An award that belongs to this community...

Today is a special day for me and for Inside Medicine. I want to share this honor with you, the readers of Inside Medicine. You make this possible, and this award is explicitly meant to support this work.

I’m beyond honored to share that I have been chosen as a recipient of the 2025 National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication, granted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that if it were not for this community, this lovely honor would not have been possible.

You can learn more about the National Academies Schmidt Award (including my fellow honorees) here.

There’s also great information about these brilliant science communicators on social media. You can find that below and I encourage you to do so. I’ve been reading all about them and you will be amazed and inspired!

Instagram: @scicommexcellence

Bluesky: @scicommexcellence.nationalacademies.org

Twitter/X: @SciCommAwards @theNASEM @schmidtsciences

There are two competing emotions right now. First, I’m just deeply appreciative of the recognition and genuinely touched by the award. It means a lot! Second, I’m always looking for opportunities to thank the people who have helped me along the way. This feels like a perfect moment for that…

Chief among the people I wish to thank are the many editors I’ve had over the years at various outlets, starting at Slate with Laura Helmuth and Susan Matthews, followed by the late, great Fred Hiatt at The Washington Post. They taught me how to balance being critical and incisive while still remaining kind, and helped me think through what was important to say in each moment. More recently, I’ve had superb experiences with Alexandra Sifferlin and Alex Ellerbeck at The New York Times.

I also want to thank the good people at Facebook (yes, there are many!) whose beautiful but short-lived project, Bulletin, first gave me the freedom to make writing a major part of my professional career—and those at Substack and MedPage Today who have helped me keep that dream alive.

Then there are the two writers who have taught me the most, starting with my mom, who, when I was in grade school, had me editing her San Francisco Chronicle children’s book reviews. And then there’s my amazing wife, Kate, from whom I learned (by watching) during her years at