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 Shots, 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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Back in 1979, about two-thirds of boys out West got circumcised in the hospital soon after they were born. By 2010, only 40 percent were. Nationwide, rates of circumcision have dropped about 10 percent over the past 30 years. -
People who had taken LSD, psilocybin or mescaline at any time in their lives were no more likely than those who hadn't to wind up in mental health treatment or to have symptoms of mental illness, a Norwegian study finds. -
Missouri medical students who spent a summer working with country doctors were more inclined to pick primary care specialties later on. Nearly half of those who tried a summer in rural practice wound up working in rural areas in their first jobs after finishing medical training. -
The federal government is divvying up $67 million among more than 100 groups that applied for grants to help people navigate new health insurance options. Insurance health exchanges open for business in October. -
An analysis of 16 recent medical guidelines found evidence of financial ties between key experts and industry. Most of the recommendations expanded the definitions of common illnesses, lowering the threshold for treatment. -
Dr. Judith Salerno, a geriatrician, is replacing Nancy Brinker, the cancer philanthropy's founder and longtime chief executive. The change comes more than a year and a half after a decision to halt grants to Planned Parenthood plunged the group into controversy. -
Cheerleading has become a competitive activity in its own right, and it carries a considerable risk of serious injury, including concussion, spinal damage and broken bones. American Medical Association delegates meeting in Chicago will consider a resolution to support the designation of cheerleading as a sport. -
While there's been quite a debate lately about whether salt in the modern American diet is risky, there's no question that a massive amount of salt ingested quickly can lead to death. A young man in Virginia who chugged a bottle of soy sauce survived after prompt, aggressive medical treatment. -
The Komen foundation has attributed the drop in walk participation, in part, to a crummy economy. But it's clear the organization underestimated the reaction to its short-lived decision in early 2012 to discontinue funding for breast cancer screening by Planned Parenthood. -
Prescriptions for testosterone have surged for men 40 and older. Drugmakers have touted use of drugs to manage symptoms attributed to low testosterone, such as fatigue and a drop in libido. But those symptoms can also be caused by depression and normal aging.
