Rebecca Smith
Health ReporterRebecca Smith is an award-winning reporter and producer for the KBIA Health & Wealth Desk. Born and raised outside of Rolla, Missouri, she has a passion for diving into often overlooked issues that affect the rural populations of her state – especially stories that broaden people’s perception of “rural” life. She created a conversations-based journalism project, Missouri Health Talks, in 2016 that empowers people throughout the state to share their stories of access to healthcare – in their own words.
She has degrees in both Journalism and Chemistry from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, and often says health reporting is the perfect marriage of individual’s stories and reporting on science.
You can reach her at smithbecky@missouri.edu or 573-882-4824.
-
-
Abby Dickinson is a 23-year-old bisexual person. They spoke about how they're casually exploring their gender identity — without putting too much pressure on themselves. -
Dr. Philip Payne is the chief health AI officer at the Center for Health AI, a collaboration between WashU Medicine and BJC Health System in St. Louis. He spoke about the code of conduct that providers should consider when employing AI in healthcare processes and decisions. -
Despite the federal government shutdown, Missourians on WIC will be able to redeem their benefits during the month of November. But state officials are unsure how long these benefits will remain available. -
Often when Missourians receive an alpha-gal syndrome diagnosis, they don’t know where to start – beyond simply not eating red meat. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith reports on some in southern Missouri who are trying to help people adapt to their new diets. -
Missouri-born music artist Chappell Roan has announced the launch of a project supporting LGBTQ+ communities throughout the country — including two community centers in Missouri. -
Nurses Drew Herbert and Matt Farmer are University of Missouri researchers trying to find out if generative AI, along with professional therapy, can help pregnant people with opioid use disorder who are ready to seek care. -
A national healthcare scorecard says Missouri doctors may be prescribing too much antipsychotic medication. The practice is particularly prevalent among older Missourians. -
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 450,000 people in the US have alpha-gal syndrome - a tickborne allergy to red meat — while many others have never heard of the condition at all. -
Dr. Amy Patel is the Medical Director of the Breast Cancer Center at Liberty Hospital outside Kansas City. She spoke about an AI algorithm they use with breast ultrasounds that gives radiologists a data-informed second opinion.
