Mia Williams
Mia Williams covers health stories at UNILAD that sit inside breaking US news, crime, politics, entertainment and lifestyle rather than a standalone medical beat. Her work is defined by case-led reporting: she uses individual incidents, court cases and viral moments to surface medical risks, safety failures and the human impact of health decisions. Recent coverage ranges from side effects of injectable weight loss drugs and rare syndromes to environmental science and high-profile tragedies.
'Ghost fat' and the side effects of weight loss drugs
Williams writes directly about injectable weight loss drugs through their side effects, focusing on “ghost fat” as an unexpected change that emerges after treatment rather than on celebrity use of the medications. The emphasis on an unusual side effect fits a wider pattern in her health reporting, where she anchors stories in what happens to people’s bodies and how those changes alter daily life.
This approach positions her squarely in the current debate around weight loss injections while keeping the story grounded in patient experience and medical detail.
'Happy heart syndrome' and other rare medical conditions
A recurring strand in her work is explaining rare or poorly understood conditions by tying them to specific individuals and events. In a piece on “happy heart syndrome,” she links a medical emergency at a wedding to a cardiac phenomenon triggered by extreme emotional joy, making a complex diagnosis legible through a single family story.
She has reported on a woman whose breasts “never stop growing,” showing how an unusual physical condition affects dating and daily life. Coverage of a sports figure whose 911 call captured him “coughing up blood” before his death continues this focus on acute symptoms and their consequences.
By following these cases, she maps health risks onto recognisable situations rather than abstract categories.
False health claims, crime and documentary narratives
Williams frequently reports at the point where health and crime meet, especially when medical lies or diagnoses drive the narrative. Her pieces around the Netflix documentary on Taylor Parker examine false health claims used alongside a fabricated pregnancy, and introduce the concept of “elimination murder” as part of a broader true-crime explainer.
She has covered the youngest woman on death row, focusing on her final words and the circumstances of her crimes rather than procedural detail.
Other stories look at a fatal rope jump where staff allegedly forgot to attach a safety cord, turning a recreation activity into a safety and accountability case. Her background as a documentary producer, including independent films and research work on television series, gives these crime and health pieces a structured narrative and an eye for how they will be revisited on screen.
Breaking US news, high-impact incidents and wider science
Alongside health, Williams reports across breaking US news, crime and politics, and uses those beats to extend her coverage into safety, grief and responsibility. She writes about influencer Emilie Kiser’s phone call after her young son drowned in a backyard pool, focusing on the emotional aftermath and the practical realities of domestic safety. Her story on a man’s fatal fall during a Goose concert at Madison Square Garden tracks how a live entertainment event turns into a public safety incident.
In political and sports coverage, she has reported on Donald Trump’s health checks and on possible FIFA punishment for Argentina players over a Falklands banner, showing how health and conduct questions play out in institutions as well as in private lives. She also covers scientific developments such as the discovery of a structure under the Pacific Ocean linked to “super El Niño,” bringing environmental science into the same portfolio of high-impact stories.
Before joining UNILAD, she spent more than three years freelancing across LADbible Group titles, which underpins her ability to move between health, news, crime, politics and entertainment without losing a consistent, incident-led style.
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.