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.
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Dr. Tyler Severance is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at University of Missouri Healthcare, which means he works with kids who have blood and cancer disorders. He spoke about some of the short and long-term impacts cancer treatment can have on kids -
Earlier this year, the Food & Drug Administration removed the “black box” — a warning signaling significant side effects — from hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, for the treatment of menopause. This came after years of research demonstrating the safety of the treatment. Now, women are talking more about their experiences and their treatment options, which could have significant impacts on their health — and the US economy. -
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Summer flowers are blooming and vegetable gardens are beginning to produce — all thanks to the many pollinators buzzing around. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith has more about one of these pollinators that may deserve more recognition — wasps. -
The Missouri Bootheel consistently ranks in the bottom of most health measures in the state, and it struggles to attract and retain enough healthcare providers, such as nurses. -
Tick bite prevention is top of mind for lots of Missourians this summer, but as KBIA’s Rebecca Smith reports, there’s one highly fatal tickborne illness that could impact — your cat. -
Missouri has not yet seen any cases of new world screwworm, but experts say there’s still a lot that Missouri farmers can do to prepare for the possible threat. -
During cancer treatment, ‘it's okay to be to let yourself be vulnerable, to let yourself be helped.’Jennifer Rosenblad and Amy Appold are best friends who live in Columbia and have both survived breast cancer. They spoke about the benefit of knowing other survivors who fully understand the challenges of treatment, as well as about how community support was important during their experiences. -
Randy Rafter is the executive director of Black Pride STL, the second oldest Black gay pride organization in the country. The group began more than 30 years ago during the AIDS epidemic, but has sense evolved and expanded to serve the entirety of a person.
