Richard Knox
Since he joined NPR in 2000, Knox has covered a broad range of issues and events in public health, medicine, and science. His reports can be heard on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Talk of the Nation, and newscasts.
Among other things, Knox's NPR reports have examined the impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa, North America, and the Caribbean; anthrax terrorism; smallpox and other bioterrorism preparedness issues; the rising cost of medical care; early detection of lung cancer; community caregiving; music and the brain; and the SARS epidemic.
Before joining NPR, Knox covered medicine and health for The Boston Globe. His award-winning 1995 articles on medical errors are considered landmarks in the national movement to prevent medical mistakes. Knox is a graduate of the University of Illinois and Columbia University. He has held yearlong fellowships at Stanford and Harvard Universities, and is the author of a 1993 book on Germany's health care system.
He and his wife Jean, an editor, live in Boston. They have two daughters.
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How to achieve universal health coverage is a major issue in this year's presidential campaign. Massachusetts has implemented a 2006 law requiring nearly every citizen to sign up for health insurance or pay a tax penalty.
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Resistant staph infections have captured headlines in recent months, with school outbreaks that have sometimes been fatal. Now, researchers say an even more drug-resistant staph is spreading among gay and bisexual men.
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A new study shows widespread testing for heart problems in young athletes helps prevent sudden cardiac deaths. But some say that screening every young athlete for a rare condition could cause more problems than it solves.
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Merck agrees to pay nearly $5 billion to settle lawsuits from consumers contending the painkiller Vioxx caused heart attacks and strokes. The safety problems of Vioxx and the withdrawal of Vioxx from the market was a watershed event in regulating prescription drugs in the U.S.
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Three scientists will share the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering work in the fields of "gene targeting" and embryonic stem-cell research. The discoveries, made over the past three decades, laid the groundwork for understanding how genes work.
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Ovarian cancer is often called the "silent" cancer. Often it has already spread by the time it is diagnosed. New guidelines urge women and their doctors to pay attention to early symptoms, but some experts aren't sure they are helpful. -
In recent years, many big cities have suffered epidemics of fatal heat stroke, and scientists predict more-frequent heat waves. But global warming isn't the only factor. Big cities also create their own heat.
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Against the advice of infectious disease experts, a patient with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis was able to deliberately evade a worldwide no-fly order and travel freely by commercial jet last week around the globe.
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Regulators and food manufacturers were caught off guard when a deadly food additive from China turned up in U.S. pet food. Experts say it's a consequence of globalization and America's growing dependence on China for food ingredients.
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Earbuds that deliver sound directly to the ear canal have become increasingly popular. But hearing specialists are concerned that when earbuds are turned up too loud, they may cause lasting damage to young ears.
