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Portrait of Pam Belluck

Pam Belluck

I cover a range of subjects, including reproductive health, long Covid, brain science, neurological disorders, mental health and genetics. My stories aim to depict the reality of people’s experiences with health and medicine, reflecting its complexity, subtlety, unpredictability and individuality. I’m interested in how developments and challenges in illness and medical science affect patients, families and communities. I’ve written about postpartum depression and infectious diseases like Covid-19, Ebola and Zika. I also cover the intersection of policy and health, such as abortion and contraception. And I’ve done investigative reporting on controversial issues, such as the Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm. I also enjoy writing about lighter topics, including a cat that got lost near the Daytona Speedway but somehow navigated 200 miles home two months later and the discovery of the world’s oldest leather shoe (size 7, right foot, preserved for 5,500 years in sheep dung).

I’ve reported throughout the United States and in Asia, South America, Europe and Africa. After graduating from Princeton with a degree in international relations, I became a freelance foreign correspondent in the Philippines, primarily for The San Francisco Chronicle, then worked in Atlanta and Philadelphia.

At The Times, I served as bureau chief in the Midwest and New England, then received a yearlong fellowship to study science at M.I.T. and Harvard and began covering medical subjects.

I’m honored that my work on Ebola with six colleagues won a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting and other awards. I contributed, with many colleagues, to coverage of Covid-19, which earned The Times a Pulitzer for public service. Other honors include the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting and being selected for The Best American Science Writing. My book “Island Practice,” about an unusual doctor, has been optioned for television. I’m also a jazz flutist and once sang a Sinatra song to get a story.

My colleagues at The Times and I are committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. I work hard to ensure that my stories are accurate and fair. It’s very important to me to treat people with respect and empathy. I explain the story I am working on and encourage people to feel comfortable asking me questions about the process. I honor commitments I make to sources. I ask for evidence and documentation, and I believe that journalism should hold institutions and powerful figures to account for their actions. I do not accept gifts, money or favors from those who are involved in a story I’m working on. I do not participate in political causes or make political donations. I make every effort to understand issues from multiple angles and perspectives.

Latest

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    Ice Skating and the Brain

    How do champion skaters accomplish their extraordinary jumps and spins? Brain science is uncovering clues.

    By Pam Belluck

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