms, and she has earned nominations for national journalism awards.
Apoorva Mandavilli
Apoorva Mandavilli covers the collision of infectious disease science, vaccine policy and public health agencies for The New York Times, following how research, regulation and politics shape outbreaks and access to vaccines. She reports on science and global health with a steady focus on infectious diseases and pandemics, including Covid-19, mpox, H.I.V., malaria and tuberculosis, treating them as ongoing global threats. Her work explains complex epidemiology and virology in clear narratives about risk, evidence and the consequences of scientific decisions. She repeatedly returns to vaccine policy, law and misinformation, tracing how court fights and agency disputes affect immunization schedules and public trust. She also reports on global health programs, funding cuts and inequity in care and technology. A longtime science journalist and former founding editor in chief of Spectrum, she has written widely on science and health and received major honors for medical science reporting and pandemic coverage.