Rob Stein
Rob Stein is a correspondent and senior editor on NPR's science desk.
An award-winning science journalist with more than 30 years of experience, Stein mostly covers health and medicine. He tends to focus on stories that illustrate the intersection of science, health, politics, social trends, ethics, and federal science policy. He tracks genetics, stem cells, cancer research, women's health issues, and other science, medical, and health policy news.
Before NPR, Stein worked at The Washington Post for 16 years, first as the newspaper's science editor and then as a national health reporter. Earlier in his career, Stein spent about four years as an editor at NPR's science desk. Before that, he was a science reporter for United Press International (UPI) in Boston and the science editor of the international wire service in Washington.
Stein's work has been honored by many organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association for Cancer Research, and the Association of Health Care Journalists. He was twice part of NPR teams that won Peabody Awards.
Stein frequently represents NPR, speaking at universities, international meetings and other venues, including the University of Cambridge in Britain, the World Conference of Science Journalists in South Korea, and the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.
Stein is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He completed a journalism fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health, a program in science and religion at the University of Cambridge, and a summer science writer's workshop at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.
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The FDA is authorizing new booster shots to protect people against another surge of omicron infections this fall and winter.
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The Food and Drug Administration authorized the first updated COVID-19 vaccines since the pandemic began — boosters targeted at the omicron variant.
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Some scientists are alarmed that the agency plans to evaluate the next generation of boosters by reviewing mouse studies alone. Others say there's no time to waste waiting for human trials. -
The Food and Drug Administration's decision against allowing more people to get second boosters has left many younger adults in limbo and angry.
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The Biden administration is scrapping plans to offer COVID boosters for people under 50 this summer. Instead officials will push for an earlier release of the next generation boosters in the fall. -
President Biden's COVID infection underscores a new surge of the pandemic, with another highly contagious virus strain and a federal scramble to provide more boosters to try to protect people.
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The Biden administration is considering expanding eligibility for a second COVID-19 booster to those under 50 to try to protect more people against the latest omicron surge. -
COVID vaccine makers are developing new boosters for a fall campaign. But some experts question the FDA's decision to tell companies to make shots against the BA.4/5 subvariants.
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With COVID vaccines rolling out for younger children, NPR health correspondent Rob Stein and pediatrician Dr. Nia Heard-Garris are answering listener questions.
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FDA advisers recommended the agency authorize new COVID-19 vaccines targeted at omicron to protect people against what could be another winter surge.
