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.
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The 15th International AIDS Conference comes to a close in Thailand. A U.S. plan to spend $15 billion on emergency measures is criticized over details, and divisions are evident at the gathering despite calls for unity. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
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Married Thai women have become an AIDS risk group. But in Thailand, as in many societies, women are in no position to tell their husbands to use condoms. That's giving new urgency to the drive to develop a gel that women can use to prevent HIV infection. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
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Among developing countries, Thailand is second only to Brazil when it comes providing universal access to AIDS drugs. One Thai woman, Krisana Kraisintu, took on government officials and multinational pharmaceuticals to make this drug availability possible. Now she's setting her sights on Africa's AIDS crisis. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
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Thailand's remote north has more people living with HIV than anywhere else in the country. The good news: access to treatment is dramatically improving. Hear NPR's Richard Knox. -
The International AIDS Conference begins today in Bangkok, Thailand. NPR's Richard Knox visited a hospice that treats AIDS patients in the city. Located in a Buddhist temple, it's the largest AIDS sanctuary in Thailand. There, he met one patient who was left abandoned at the temple by his relatives. -
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says new rises in AIDS infection rates prove that the world has not done enough to combat the disease. Annan, speaking at the 15th International AIDS conference, challenged leaders to stop the spread of AIDS. Hear NPR's Richard Knox.
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Most American men over 50 get an annual blood test, called a PSA, that is thought to indicate whether they may have prostate cancer. But a new study questions the accuracy of the widely used test and raises questions about how best to screen for the cancer. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
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People on the Atkins diet average the same weight loss after a year as those on other regimens, according to two new studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine. According to researchers' findings, concerns that the Atkins diet raises cholesterol appear to be unfounded -- people in the study had about the same cholesterol levels whether they pursued Atkins or the low-fat regimen. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
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A study published this week in The Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that frequent sexual activity does not increase the risk of prostate cancer as some studies have suggested, and may even be protective. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
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The Food and Drug Administration says patients on some popular antidepressants should be closely monitored for warning signs of suicide. The agency asked the makers of 10 drugs to add the caution to their product labels. In changing its requirement, the FDA stressed that it is not yet clear that the drugs actually lead to suicide. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
