Scott Hensley
Scott Hensley edits stories about health, biomedical research and pharmaceuticals for NPR's Science desk. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has led the desk's reporting on the development of vaccines against the coronavirus.
Hensley has worked on award-winning investigations in collaboration with journalistic partners.
He was the lead NPR editor on an investigation with the Center for Public Integrity in 2018 that exposed drug industry influence on the choices of preferred medicines by Medicaid programs. The work won the 2019 Gerald Loeb Award for audio reporting.
In 2017, Hensley was the lead NPR editor on an investigation with Kaiser Health News that showed how the pharmaceutical industry exploits government incentives intended to encourage the development of treatments for rare diseases. The stories won the 2019 digital award from the National Institute for Health Care Management.
Hensley has been editing in his current role since 2019. He joined NPR in 2009 to launch , a blog that expanded to become a digital destination for NPR health coverage.
Before NPR, Hensley was a reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal. He was the founding editor of The Wall Street Journal Health Blog, which focused on the intersection of health and business. As a reporter, he covered the drug industry and the Human Genome Project.
Hensley served on the board of the Association of Health Care Journalists from 2012 to 2020.
He has a bachelor's degree in natural sciences from Johns Hopkins University and a master's in journalism from Columbia University.
Before becoming a journalist, Hensley worked in the medical device industry. He remains, now and forever, a lover of Dobermans, lacrosse and Callinectes sapidus.
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The Food and Drug Administration gave Johnson & Johnson's vaccine the green light for emergency use Saturday, a day after a panel of advisers to the agency endorsed it in a unanimous vote. -
The Food and Drug Administration typically follows the advice of its expert advisers. A quick agency decision on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected given the state of the pandemic. -
Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted 20-0 to recommend that the agency authorize Moderna's vaccine for emergency use during the pandemic. There was a single abstention. -
In a 17-4 vote, an expert committee concluded that the scientific evidence supports the authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech for emergency use during the pandemic. -
The president, who tested positive for the coronavirus, "has completed his first dose and is resting comfortably," physician Sean Conley said in a statement. -
While a majority of Americans know about naloxone, there is confusion about the fact that in most places a prescription isn't required to obtain the emergency overdose treatment. -
Results trump courtesies when a person's health is on the line, some people said. No, others responded, saying that proper treatment also requires a human touch. -
Doctors and patients are trying to balance the need for pain relief and the potential for trouble. In an NPR poll, addiction and side effects were the top concerns. -
When you rent a bike, you usually have to bring your own helmet or go without one. If you ride with your hair flapping in the breeze, your risk for a brain injury goes up.
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Now that it's clear that camels can infect humans with Middle East respiratory syndrome, Saudi Arabian officials are expanding testing of the animals in the country.
