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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Director Poh Si Teng and subject Dr. Feroze Sidwha discuss "American Doctor," playing at True/False Film Fest. -
Billie Baldwin lives outside of Bolivar and is a caregiver for her husband. She and friend Terri Lipe are co-facilitators of the Polk County/Bolivar area Caregivers Helping Caregivers support group, which meets once a month. -
What exactly is a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM)? KBIA’s Rebecca Smith has more on what they are and were designed to do, as well as how they impact the cost of medications at the pharmacy counter. -
Maureen Templeman teaches gerontology — or aging — at Missouri State University in Springfield. She recently launched a new project called the Southwest Missouri CARE Collective that’s designed to create a new opportunity for mutual aid between caregivers. -
According to the 2024 Missouri Student Survey, nearly 35% of school aged kids in the state report feeling hopeless at times. -
The Missouri Department of Health & Services unveiled its new “Master Plan on Aging” last week. This ten-year plan is designed to help guide the state’s priorities for seniors and adults with disabilities. -
Debbie Bennett and Kaylie Walker are both nutrition educators in northwest Missouri and for the past few years they’ve hosted an MU Extension podcast called “Truth or Trend” that examined online trends and claims about health and well-being. -
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Earlier this month, the newest version of Dietary Guidelines for Americans was released by the federal government — with a new inverted pyramid graphic that looks very different from the My Plate and Food Pyramid guides that have been used during the last few decades. -
Gina Plata-Nino is the SNAP director for the Food Research and Action Center, a national nonprofit group focused on eliminating hunger in the US, and spoke about some of the impacts changes to SNAP could have on Missourians.
