Barbara Feder Ostrov, Senior Correspondent for California Healthline, has reported on medicine and health policy for more than 15 years. She covered the medical beat for the San Jose Mercury News for eight years and edited the website of the Center for Health Journalism at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism. She previously worked at The Palm Beach Post and the Miami Herald. Her work also has been published in The Boston Globe, Ms. Magazine, Atlantic.com, PBS NewsHour, NPR, CNN.com and EverydayHealth.com. She has won awards from the Society for Women’s Health Research, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Florida Press Club. She is based in San Jose, California.
Barbara Feder Ostrov
Kaiser Health News
From this contributor
How the college admissions cheating scandal hurts students with disabilities
In the wake of this week's college admissions cheating scandal, families and advocates are worried about a backlash that could make it harder for students with legitimate disabilities to get the accommodations the need.
How the college admissions cheating scandal hurts students with disabilities
By
Barbara Feder Ostrov, Ana B. Ibarra, Kaiser Health News
15 March 2019 | 5 min read
Study of birth defects, folic acid in foods finds more questions than answers
Fortifying cereal and bread products with folic acid has not led to as dramatic a decline in congenital defects as expected.
Study of birth defects, folic acid in foods finds more questions than answers
By
Barbara Feder Ostrov, Kaiser Health News
23 May 2016 | 6 min read
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PTEN problems underscore autism connection to excess brain fluid
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U.S. health agency purge includes 10 lab heads at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
The reasons for selecting these researchers—who have led work on neuronal migration, dopamine receptors in neuronal signaling and the structure of ion channels, among other areas—remain unclear.
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2 April 2025 | 5 min read
Five things to know if your federal grant is terminated
If you want to appeal the decision, know the rules that govern terminations, as well as the specific rationale given in your notice, science policy experts say.
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Calli McMurray
2 April 2025 | 7 min read