Written Clips

My top 6 stories:

Reporting from New Mexico
“A Lucrative Vein: Patients, doctors and former employees claim Modern Vascular, the national arterial disease treatment chain, pushes unnecessary treatments and patients suffer,” Searchlight New Mexico, June 22, 2021
For six months, I investigated Modern Vascular, a national chain of clinics that patients, doctors, and former employees allege pushed unnecessary surgeries. Some staff were directed to falsify medical records. And the company relied on a network of referring doctors who were also investors, which meant they had a financial stake in the company’s success. A year and a half after we published this story, the US Department of Justice filed a complaint in a lawsuit against Modern Vascular, alleging that the organization engaged in a fraudulent kickback scheme with the referring physicians.

"Who’s the Threat? Hundreds of special ed students ID’d as potential threats,” Searchlight New Mexico, October 15, 2019
Jamari Nelson is 7 years old and has autism. His school labeled him a “high level threat” because of behavior instigated by teachers. And they never told his parents. Across Albuquerque, students with disabilities, and Black children, like Jamari, are disproportionately likely to be deemed as threats to school safety. This investigation pulls back the curtain on a little-scrutinized, nationwide practice. This story was part of an entry named as a finalist in the 2019 Education Writers Association’s National Awards for Education Reporting in the Public Service category.

“Pay Up or Lockup: Housing shortage kept cash-poor parolees behind bars,” Searchlight New Mexico, July 22, 2020
There is only one halfway house for sex offenders in New Mexico who are coming out of prison on parole. It has a long waitlist, and inmates with enough cash could buy their way to the front of the line. That means poor people stayed in prison longer simply because they were poor. I exposed this practice, which had been going on for at least eight years. During the course of my reporting, the halfway house scrapped this unfair system.

Reporting from Burkina Faso
"In a remote West African village, a revolutionary genetic experiment is on its way — if residents agree to it," STAT, March 14, 2017
I traveled to Burkina Faso to learn how an international team of scientists was going to get the permission of locals to release genetically engineered mosquitoes that, once set free, might be unstoppable.

Reporting from Boston
"IBM pitched its Watson supercomputer as a revolution in cancer care. It’s nowhere close," STAT, September 5, 2017 - with Casey Ross
We revealed that IBM's claims about its artificial intelligence cancer treatment software were wildly inflated and overblown. Doctors around the world complained that the product was biased to favor American preferences. Nearly a year later, we revealed that IBM knew about some of these problems all along. This reporting was honored by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing in 2017 — it helped STAT win the General Excellence category.

"How Trump was named 'Grand Benefactor' for a Dana-Farber gala without donating a penny," STAT, September 29, 2016
Trump's Florida home hosted a Boston hospital's annual galas, and the hospital bestowed honors on Trump when he did not give them any money. I scoured old hospital newsletters and shined a light on the President's supposed philanthropy. 

Selected articles from Bloomberg News, where I currently work as a health reporter in Boston, MA. I write daily stories about companies’ finances, break news about health businesses that affect millions of people, and work on longer investigations in several areas of health care.

Drug Shortages: In August 2022, I revealed that manufacturing problems at Teva, the largest maker of Adderall, were causing a nationwide shortage of the drug. Millions of people take this medicine every month for ADHD or narcolepsy, and this quickly became a national story. I continued to break news as other companies ran low on the pills and major pharmacies couldn’t fill prescriptions. As the shortage dragged on into the winter, I obtained exclusive data from the Drug Enforcement Administration to show that companies had plenty of Adderall’s raw ingredient on hand the previous year, raising further questions about why the drugmakers were unable to produce sufficient quantities of the pills.

In the fall and winter of 2022, pediatric respiratory illnesses surged to levels not seen in many years — and the drugs to treat these diseases fell into short supply. I broke the news of the shortage of children’s amoxicillin, a common antibiotic. A month later, I revealed supply constraints with Tamiflu, an influenza treatment, as hospitalizations were at an 12-year high. (I’m always on the lookout for shortages or manufacturing problems that are making it hard for patients to get medicine. Have a tip? Contact me here: http://www.ikeswetlitz.com/contact-me)

Telehealth: Working with a team of Bloomberg reporters, I broke news about companies that offer online mental health treatment. Along with a colleague, I investigated customer complaints about Done, including allegations that the company was slow to process prescriptions and that patients had trouble getting in touch with the company to resolve issues.

Other selected articles published by Searchlight New Mexico, a Santa Fe, NM-based nonprofit investigative news organization. At Searchlight, I have written about health, housing, the criminal justice system, education, and child well-being.

