Skype is our friend and almost everyone has a cellphone now, even in the poorest corners of the globe. Meanwhile, we have this one lonely psychiatrist, Dr. Chencho Dorji, whos battling with growing rates of depression and other mental disorders. The mother contracted the illness after being in the hospital. It was a real wakeup call for many Torontonians.
The disease then spread to her daughter and severely crippled her, forcing her into an early retirement. His brother used to be a very respected monk. They werent at first going to introduce us to a girl who had undergone sexual initiation, but we requested it. But then he had a mental breakdown and his first schizophrenic episode. SARS raced across some 30 countries and infected roughly 8,000 people around the world. But at the Toronto Star, Canadas largest newspaper, those stories are thriving. Its very counterintuitive. That already makes for a compelling story, but it turns out that hes personally impacted by mental health because his brother is schizophrenic. The position title is Senior Analyst of Information Systems Services. Yang learned from the interview that the woman knew almost nothing about SARSincluding that the disease ruining her life probably came from bats. If you had to encapsulate my bat story in one sentence, it would be: "Whats up with the bat, and why is it involved in all of these viruses?". Bhutans international reputation is for being one of the happiest countries in the world. The Bhutanese are Buddhists; theyre very spiritual and connected with nature. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); [End of Twitter thread from Jennifer Yang], Jennifer Yang of The Toronto Star. Holiday mobility fell this year compared to 2019, but the biggest drop was on Mothers Day, when COVID fatigue was least acuteand TO still saw an uptick in cases afterward. He cant treat every Bhutanese person, especially if they live four hours away in their remote village. Its pushing a gross natural happiness system. One of the UNICEF employees mentioned that part of the reason these girls are getting pregnant is because of this sexual initiation they have to do. Theres going to be a story. The data also shows that tons of people visited York Region shopping malls in the week after Toronto and Peel locked down, but York stayed open. Journalists have a responsibility to report on matters of public interest, hold governments accountable, and provide context for whats happening in the world. My newspaper launched its first-ever global health beat in the middle of the toughest financial chapter in its history. Home / Publications / The SciCom Interviews / 2014 Interviews / Jennifer Yang, This globetrotting reporter tracks down stories about human health and infectious disease even as newspapers get squeezed. Well you cant help but notice that with SARS, MERS, Ebola and Nepavirus, epidemiologists believe these things originally came from bats. It coincided with the 10-year anniversary of SARS, which was in 2013. She has won one National Newspaper Award. These are all questions that journalists have a role in answering. Credit: Alex Fuentes Catrin. The experience was eye-opening for Yang, who grew determined to inform the public about the worlds diseases. Theres a lot of work and energy and resources poured into studying the bat, since its increasingly being recognized as very important to human health. And it's more important than ever to cultivate sources in the field, so they can be your eyes and ears on the ground for story ideas and emerging issues. COVID-19, Identity, Inequality, Diversity Issues, Race, Gender, Global Health. Recipient Alliance for Healthier Communities, Media Award (2021), Nomination National Newspaper Award, Explanatory Work (2020), Nomination Canadian Association of Journalists Award, Daily Excellence (2020), Nomination CWA Canada/ Canadian Association of Journalists Award for Labour Reporting (2020), Winner Aga Khan Foundation Canada Fellowship for International Development Reporting (2017), Nomination National Newspaper Award, Explanatory Work (2017), Winner Canadian Online Publishing Awards, Best Article or Series, Green Division (2015), Fellow UN Foundation Press Fellowship, Malawi (2013), Fellow UN Foundation Press Fellowship, Geneva (2013), Winner National Newspaper Award, Explanatory Work (2010), Winner (Team) National Newspaper Award, Breaking News (2010), More than 155 daycares in Toronto have applied for the national child care program, Don Mills neighbours mourn woman, 85, killed by city street sweeper: She would do anything for anybody, Edward Lake, father of 3 children killed in crash by impaired driver Marco Muzzo, dies by suicide, A Toronto charity claimed it was sending rescue dogs to the east coast for a better chance at life. Heres what really happened to one of the difficult dogs they sent away, Canadian dog rescues are bringing in more than just animals. The economy took a major hit.
The annual salary is $123,683.20. So he has installed a system in which health workers are trained in recognizing mental health problems and referring mental health cases. Your email address will not be published. Which of your reporting trips has been most impactful for you? One woman in the U.K. spoke about how the SARS club that formed around the outbreak of SARS was coming back together again to identify yet another new coronavirus. Its working pretty well. The Buddhist philosophy is aligned with this happiness priority that they set for themselves as a country. The dataset, provided by Environics Analytics, has several limitations, and cant tell us if people are actually gathering. Was SARS one of your first topics when you moved to the global health beat? Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. All Rights Reserved.
