The Association of Health Care Journalists International Health Study Fellowship is a Commonwealth Fund-supported six-month program allowing veteran U.S.-based health care journalists to pursue a story or project comparing a facet of the U.S. health care system to that of another country.
Fellows pursue the projects with the support of their newsrooms or freelance outlets, which commit to publish or air the work. The project could evaluate a key component of the health care system, a health outcome, access, performance, providers, efficiency, or other focal point.
Guidance is provided by AHCJ fellowship leaders through customized seminars, conference calls, and email consultations. The fellowship covers the cost of traveling to the seminars and the international reporting sites, as well as lodging and meal and incidental expense stipends.
The 2026 fellows and their projects are:
- Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call: Examining how England has nearly eliminated hepatitis B and C to uncover strategies, outreach efforts, and policy interventions that could inform stronger prevention and treatment in the U.S.
- Kiley Koscinski of 90.5 WESA Pittsburgh: Investigating Japan’s approach to dementia care and exploring what policies Pennsylvania can adopt as its population rapidly ages.
- Nicoletta Lanese of Live Science: Investigating how a unique government-run program in Japan dramatically and sustainably reduced outpatient antimicrobial overprescription, and what lessons it might offer for similar efforts in the U.S.
- Terri Langford of The Texas Tribune: Exploring how Japan’s major investment in high-tech elder care — including robotics and AI — could inform Texas’ approach to easing severe health care workforce shortages amid a rapidly aging population.