Coverage of COVID-19: I wrote many articles documenting the effects of COVID-19 on the state of New Mexico in the spring of 2020 and beyond. I revealed that the state’s prison system bought hundreds of thousands of cloth masks and re-sold them to other state agencies at a profit, making over $330,000. I also uncovered nearly $7 million in sales of personal protective equipment to the state from a little known company that was being investigated by New Mexico’s attorney general for forgery and price gouging. Additionally, I documented an unreported outbreak at one of the state’s largest halfway house and wrote about how, at a private prison, guards had pepper-sprayed migrants who were staging a peaceful protest.

Housing in New Mexico: Working with a team of colleagues, I wrote a series of stories about housing an eviction. We revealed that New Mexico landlords tried to illegally evict 260 tenants in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. I chronicled the journey of Renee Garnett, a 51-year-old grandmother struggling to find a landlord who would accept her Section 8 voucher so that she and her grandson could have a stable home. And we showed that New Mexico landlords tried to evict at least 191 households with pending rental assistance applications.

“Full court pressed: The New Mexico Court of Appeals is swamped with backlogged cases, leaving hundreds in limbo,” Searchlight New Mexico, February 18, 2020
When Ruben Romero was 17, he was sentenced to a decade in adult prison for his role in a murder. He’s appealing the conviction, but nearly a year after he filed the paperwork, the court hadn’t even started working on his case. That’s because of a hidden backlog at the Court of Appeals of over 450 cases, which I exposed in this story.

“Life behind bars: Kids serving decades for violent crimes,” September 24, 2019
In New Mexico, dozens of people are imprisoned for decades for crimes they committed as children — but a new law aims to change that. I bring you the story of John Gamble, a 27-year-old man who may spend the rest of his life in prison for killing his friend at age 16. My story was cited in a judge’s sentencing decision in one of the most high-profile child murder cases in Albuquerque to help explain the rationale behind the sentence.

Other selected articles published by STAT, a national life science and medical science publication.

On artificial intelligence: For over a year, I worked with my fellow STAT reporter Casey Ross to tell the story of IBM’s efforts to use artificial intelligence to improve health care. We showed that IBM deceived the public about the capabilities of its cancer treatment software and was marketing the software around the world when the company knew the computer program might give unsafe advice. Our reporting was honored by the Society for Advancing Business Writing and Editing in 2017. The stories continue to be cited in popular and academic literature to demonstrate the challenges of using artificial intelligence in health care.

Here are three landmark stories from the investigation:

"IBM pitched its Watson supercomputer as a revolution in cancer care. It’s nowhere close" - September 5, 2017
Over the course of six months, we spoke with doctors across three continents to learn the true story of IBM's attempts to use artificial intelligence to improve cancer care. We found that Watson was biased to favor American treatments, and wasn’t living up to the lofty expectations IBM set.

"IBM’s Watson supercomputer recommended ‘unsafe and incorrect’ cancer treatments, internal documents show" - July 25, 2018 (find a PDF here)
According to internal documents, IBM knew that its flagship cancer treatment software might give unsafe and incorrect advice. But the company kept selling it around the world anyway. This story also revealed that IBM was deceiving the public about how the software worked.

“IBM Watson’s bet on China, a lucrative market for health business, starts to look shaky” - December 19, 2018 (find a PDF here)
After our July 2018 story, hospital clients in China got cold feet, and IBM mounted a public relations offensive to burnish its image. This story further documents the growing skepticism about IBM’s cancer treatment software around the world.

On EpiPens: I wrote one of the first stories about the effects of Mylan’s EpiPen price hikes. My coverage helped focus national attention on the problem of high drug prices, which became a major political priority in 2016 and beyond. Some of my specific stories prompted congressional and attorney general investigations. I continued to report on the political battles over drug pricing that ensued.

"High price of EpiPens spurs consumers, EMTs to resort to syringes for allergic reactions" - July 6, 2016
EpiPen prices increased by over 450 percent since 2004, encouraging patients and emergency medical responders to opt for dangerous needles instead of the expensive but safe auto-injectors. This was one of the first stories to focus public attention on Mylan.

"Mylan may have violated antitrust law in its EpiPen sales to schools, legal experts say" - August 25, 2016 - with Ed Silverman
A clause in an order form that some schools used to purchase discounted EpiPens required the schools not to buy competitive products. Is that allowed? STAT found the form, and congressional scrutiny followed.

"As a competitor encroached, Mylan took one state to court to push EpiPen sales, documents show" - April 24, 2017 (find a PDF here)
West Virginia wanted to save money for taxpayers by encouraging doctors to prescribe an alternative to the pricey EpiPen. But Mylan, which sells the EpiPen in the US, would have none of that, so they sued the state to stop the policy change.

"Mylan offered EpiPen discounts to states in exchange for privileged status, documents show" - June 22, 2017
Some of Mylan's rebates to state Medicaid programs were conditioned on the states making it more difficult for patients to get competing products. That's normal in cutthroat world of pharmaceutical negotiation, but may run afoul of antitrust law if the company in question has a large market share. 

