Winner – Third Place – Best Medical or Science Reporting (Publication circulation below 10,000) - Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists 2022 Best of Indiana Journalism Contest

 

On Friday, April 21, 2023 at the 502 East Event Centre in Carmel, Indiana, the Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) announced the winners of their 2022 Best of Indiana Journalism Contest.

I won third place for Best Medical or Science Reporting for publications with circulation below 10,000.

I was Editor of the Wabash Plain Dealer from June 2019 to October 2022.

It was one of three awards I won that evening, the other two being second place for Best Business or Consumer Affairs Reporting and second place for Best Environmental Reporting.

For the Best Medical or Science Reporting category, I submitted five stories combined as one entry:

State officials urge precautions against mosquitoes due to rare virus

https://www.wabashplaindealer.com/news/state-officials-urge-precautions-against-mosquitoes-due-to-rare-virus/article_e18b2334-5911-58fd-806b-8fd029b46b4e.html

By ROB BURGESS

Wabash Plain Dealer Editor

Nov. 14, 2022

On Thursday, Oct. 6, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) and animal health officials urged northern Indiana residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites and to monitor their horses for illness in response to the detection of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus activity in multiple northern Indiana counties.

Waypoint Wabash recovery home for women to hold grand opening

https://www.wabashplaindealer.com/news/waypoint-wabash-recovery-home-for-women-to-hold-grand-opening/article_cf3cf96b-1317-5e7e-85c6-334fe2d4e8ba.html

By ROB BURGESS

Wabash Plain Dealer Editor

Sept. 13, 2022

Years in the making, Waypoint Wabash, a substance use recovery home for women, will finally hold its grand opening later this month.

Monkeypox cases spreading slowly, but steadily through state

https://www.wabashplaindealer.com/news/monkeypox-cases-spreading-slowly-but-steadily-through-state/article_b469437e-bcab-5736-9745-747a531ca2ca.html

By ROB BURGESS

Wabash Plain Dealer Editor

July 29, 2022

Just over a month after the first occurrence of monkeypox was identified in the state, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reported this week that several dozen Hoosiers had been infected.

Stillwater Hospice needs volunteers to sit with the dying

https://www.wabashplaindealer.com/news/stillwater-hospice-needs-volunteers-to-sit-with-the-dying/article_167f79b0-dd1a-55f9-b015-26d5e71c0c0c.html

By ROB BURGESS

Wabash Plain Dealer Editor

June 28, 2022

Stillwater Hospice needs volunteers to sit with the dying, including those in Wabash County.

Local efforts to combat substance use disorder continue

https://www.wabashplaindealer.com/news/local-efforts-to-combat-substance-use-disorder-continue/article_fde305b7-5cb6-5975-8a1a-95c76daa2452.html

By ROB BURGESS

Wabash Plain Dealer Editor

April 19, 2022

Local efforts to combat this problem will receive a boost after a pair of recent announcements.