Richard Knox
Since he joined NPR in 2000, Knox has covered a broad range of issues and events in public health, medicine, and science. His reports can be heard on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Talk of the Nation, and newscasts.
Among other things, Knox's NPR reports have examined the impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa, North America, and the Caribbean; anthrax terrorism; smallpox and other bioterrorism preparedness issues; the rising cost of medical care; early detection of lung cancer; community caregiving; music and the brain; and the SARS epidemic.
Before joining NPR, Knox covered medicine and health for The Boston Globe. His award-winning 1995 articles on medical errors are considered landmarks in the national movement to prevent medical mistakes. Knox is a graduate of the University of Illinois and Columbia University. He has held yearlong fellowships at Stanford and Harvard Universities, and is the author of a 1993 book on Germany's health care system.
He and his wife Jean, an editor, live in Boston. They have two daughters.
-
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announces that its popular painkiller Celebrex may increase the risk of cardiovascular problems. New study results indicate more than double the risk of major heart problems, but another study failed to corroborate the finding. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
-
Scientists say the arthritis drug Bextra may pose increased risk of cardiovascular troubles. Bextra is related to Vioxx, which was pulled off the market in September for the same reason. Now, doctors worry that all related drugs could cause similar problems. Hear NPR's Richard Knox.
-
A new study finds that deaths in cancer drug trials have declined tenfold, thanks to the development of drugs that are better targeted at tumors and less toxic than previous medicines. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
-
In a typical flu season, more than 40 percent of school-age kids get the flu. But health officials are trying to get the vaccine to Americans over age 50. New findings suggest children should be vaccinated first to reduce the spread of flu to older adults. Hear NPR's Richard Knox.
-
With millions going unvaccinated this year due to a flu vaccine shortage, health professionals warn of a pending crisis in U.S. hospitals and emergency rooms. Federal officials are criticized for lacking an emergency plan. Hear NPR's Richard Knox.
-
Scientists have at last found the protein that transforms sound waves into nerve impulses. Researchers are learning that hearing is the "fastest" of the senses, faster even than vision in the way input becomes nerve signals. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
-
The U.S. government is working to redirect remaining supplies of the flu vaccine as it tries to ensure it reaches people who need it most: children, the elderly and people with chronic diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working with a supplier to route the flu shots to the public. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
-
One of the nation's two makers of flu vaccine has lost its license, and 48 million doses of the company's vaccine will be destroyed. Due to the unexpected shortage, healthy Americans are encouraged to delay or skip getting shots so that enough will be available for the elderly and those most at risk. Hear NPR's Richard Knox.
-
The closure of a major flu vaccine manufacturer will cause major shortages during the upcoming flu season, say health officials. Before its license was suspended, the Chiron Corp. intended to ship 48 million doses of flu vaccine to the United States. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
-
American scientists Richard Axel and Linda Buck are awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on the sense of smell. Their research solved the mystery of how the brain is able to distinguish between odors. NPR's Richard Knox reports.