On President Donald Trump: I started writing about Donald Trump when he was a presidential candidate in 2015, with an expose of the scientifically shoddy Trump-branded customized vitamin and urine test kit company (yes, you read that right). I continued to cover his campaign, landing scoops and exclusive interviews.

"Donald Trump and the vitamin company that went bust" - November 4, 2015
An investigation into The Trump Network, which sold customized vitamins and scientific testing kits, claiming they would yield health benefits, all under Donald Trump's name. But according to many outside experts, the network was selling bad science. This story was STAT’s flagship piece the day the publication launched in 2015.

"How Trump was named 'Grand Benefactor' for a Dana-Farber gala without donating a penny" - September 29, 2016
Trump's Florida home hosted a Boston hospital's annual galas, and the hospital bestowed honors on Trump when he did not give them any money. This led to massive student protests, and eventually a commitment by the hospital to avoid Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in the future.

"One-on-one with Trump's doctor: Hecklers, house calls, and why Obamacare must be shut down," STAT, December 21, 2016
I sat down with Dr. Harold Bornstein for three hours in his Manhattan office to learn about his life and his most famous patient. This was the only extended interview to date with the man who was then the President-elect's physician.

On genetic engineering: I wrote extensively about gene drives, which are a type of genetic engineering technology that allows a genetic modification to spread quickly throughout a population of organisms. I traveled around the world to document how scientists were working with local community members to make decisions about if and when gene drives might be released int the wild. I also wrote about other genetic engineering technologies.

"To halt the spread of Lyme, Nantucket residents consider genetically engineered mice" - June 7, 2016
An MIT professor has an idea that might get rid of Lyme disease on an island - and he needs the informed consent of the islanders before he starts the science.

"College students try to hack a gene drive - and set a science fair abuzz" - December 14, 2016
Gene drives have the potential to quickly cause massive changes in entire populations of organisms, and college students came close to building one for a science competition. How did that happen?

"Top scientists hold closed meeting to discuss building a human genome from scratch" - May 13, 2016
At a closed-door Harvard meeting, scientists and entrepreneurs from all over the world met to discuss a new human genome project - to build the entire genome from the ground-up.

On football: The NFL has long tried to interfere with brain science to make the sport seem safer than scientists say it is. The 2015 film “Concussion” renewed public interest in this topic, and I wrote a series of stories about the research, the sport, and what was going on behind the scenes.

"Hospital exec Nabel, criticized for her work with NFL, defends her neutrality" - May 25, 2016 - with Bob Tedeschi
The president of a major Boston hospital is also the NFL's chief health and medical advisor. What was her role in a funding kerfuffle that drew Congressional scrutiny?

"After a public fall, the face of NFL concussion denial resurfaces" - April 28, 2016 - with Bob Tedeschi
Dr. Ira Casson became known as "Dr. No" for asserting that there is no evidence linking repetitive head trauma to long-term neurological problems. But he kept publishing research, which influenced the scientific literature - and scientists didn't want to publicly criticize it for fear that criticism would legitimize it.

"Can chocolate milk speed concussion recovery? Experts cringe" - January 11, 2016
University research supports the conclusion that a company's chocolate milk product can help student athletes recover from concussions. Is the science sound?

Other stories:

"In Israel, Teva has become more than just a drug company. But its future is now in question" - January 3, 2018 (find a PDF here)
As news broke that one-quarter of the employees at the world's largest generic drug company would be laid off, I traveled to a northern Israeli border town, where the Teva plant is one of the only things that keeps the economy running and the city safe.

"Teaching medical students to challenge ‘unscientific’ racial categories" - March 10, 2016
Dr. Brooke Cunningham is trying to overturn racial stereotypes that are baked into medical education by teaching students that race is a social construct, not a biological category. I take you inside the classroom.

Selected articles published in the New Haven Independent, local news non-profit in New Haven, CT.

"Coach Steers Young Men Toward New Goal Line" - May 8, 2015
Gearing up for the preseason opener, the coach launched into a pep talk. "If you want money, if you want success, you gotta work for it," Booker McJunkin told his charges. "All that other stuff you're doing - smoking, drinking - put it off until the end of the season. Put it off for the rest of your fucking lives!" McJunkin pulled out all the stops to coach this ragtag team of struggling young men to victory — on the football field, and in their own lives.

"'Perception' Task Force Targets City's Rep" - November 10, 2014
A little-known “perception” committee dispatched the mayor’s press office to plant feel-good stories in the media as part of a broader new effort to counter suburbanites’ negative images of crime-ridden New Haven. I dove deep into the inner workings of this task force.

"Homeless Man Knocks on Mayor's Door" - June 20, 2014
After a city homeless shelter evicted him Thursday night, Flor Rico Jones traveled to Westville to knock on Mayor Toni Harp’s front door. This story shed light on the treatment of the unhoused in New Haven.