2026 JPM Healthcare Writer's Reception
Join us for the 3rd annual celebration of healthcare writing during the JP Morgan Healthcare conference week. This is an invitation-only event, featuring lively discussion with prominent writers in the medical sector, networking and opportunities to take home great new reads.
Speakers this year include:
Jennifer Kahn - A contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine for over a decade, and has previously written for The New Yorker, National Geographic, and Wired, among others. Her work has explored subjects ranging from the epidemic of chronic pain to the challenge of identifying and treating child psychopaths, and her TED talk on CRISPR and gene drives has been viewed almost 2 million times. She is currently the Narrative Program lead at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Annie Sciacca - A freelance journalist, most often writing about the intersection of government and business or about public and legal systems in the U.S, and a regular contributor to The Imprint and KFF Health News. She was a staff reporter at the East Bay Times and The Mercury News, covering government, criminal justice, schools, business, health care, and many statewide breaking news events. Annie is a journalism professor at Contra Costa College, where she advises the student newspaper, The Advocate, and teaches courses in reporting, newswriting and media studies. She is also currently serving as the president of the Pacific Media Workers Guild representing hundreds of journalism and communications workers across Northern California, the Central Valley and Hawaii.
Dr. Alok Patel - A pediatrician, media personality, journalist and science communicator who serves as a medical contributor for ABC News and faculty director of media strategy at Stanford Children's Hospital. Known for his engaging storytelling, he hosts the health segment "Patel It Like It Is" on ABC News live, collaborates with PBS NOVA, Medscape, and other health outlets as he passionately advocates for making science accessible, relatable, and entertaining, for all audiences.
Hosted by Uncommon Bold and The National Kidney Foundation