Rob Stein
Rob Stein is a correspondent and senior editor on NPR's science desk.
An award-winning science journalist with more than 30 years of experience, Stein mostly covers health and medicine. He tends to focus on stories that illustrate the intersection of science, health, politics, social trends, ethics, and federal science policy. He tracks genetics, stem cells, cancer research, women's health issues, and other science, medical, and health policy news.
Before NPR, Stein worked at The Washington Post for 16 years, first as the newspaper's science editor and then as a national health reporter. Earlier in his career, Stein spent about four years as an editor at NPR's science desk. Before that, he was a science reporter for United Press International (UPI) in Boston and the science editor of the international wire service in Washington.
Stein's work has been honored by many organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association for Cancer Research, and the Association of Health Care Journalists. He was twice part of NPR teams that won Peabody Awards.
Stein frequently represents NPR, speaking at universities, international meetings and other venues, including the University of Cambridge in Britain, the World Conference of Science Journalists in South Korea, and the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.
Stein is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He completed a journalism fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health, a program in science and religion at the University of Cambridge, and a summer science writer's workshop at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.
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Experts argue that pushing out more COVID-19 vaccine doses to states sooner may be a good idea, even if it means there's a chance some people's second dose gets delayed.
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The U.S. conducts nearly 2 million coronavirus tests daily. A new analysis shows millions more are needed to protect the most vulnerable. Use our tool to see how your state is doing.
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The new tests produce results completely at home within 15 minutes. Experts say they could be a 'game-changer' in helping people find out quickly if they need to isolate.
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Social distancing fell dramatically between spring and fall and the gap between Democrats and Republicans widened. But both ends of the political spectrum agree on some measures to fight COVID-19.
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Federal health officials could reduce the quarantine from the currently recommended 14 days to as few as seven for people who test negative for the virus.
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More than half of labs are reporting they're running short on test kits, pipettes and crucial chemicals.
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The grim milestone passes as the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads out of control from coast to coast.
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A general increase in mask-wearing has been encouraging, U.S. public health experts say. But too few young people, especially, are social distancing and taking other steps to slow coronavirus' spread.
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The average wait time for results has dropped to about three days, but that is still too slow to keep infected people from unknowingly spreading the virus, researchers report.
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Trump's physician said Trump could resume "public engagements" as soon as Saturday. But experts say that may be too soon, both for his own health and the safety of those around him.