Rob Stein
Rob Stein is a correspondent and senior editor on NPR's science desk.
An award-winning science journalist with more than 30 years of experience, Stein mostly covers health and medicine. He tends to focus on stories that illustrate the intersection of science, health, politics, social trends, ethics, and federal science policy. He tracks genetics, stem cells, cancer research, women's health issues, and other science, medical, and health policy news.
Before NPR, Stein worked at The Washington Post for 16 years, first as the newspaper's science editor and then as a national health reporter. Earlier in his career, Stein spent about four years as an editor at NPR's science desk. Before that, he was a science reporter for United Press International (UPI) in Boston and the science editor of the international wire service in Washington.
Stein's work has been honored by many organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association for Cancer Research, and the Association of Health Care Journalists. He was twice part of NPR teams that won Peabody Awards.
Stein frequently represents NPR, speaking at universities, international meetings and other venues, including the University of Cambridge in Britain, the World Conference of Science Journalists in South Korea, and the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.
Stein is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He completed a journalism fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health, a program in science and religion at the University of Cambridge, and a summer science writer's workshop at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.
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New estimates show the U.S. is on track to see a big rise in cases and more than triple the number of deaths by October. -
The latest COVID-19 surge is on track to worsen this summer, causing a significant increase in the number of hospitalizations and deaths, according to new research from advisers to the CDC.
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Fully vaccinated Olympic athletes and members of Congress have tested positive for the virus. Should you be worried? How common are breakthrough infections, and are they rising?
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As the delta variant takes over in the U.S., new, localized outbreaks are emerging. Those surges are likely driven by pockets of dangerously low vaccination rates.
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The CDC released new estimates showing the highly contagious delta variant now accounts for more than 51% of cases in the U.S. In some parts of the country, the strain is responsible for 80% of cases.
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The Pfizer vaccine appears to be waning in terms of preventing any infection or mild disease, but still offers strong protection against severe disease and death, the Israeli Ministry of Health says.
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The Johnson & Johnson vaccine appears to provide strong protection against the Delta variant that not only doesn't wane over time but seems to grow stronger.
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Alarmed by a 10% uptick in cases nationwide, the federal government is mobilizing COVID-19 surge response teams to help snuff out hotspots around the United States.
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COVID-19 cases are increasing in many, poorly-vaccinated parts of the globe. We check in with reporters in Australia, Sierre Leone and with our science team to talk about the Delta variant's threats.
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Scientists, for the first time, have used the revolutionary gene-editing technique CRISPR inside the body to treat a disease, potentially opening a new era in genetic medicine.
