StudioLab Narrative Medicine Journalism Workshop
Call for Applications
We are pleased to announce the next Narrative Medicine Journalism Workshop, a nonfiction training program for people interested in writing and reporting about health subjects for the public media and in nonfiction books. The workshop is taught by award-winning journalist and bestselling author Stephen Fried who has decades of experience as a journalist, magazine writer and editor at national and regional publications and over fifteen years teaching at Columbia Journalism School and the University of Pennsylvania.
We are accepting applications from faculty, post-graduate trainees and students at CUIMC for the spring 2025 session—January 2025 to May 2025. Ten participants will be selected.
While prior experience writing journalistically for a general audience is helpful, motivated applicants without journalistic writing experience are encouraged to apply.
We work on long form pieces, short features, and reported op-eds as well as the queries and strategies used to place them with editors. Prior students have published pieces in the New York Times, the New Yorker, Vox.com, the Washington Post, the New York Daily News, Nautilus magazine, Ms. magazine, MedPage Today, STAT, the Seattle Times and Backpacker.
The workshop will meet on Wednesday evenings every three weeks on Zoom, beginning January 22, 2025. Between sessions, members work on assignments and act as peer editors for other workshop participants. One-on-one office hours are available.
Click here for the application.
Please send questions to Workshop Director Stephen Fried (stephenfried@comcast.net), Assistant Workshop Director and Workshop Alum Dr. Joan Bregstein (jsb61@cumc.columbia.edu), and Workshop Administrator Meg Gladieux (mkgladieux@gmail.com).
Application Form
NMED StudioLab Journalism Workshop Application Form
E-mail your responses to the following application with writing sample to: Rita Charon (rac5@columbia.edu) & Stephen Fried (stephenfried@comcast.net). Call 917-748-7812 for questions.
Name:
Affiliation and Title or Trainee level:
Email and phone:
Please answer the following questions in up to 200 words per answer:
What is your past experience with writing nonfiction, writing training, and/or reporting training, either as a student, professional, or personally? If you do not have past experience, tell us about your interest/expertise in writing.
In our workshop, we build general writing and reporting skills, with the goal of producing a work that will be pitched to (and hopefully published in) a major magazine. What are the particular topics or issues you think you’d want to write about? Feel free to discuss brief, general ideas, but include at least one specific topic you might explore in a piece you might want to work on in the workshop.
What non-medical publications do you read for news and features on medical issues?
What medical journalist or physician/writers’ work interests you, in publications or books?
What are your goals for your future work as a nonfiction writer? What types of stories do you envision yourself writing and where do you see your work getting published?
To glean the most out of this workshop, you can expect to devote 2-4 hours per week on assignments, reporting or personal writing. We recognize that for some of you, this may be a difficult ask, but we are confident that this significant investment in time will have a tremendous impact on your skills as a writer and on your success in publishing. You will also come out of this workshop with membership into a dedicated writing community that will support your writing process going forward. Please let us know that you have considered this time commitment and have a plan on how to include this learning opportunity into your work life.
Please attach or copy and paste a writing sample. If you have been published in the general media, include that. If you have not (which is perfectly fine) try to include something written to engage a general audience. (For example, something reported and explanatory, or something describing your medical training or work.)
Workshop Faculty
Stephen Fried
Columbia University: Adjunct Professor, 2002-present (Graduate School of Journalism, 2002-2019; Department of Psychiatry 2011-2012, 2018-2019; Narrative Medicine 2019-Present)
University of Pennsylvania: Lecturer, 2008-present
Scattergood Program for Applied Ethics of Behavioral Health Care, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Collaborator, 2015-present
Books:
RUSH: Revolution, Madness & the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father Crown Books/Random House, 2018
A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction by Patrick J. Kennedy and Stephen Fried, Blue Rider, 2015 (New York Times bestseller)
Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West—One Meal at a Time Bantam 2010 (New York Times bestseller, Wall Street Journal Ten Best Books of the Year, Philadelphia Inquirer Ten Best Books of the Year, amazon.com Ten Best Business Books of Year, Kirkus Best Books of the Year)
Husbandry, Bantam 2007 (essay collection)
The New Rabbi, Bantam 2002 (Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of the Year; beliefnet.com 10 Best Books on Religion and Spirituality)
Bitter Pills: Inside the Hazardous World of Legal Drugs, Bantam 1998 (Philadelphia Inquirer Best Books of the Year; Men’s Fitness Best Books of the Year)
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, S&S/Pocket Hardcover 1993 (Philadelphia Inquirer Best Books of the Year; introduced the word “fashionista” into the English language, adapted into Emmy-winning HBO film “Gia”)
George Washington Book Prize, 2019 finalist (Rush)
American Library Association, Notable Book of the Year, Nonfiction 2018 (Rush)
Athenaeum of Philadelphia Literary Award 2011 (Appetite for America)
Southwest Books of the Year, 2010 (Appetite for America)
Kansas Books of the Year, 2010 (Appetite for America)
