
Rebecca Smith
Health ReporterRebecca Smith is an award-winning reporter and producer for the KBIA Health & Wealth Desk. Born and raised outside of Rolla, Missouri, she has a passion for diving into often overlooked issues that affect the rural populations of her state – especially stories that broaden people’s perception of “rural” life. She created a conversations-based journalism project, Missouri Health Talks, in 2016 that empowers people throughout the state to share their stories of access to healthcare – in their own words.
She has degrees in both Journalism and Chemistry from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, and often says health reporting is the perfect marriage of individual’s stories and reporting on science.
You can reach her at smithbecky@missouri.edu or 573-882-4824.
-
Julie Rosenfeld in Columbia describes herself as a “Jewish lesbian violinist baker.” She and her wife have been together for about 40 years. She spoke about her and her wife’s many weddings – both legal and not.
-
CoMo Mobile Aid is a local grassroots organization that sets up outside the local overnight shelter, Room the Inn [RATI], twice a week – offering a pop-up thrift store, a wound care station and a large, converted van where folks can get all sorts of essentials: from band aids and Tylenol to menstrual pads and shampoo.
-
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 120,000 Missourians are living with the disease. But a newly approved blood test could lead to earlier and cheaper diagnosis of the disease.
-
Juneteenth has only been a national holiday since 2021, but KBIA’s Katelynn McIlwain and Rebecca Smith bring us the story of one community in rural Missouri that has been celebrating for the last 25 years.
-
David Hall is a bisexual man who performs as drag queen of color, Kaycee Adams. He spoke about the importance of showing up and speaking out for himself and his fellow LGBTQ+ community members.
-
Jaquie Melloway and John Trapp are the leadership team that run Room at the Inn, the local overnight shelter in Columbia that serves unhoused people. They spoke about some of the things that have surprised them about the folks they serve.
-
Today is Juneteenth, and while it’s only been an official federal holiday since 2021, the city of Fayette will be holding its 25th annual celebration this weekend.
-
Hallene Darland and Tina Sherman are a married autistic and ADHD queer couple. They spoke about the sometimes-complicated intersection of queer celebration and neurodivergence.
-
Reighna is an unhoused woman in her 40s. She spoke about some of the systemic challenges that can make it hard for people to climb out of homelessness, but also about the community that supports her.
-
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, approximately 80% of lost pregnancies occur within the first trimester. But a new study in mice has found that inflammation and hormone levels may play a role.