journalism

Nearly 4 years since the first messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines were developed, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus is evolving more quickly than tailored boosters can be made ready and continues to kill hundreds of Americans every week. Scientists around the world have been trying to break new ground with the next generation of vaccines, but the unprecedented speed and collaboration with which those first mRNA shots were developed and made available to the public have not been replicated.

Researchers and clinicians now have a greater understanding of what health agencies formally call post-COVID condition, but the wide spectrum of symptoms, slow progress in launching pharmacologic clinical trials, and the research toward understanding the underlying causes mean standardized diagnostic tests and definitive treatments remain elusive. This piece follows a doctor and his patient as they navigate the complexities and challenges around long COVID. Read the full story on Medscape.

In this podcast episode, Tuhi Martukaw, an Indigenous policy advocate, journalist, community organizer talks about what it means to be Indigenous, what reconciliation and activism look like today, as well as the communities’ complicated relationship with Taiwan politics and Taiwanese settlers.

Dhaval Desai is one of thousands of physicians across the United States who have experienced burnout and depression, exacerbated by the pandemic. After 4 years, the impact is still being felt. I spoke with Desai about his experiences, a journey he documented in his book, Burning Out on the Covid Front Lines. Read the full story here.

I spoke with filmmaker Leslie Tai about her new documentary, How to Have an American Baby (now streaming on PBS) which follows the fortunes and tragedies of Chinese tourists seeking U.S. citizenship for their newborns.

From reinfection risks to the leading hypotheses on the causes behind long COVID, learn more about this potentially debilitating condition in these stories written for WebMD.

It has been more than half a year since a Facebook post referencing the Netflix drama Wave Makers sparked a wave of #MeToo revelations across Taiwanese society. In this episode, we trace the origins of the movement, what has happened since, and where things stand going forward with guests Darice Chang and Rita Jhang. Alongside host Solarina Ho, they also share their insights and perspectives on the attitudes and conflicts over #MeToo issues,feminism, the challenges that arise when competing concerns get in the way, and the intersection of #MeToo with the upcoming Taiwan election.

Insufficient funding from state and federal health agencies towards long COVID has led to significant hurdles in patient care, especially for vulnerable and underserved communities, according to interviews and surveys with more than a dozen clinics, doctors, advocates, and patients. At the same time, a lack of training and education on long COVID within the broader medical community is also hurting patients. I explore these challenges through the experiences of one long COVID clinic at the University of Washington.

If you love conversations about food, check out this Episode of NüVoices. ! I had the pleasure of meeting Clarissa Wei and Ivy Chen in Taipei this past summer to talk about their new book, Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation. The episode is packed with behind-the-scenes tidbits. We discuss how food fits into conversations around identity, culinary misconceptions, Indigenous and Hakka influences, and how she and Ivy designed their recipes. We also talk about the contrast between Western coverage of cross-straight tensions and the local mood and mindset. Made in Taiwan is both timeless and a reflection of the times.

Author Abigail Hing Wen discusses her NYT best selling YA novel, Loveboat, Taipei and its film adaptation Love in Taipei, based on the Taiwan summer study tour that started more than half a century ago. I had the pleasure of speaking with her, where we chatted about the crazy escapades, her own experiences with the program, how her book and the film came together, and what it's like telling this story to a new generation of diaspora youth.

From fad diets and vitamins to “blood washing” and stem cell therapy, long COVID patients are seeking out experimental therapies in a desperate bid to find hope and relief from debilitating symptoms. But doctors worry about the potential harm – both physical and financial – some of these unproven and overhyped treatments could cause.

In this first episode of the NüVoices 2023 podcast season, I spoke with Dr. Jennifer Bouey, an epidemiologist and global health equity expert, to try and make sense of zero-Covid’s sudden end in China. She discusses the reasons behind China’s relatively low vaccination rate, the country’s decision not to import mRNA vaccines, and how Spring Festival travel could impact China’s public health policy. 

And if you missed it, listen to our 2022 year-end recap episode as well with the NüVoices Podcast Team.

Staffing challenges across multiple industries have been attributed in part to the "great resignation" and in part because so many infected workers were out, especially during the Omicron waves. But increasingly, economists and health care professionals alike worry about long COVID's impact on employers and the broader economy.

In this episode of the NüVoices podcast, I chat with historians Arlene Chan and Melanie Ng about the first Chinese migrants who made their way to Canada in the 19th century. From there, Arlene and Melanie retrace the throughline of Chinese Canadian migration, from exclusionary anti-Chinese immigration laws to present-day sinophobia found in many Western countries today.

Imagine having a potentially shorter wait time for surgery or having ready access to a second - or possibly third - opinion on your diagnosis. In many pockets of Canada’s vast and complex health-care system, physicians have worked effectively for years as a team under a “shared-care” model. Some surgeons are hoping this form of patient care can be widely adopted across surgical specialties, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I speak with veteran food journalist Clarissa Wei in this episode of the NüVoices podcast. Now based in Taipei as a freelancer, Clarissa’s forthcoming book, Made in Taiwan: Recipes From The Island Nation, is expected for release in 2023. In this episode, Clarissa talks about how she first got into food journalism, finding stories while backpacking in China, and her passion for elevating Taiwanese stories for international audiences.

For the second anniversary of the pandemic, I spoke with several doctors about the lessons learned and compiled a summary of essential COVID-19 facts and myths about the disease, masks, and vaccines for CTVNews.ca.

Female surgeons in Canada have long faced gender-based referral biases that result in large pay gaps, and an inequitable and inefficient environment for patients, Canadian surgeons say, but with the urgency surrounding surgical backlogs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some say the time is ripe for major changes to healthcare.