Investigative Reporters and Editors book prize, finalist 1999 (Bitter Pills)
Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Cheers Award 1999 (Bitter Pills)
Awards, Magazine Writing:
National Magazine Award: winner, Public Interest, 1994; winner, Special Interest, 1993; also finalist in Reporting, 1999, and Special Interest, 1989
Benjamin Rush Award, 2017, American Psychiatric Association PA chapter, recognizing career of mental health journalism
National Headliner Award: Outstanding Feature Writing, 1999
National SDX/SPJ Award: Magazine Reporting, 1987
Vidocq Society, Medal of Honor: 1998
Clarion Award, National Women in Communications: 1999, 1995, 1989
National Epilepsy Foundation: Distinguished Journalism Award 2005
National Easter Seals Society: EDI Awards, 1995, 1993
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: MORE award, 2011
City and Regional Magazine Association: Gold Medal for Reporting, 1998, Feature Writing, 1997
Best American Essays: Notable Essays of the Year, 1994, 1993
Best American Sports Writing: Notable Story of the Year, 1996
Awards, Editing:
National Magazine Award: finalist, 2000, in Feature Writing and Profiles
Clarion Award, National Women in Communications: Best Magazine 100,000-500,000 circulation, Most Improved Magazine, 2000
City and Regional Magazine Association: Gold Medals for General Excellence and Excellence in Writing, 2000
Magazine positions:
Philadelphia magazine, Writer-at-large, 2011-present, Editor-in chief, 1999-2000, Senior Editor 1982-1999
Vanity Fair, Contributing Writer, 1994-1997
GQ, Contributing Writer/Columnist, 1987-1991
Glamour, Contributing Editor, 1996-1998, 2001-2008
Ladies Home Journal, Columnist, 2004-2009
Also contributor to: Smithsonian Magazine, Rolling Stone, Washington Post Magazine, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Parade, Business Week, British Vogue, The Jewish Forward
Professional affiliations:
New Mexico History Museum: director of annual “Fred Harvey History Weekend,” 2017-present; co-founder Harvey Weekend, consultant and lecturer, 2010-2016; consultant for permanent exhibit on Fred Harvey (inspired by Appetite for America and opened 2014)
National Council for Behavioral Health Medical Director Institute, expert panel member for “Mass Violence in America: Causes, Impacts and Solutions” white paper, 2018-2019
Columbia Conference on Mental Health Journalism & Media, Founding director 2018-2019
WHYY Behavioral Health Journalism Workshop Series, Co-director, 2016-2018
American Psychiatric Association: editorial consultant, 2012-2014
Columbia University Department of Psychiatry: instructor on writing for lay public, 2011-2012; presented at APA national convention, 2012
The Kennedy Forum: founding board member, editorial consultant, 2013-2017
Patrick J. Kennedy: speechwriting (including Senate Judiciary Committee testimony on mental health parity)
Nora Magid Mentorship Prize, co-founder and chairman: 2003-present (founded and oversee mentorship for annual prize given by University of Pennsylvania media alumni to the most promising Penn senior planning a career in non-fiction writing.upenn.edu/awards/nora_prize.php
American Medical Association, National Patient Safety Foundation, Pharmaceutical Safe Use Committee: member 1999-2002
Invited Lectures:
Park Avenue Synagogue, NY, Scholar-in-Residence, Brain Health & Faith, 2020; Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U. S. Senate, 2020; American Medical Association, AMPAC Capital Club 2019; Weill-Cornell Richardson Lecture, History of Psychiatry 2019; James Madison Program, Princeton University 2019; W.W. Smith Charitable Trust 2019; Dickinson College 2019; Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia 2019; Charaka Club 2019; Penn Club NY 2019; Missouri History Museum 2019; American Jewish University 2019; National Council for Behavioral Health annual meeting, 2019; Smithsonian Institute 2018, 2011; College of Physicians 2018; Kansas City Public Library 2018, 2011; St. Louis County Library 2018; University of New Mexico, Willard Lecture, Zimmerman Library 2017; Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Roger Moss Symposium 2017; New Mexico History Museum 2010-2019; National Park Service, Grand Canyon 2016, 2013; Heard Museum 2014-2016, 2010-2012; National Council for Behavioral Health, 2014; American Psychiatric Association, 2012-2013; National Archives Washington DC 2011; National Archives, Kansas City 2014, 2010; Leavenworth County Historical Society 2012, 2010; Purdue University, Darden Lecture 2011; Arizona Caregiver Consortium, 2011; Wichita-Sedwick County Historical Museum 2011; Philadelphia Free Library 2010; Chicago History Museum 2010; Autry Museum 2010; Post-Approval Research conference, Philadelphia, 2007; Brandeis University, Gralla Lecture, 2005; John Jay College, 2004; Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management, 2002; FDA, 2001; Investigative Reporters and Editors, 2001
Grand Rounds:
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 2019, 2006; Penn State, Hershey Medical Center 2019; Pennsylvania Hospital, 2018; NYU/Langone Department of Neurology, 2018; Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, 2014; University of Indiana Hospital, 2011; Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, 2006; Bassett Medical Center, 2002; St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, 1998
Television appearances:
C-SPAN Book TV; C-SPAN American History TV; CBS Sunday Morning; CBS This Morning Saturday; PBS Newshour; The Oprah Winfrey Show; The Today Show; Good Morning America; CBS Morning News; CNN; Fox News; Dateline; PA Books, PCN-TV
Chapters in the following books:
Our Times 2, 1991
Magazine and Feature Writing, 1993;
Deviant Behavior, 1997/1998
Women’s Health Annual Editions, 1999/2000
Union Station: 75 Years in the Heart of LA 2014
La Fonda Then and Now 2017
Contact Information:
Website: www.stephenfried.com
Twitter: @stephen_fried