Home

Transformation through Journalism, Media & Visual Arts

LEADERSHIP and ACHIEVEMENT 

I am the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of AMPERS, an association of 18 community radio stations throughout Minnesota. AMPERS is the largest statewide association of community radio stations in the United States. 

I am the founder of  "SOME PEOPLE," the Not-for-Profit organization and multiverse channel that examines the people, processes and systems that constitute the maintenance of, and barriers to, health. My areas of expertise are White Collar Healthcare Crime, Best Practice, Quality of Care, Universal Healthcare policy, Fear of Reprisal-Free Cultures and Do No Harm business ethics.

From 1999 to 2023 I owned UNSPUN Consulting and Productions. I have led global multimedia teams and collaborated with bureaus and verticals around the world, including data, investigative, documentary and photojournalism, to produce in-depth narratives, top-tier accountability journalism, visually-impactful essays and high-caliber storytelling across multiverse platforms. I work with an international network of high performing journalists, producers, policy leaders and artists to improve Public Health policy through visual story telling, reporting and live events. 

My writing and editing have been featured in the Index on Censorship, New York Times Well, Loyola Magazine, Washington Post, Chicago Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune Magazine, Chicago Health magazine, The 2nd Hand, MILK, NPR, CNN, MinnPost, Pro Photographer, and the History in Africa Journal (Cambridge University Press), among others. 

I've read and performed essays about health on WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, at 10 x 10 Chicago, and at Uncommon Ground among other venues. I recently wrote a series for Men's Journal about the mental health of male athletes.

During my early career I worked for Harper’s Magazine (internship), National Public Radio (Washington, D.C.), Chicago Tribune books division, and Kartemquin Films. More recently, I was the Director of Global Business Development and Special Projects for VII Photo Agency in New York.

I am the coproducer of Fatal Neglect, the six-part Médecins Sans Frontières documentary series filmed internationally about Global Health and supervising producer of Long Shadow, a film and national engagement project about mass incarceration policy in the United States and how it impacts Public Health. For the DOC NYC film festival in 2023 I curated VII Uncommissioned which addresses pressing political and health issues globally. I am the Executive Producer of Vicarious, a study of trauma reduction and harm prevention. In addition, I financed Defy  about rape as a weapon of war for the International Rescue Committee and Under Cane which exposed the causes of Chronic Kidney Disease among sugar cane workers. One of the most impactful long-running multiverse projects I've worked on is Bring it to The Table.

I am a member of the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism and a graduate of Benet Academy College Prep and Loyola University Chicago. 

FEATURE WRITING

THE FINE PRINT •

Chasing Polio: Photojournalist Jean-Marc Giboux on Health Literacy, Healthcare Education and the Need for International Global Health Cooperation

When I was young, I believed in Santa Claus even after my older brother told me he was not real. On one Christmas Eve night, we were told by my parents that Santa was going to visit our home before he took off on his sleigh to make global deliveries.

I believed, or, wanted to believe.

When Santa came to our front door carrying a large bag of gifts, he was jovial and joyous. He had a deep voice and a loud belly laugh just like the Santa I had been groomed to recognize in media, stories and book
THE FINE PRINT •

On Trust and Grace: Photographer Maggie Shannon on How to Document Vulnerable Patients and Dedicated Medical Professionals

Today, in THE FINE PRINT, a conversation with photographer Maggie Shannon.

On Thursday, March 14, the Vice President of the United States of America visited a Planned Parenthood medical care clinic near the city line between St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, marking the first time a president or vice president has toured a facility that provides Sexual and Reproductive medical care to citizens and residents of the country.

It was 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and
THE FINE PRINT •

The Single Payer Healthcare Movement in the United States Has Failed...or, Has It?

Never before have so many organizations and individuals been fighting to enact National (Improved) Medicare for All and statewide Single Payer Programs across the United States.

Vertical integration by the Commercial Health Insurance industry has bulldozed its way through the halls of Capitol Hill since the early 1980’s when Managed Care first overtly telegraphed what it would do to the American people.

Members of the United States Congress and State Legislatures first greenlit the siphoning o
THE FINE PRINT •

Agency, Autonomy and Will: Who Decides?

Canada announced on Monday that it is postponing a plan to offer people suffering from mental illnesses the option of a medically assisted death.

The New York Times reported just hours ago that an “announcement by Mark Holland, the health minister, and Arif Virani, the justice minister, came after a special parliamentary committee looking into the plan concluded that there are not enough doctors, particularly psychiatrists, in the country to assess patients with mental illnesses who want to end
MinnPost •

Life Flight in the air, and a public health crisis on the ground

Α helicopter flies over and along the North Shore of Lake Superior. The sound of the rotor blades evokes both melancholy and pause.

When Life Flight is in the air, it’s hard not to wake. No matter the time day or night, each and every time, a friend who lives 600 feet from me in a certified wildlife habitat, texts me to say: “Throwing some prayers up.”

The scissor-like pulse of the rotor blades resonates and reverberates through the community’s air and our hearts. Chances are, you see, we know
Men's Journal •

Adventurer Ben Moon on the Upside of Battling Cancer

Ben Moon is a climber, surfer, photographer, author, and filmmaker. It’s been 18 years since he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, but he still wears a colostomy bag and has dedicated much of his life to educating young men about the need to get tested and stay active to be healthy. With a film in the works, a new book, and a new home, we caught up with Moon to get his take on the pandemic, dogs, and cameras, and more.

Men’s Journal: What does health mean to you?

Ben Moon: I feel that healt
Men's Journal •

Kurt Warner and Zachary Levi on Making 'American Underdog'

What do actor Zachary Levi and retired two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner have in common? Turns out, a lot. Warner and Levi are the new generation of men confronting challenges publicly, sharing vulnerability openly, and taking responsibility as mentors.

