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 legal wrangling over who should be allowed to buy the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill without a prescription came to an end this year. A federal judge ruled that the emergency contraceptive couldn't be withheld from girls 16 and younger. Despite the legal ruling, many Americans support age minimums and parental consent. -
Drugmakers learned long ago that deputized doctors are effective pitchmen. A doctor's dinner speech or chat over lunch with colleagues can go a long way toward changing his or her colleagues' prescribing habits. But increasing scrutiny has led to a reconsideration of the practice. -
While the company tries to work things out with regulators, it won't be telling people who buy its test if their genetic profiles predispose them to particular illnesses or predict their responses to prescription drugs. -
The august medical journal JAMA created a kitsch masterpiece for the cover of its annual issue dedicated to medical education. A group of seven canine healers, some apparently in training, hover around a sick mutt sucking on a thermometer in a hospital bed. They look an awful lot like some poker-playing dogs from yesteryear. -
People's genes can affect how they'll respond to blood thinners and cancer drugs. But inaccurate results can lead to bad medical decisions. Regulators are pushing back against a company that has been among the most aggressive in marketing personal genetic testing directly to consumers.
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In a video interview with OZY, an online magazine, former President Clinton affirms his support for the Affordable Care Act while acknowledging its rocky rollout. If history is any guide, he says the technical problems will be solved. A tougher challenges lies in states that refused to expand Medicaid.
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Shire's purchase of ViroPharma is all about a medicine to prevent life-threatening swelling attacks caused by a genetic mutation. The drug, called Cinryze, costs more than $4,600 for each treatment. The annual bill can run hundreds of thousands of dollars for each patient. -
A company subsidiary pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge stemming from the promotion of antipsychotic Risperdal for the treatment of dementia in elderly patients. The Food and Drug Administration never approved the drug for that use.
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A hot-selling drug for multiple sclerosis was derived from an old chemical that is used industrially to make foods sour. The twice-a-day pill called Tecfidera comes at a lofty price, despite its humble origins. -
The annual Medicare bill is expected to hit $1.1 trillion in 2023. As Medicare spending grows, contributing to the federal deficit, some policymakers have suggested that raising the age of eligibility to 67 could help the budget should be an option.