The gist of the article is that infections are rising in Toronto, and social contacts need to be reduced. SARS was long gone by the time I became a global health reporter in October 2012. Jennifer Yang is a Toronto-based investigative reporter for the Star, who previously covered COVID-19, identity & inequality and global health. When youre put into a new country like this, how do you find a story? Global health is increasingly being recognized as a social justice issue; why do most Canadians live into their 80s when Zimbabweans have a life expectancy of 54? How can global health beats flourish as newspapers decline? In many cultures its taboo for young girls to have sex before marriage, but in this culture young girls are encouraged to practice sex at a young age so that they will be prepared for marriage and to please their husbands. Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. How did you first hear about that story, and how did you approach reporting it? Global health spending has reached unprecedented levels; where is all of this money going and who is benefiting? I had no idea, like you, that this was an issue or a practice. You've just got to keep your eyes open. It was very full circle. The global health universe is chock-full of them. It was identified in Jordan, but when it broke out in April 2012 no one knew what it was. Sexual Violence Prevention & Response (Title IX). NEW: Mobility only dropped 1% in Toronto in the week after 2nd lockdown, cellphone data showsand it remains higher in outer areas with bigger proportions of essential workers. You saw the fear just by taking the subway. Left: Mobility in 1 week after spring lockdown, 12/13/what-cellphone-mobility-data-can-teach-us-about-whos-driving-covid-infections-in-toronto-and-what-to-expect-from-the-holidays.html, Christmas is coming, so we also wanted to know: how have people been behaving on holiday weekends? I sat next to her, and she shot me a dirty look and shrunk away from me and moved seats. How can newspapers looking to implement a global health beat do so? Interview by Nicholas St. Fleur, Global health reporter Jennifer Yang of the Toronto Star reports a story from Chile. It was shocking. But like everything else in the newspaper industry, the beat has to adapt; we can't get on a plane for every story, but there are other ways to tell the story. I had read a very brief interview piece with a psychiatrist and it mentioned that he was the first and only psychiatrist in Bhutan. 2022 Regents of the University of California. Thats what inspired him to become a psychiatrist. Another of your impactful stories delved into Malawian sexual initiation, where young women have sex with much older men as some sort of sexual ritual. Yang shared her journeys in global health through her talk at the February 2014 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago. The Dec. 13, 2020 Toronto Stararticlethat the thread references is entitled: What cellphone mobility data can teach us about why lockdown might not be working, and what to expect from the holidays.. What led to that? The position title is Senior Analyst of Information Systems Services. Afterward, SciComs Nicholas St. Fleur sat down with her and, through a vicarious international trip, leaned how she covers infectious diseases. Why do you think the global health beat is important to journalism? I was naturally interested, my editors were naturally interested, and our readers were naturally interested. On one occasion she interviewed a woman who lost her mother during the 2003 outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Reporter Jennifer Yang took up the papers new global health beat in 2012 and has since reported on everything from mental health in Bhutan to emerging zoonotic diseases such as the H7N9 influenza virus and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS. They thought he had become possessed by spirits and deities. Did you feel like this was a detective story? And last but not least, journalism is about telling good stories. Please fill in the form below to provide additional information on Jennifer Yang. Do not leave any private information. All the family could do was lock him up for ten or so years. She hopes her work will inspire other news organizations to fill the void for global health stories. Nick's online portfolio resides here: nicholasstfleur.blogspot.com, <
If you train this army of people who can act as your eyes and ears in the field, they can foster mental health that way. It was a traumatic experience for Torontonians. Its tough. Some Torontonians were more likely to go out on holiday weekends: Those who live in wealthier areas, which have some of the citys lowest COVID rates. Hes been very tireless in bringing global health awareness to his family and his people, but he cant do it alone. More than 39,000 Torontonians descended upon 3 malls in York that week enough people to fill the Scotiabank Arena twice over. They take pride in the fact that they have a very happy population. Then a Saudi Arabian man died in June 2012, and that virus was later identified as a new coronavirus that looked and seemed a lot like SARS. Click on image to enlarge it. I think these mandates are all met when we cover global health issues. Some imported canines carry diseases that can be dangerous to you and your pets, This is not right: Behind the bitter fight for one of Torontos most high-profile rescue dogs, How a Toronto dog rescues quest to save animals has led to painful consequences for dogs and the people who love them, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star The Dec. 13, 2020 Toronto Star. When I went to Malawi, we were talking about malnutrition and global health and child marriage. Michael Mizzi, a senior planning manager at the City of Toronto, was guest speaker Dec. 13, 2020 Twitter thread from Yaneer Bar-Yam @yaneerbaryam whos been Committee of Adjustment and Toronto Local Appeal Body. I remember an experience on the subway with a woman who was wearing a face mask. Chencho wanted to help his brother, but he had no means to do so. Absolutely the Bhutan story. The psychiatrist told me that his brother became violent when people tried to help him. What is the Toronto connection to SARS? People in lower-income areas that have been harder hit by COVID stayed home more on holidays. Ontario Bailiff, Collection Agencies, and Lenders Licences, Proactive Disclosure - Hospitality Expenses, British Columbia Public Sector Compensations, New Brunswick Public Sector Employee Salaries, Find all employees with the same employer, Find all employees with the same position, Senior Analyst of Information Systems Services, Senior Analyst Of Information Systems Services, Supervisor of Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems, Manager of Information Technology Governance, Project Leader of Information Technology Customer Service, Director of Finance and Business Management, Manager, Internal Audit\Chef de service, Vrification interne, Information and Information Technology Security Design Specialist, Province of Ontario, Treasury Board Secretariat.