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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Daily numbers of new cases are finally starting to wane, and hospitalizations are down slightly. But health care systems are still overburdened and another resurgence remains a threat. -
Mask-wearing hit an all-time high, but other COVID-19 precautions are less common now than last spring, a survey finds. Experts worry we're ill-prepared for the spread of more infectious new variants.
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The pandemic has never been this bad in the U.S. There is not enough data yet to say whether the holidays accelerated the coronavirus surge, but many experts believe that the case.
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President-elect Biden plans to release almost all available doses of COVID-19 vaccines, stepping away from the Trump administration policy to hold back about half of the supplies for booster shots.
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Critics say the vaccine rollout suffers from the same problems that have plagued the response to the pandemic for testing and other responses: lack of aggressive and coordinated federal leadership.
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The U.S. conducts nearly 2 million coronavirus tests daily. A new analysis shows millions more are needed to protect the most vulnerable. Use our tool to see how your state is doing.
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A CDC panel recommends that people over 75 and front-line essential workers should be prioritized as the next group to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
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Epidemiologists are still puzzling over how much of an impact Thanksgiving had on the pandemic in the U.S. Meanwhile, infections, hospitalizations and deaths are still surging as Christmas approaches.
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The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized the test. It will cost about $30 and be available by January, according the Australian company that makes it, Ellume.
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The new tests produce results completely at home within 15 minutes. Experts say they could be a 'game-changer' in helping people find out quickly if they need to isolate.