We spoke with Warner and Levi about their upcoming film, American Underdog, a biopic about the struggles, life, and success of Warner that inspired a generation of college athletes. Warner’s story is
Men's Journal •

How Slopestyle Gold Medalist Red Gerard Keeps His Cool

Snowboarder Red Gerard returned to the United States from the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang at the age of 17 with a gold in slopestyle around his neck. The youngest person ever to win a snowboarding gold for Team USA, he garnered attention for his youth, talent, and laid-back nonchalance. A gifted athlete with a friendly, effortless demeanor, he made being an elite athlete look easy. There was a little time for the dreamscape to continue—riding a high from the hardware, A-list sponsor
Men's Journal •

Team USA Speed Skater Conor McDermott-Mostowy on Embracing Failure

Success. What does that word mean when you’re an elite 21-year-old athlete and neuroscience major? Long-track Team USA speed skater Conor McDermott-Mostowy has a few thoughts about personal goals, becoming a well-balanced man, and what it means to represent the United States in the 2022 Olympics. He also has his own definition of success—and it’s not what you’d think.

For those of us who remember Eric and Beth Heiden, they truly introduced the U.S. to the sport. The Wisconsin-born siblings exce
Men's Journal •

Team USA Bobsledder Josh Williamson Talks G-Forces

Elite American athlete Josh Williamson is gearing up for a slot on the Team USA Olympic Bobsled team. Very few bobsledders come from the state of Florida, but the line of questioning about a snowless kid pursuing a winter sport has grown tiresome for Williamson. He’s ready to talk about much more. Known for being a methodical tactician with a giant work ethic, Williamson spoke with Men’s Journal from his apartment at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY, on the eve of his departure for
THE FINE PRINT •

Americans Learning Scope and Scale of the Commercial Health Insurance Industry Denial of Care Business Model

Yesterday, Charles Munger died. He was the famed sidekick of Warren Buffett and often called “A titan of business.” Munger was a lifelong vocal supporter of Universal Healthcare Single Payer reform in the United States. Why? Because he understood how Universal Healthcare leverages the health of people, leverages the the health of business, and stabilizes Public Safety by reducing violence and trauma.

As more and more Americans come to understand the scope and scale of harm the United States Com
THE FINE PRINT •

First Responders, Healthcare and Being In-Between

It’s difficult to understand the life of a First Responder. They see what others turn away from, they confront the messy in-between of human strife and circumstance without judgment or blame and they are trained to preserve and restore when others have attempted to do harm or kill. The clock is always ticking as they race into the unknown, hourly.

Fire Captain Jeremy Norton has been a firefighter and EMT with the Minneapolis Fire Department (MFD) since 2000. He was promoted to Captain in 2007 a
THE FINE PRINT •

Searching for Humanity with Her Camera

For 20 years, I lived on Upper Randolph Street in Chicago’s 42nd Ward. The 42nd drives upwards of 60 percent of Chicago’s economic engine power as it is situated in the heart of the city’s tourist district. Every major music festival and event—from Lolla to Blues Fest, to NASCAR, to major political rallies and protests — take place in The 42nd.

The 42nd is where federal prosecutors, judges, and the Governor of Illinois reside or have resided. There are LEED certified skyscrapers, with undergrou

Bipolar Bear and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad (Commercial) Health Insurance

The system isn’t broken, Mr. Nibbles. It was designed this way. The Harm-for-Profit business model is intentional.

Theodore is a bear with wild mood swings. When he is up, he carves epic poetry into tree trunks. When he is down, he paints sad faces on rocks and turtle shells. In search of prescription medications that will bring stability to his life, Theodore finds a job with commerical health insurance benefits. He gets the meds, but when he can’t pay the psychiatrist’s bill, he becomes lost

HIM / HER / THEM

Originally from Prague in the Czech Republic (Czechia), Anna Rathkopf met Jordan, her now husband, more than 20 years ago while he was living there. In 2016, at the age of 37, Anna was diagnosed with HER2 breast cancer. At the time, their son was three years-old, and they were trying to have another child. Though doctors felt it was likely an early stage, it was aggressive enough that the physicians recommended surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy and estrogen blocking medication f

I Don't Always Have the Answers

Soenen: Let’s get right to it. Since 2013, Ukraine. Why?


Hoffman: It was a bit of happenstance that took me to Ukraine at first.

I moved overseas from Washington, D.C. to Moscow in the summer of 2013, so I was sort of nearby when the Maidan protests began just a few months later. I arrived to cover that story fairly early, in the beginning of December. The atmosphere during what came to be called the “Revolution of Dignity” was inspiring and unique, so when Russia began stirring up trouble i

The Crying, The Crying, The Crying

Soenen: Evegeniy. Great to connect with you. Thank you so much for making the time.

Maloletka: Of course. The Fine Print has been featuring some exceptional journalists and conversations about Global Health. Glad to be a part of it.

Soenen: Where are you based now?

Maloletka: We were living in basements and in the corridors of the hospital in Mariupol, but now, we live in somewhat normal conditions, renting apartments, staying with friends, or in hotels.

Now it is a much more comfortable sit

It Ain't Pretty, But It Reads Well

As a young woman, when I landed in New York to start my internship with Harper’s Magazine, walking through the doors of that address on Broadway was everything.

On my first day, I was given a first-iteration Mac to work on in my office nook, a nook which also served as a storage closet. First released in 1984, the computer had a keyboard that was attached to the screen. It was known as the Apple Macintosh.

My office nook was near the corner office of the publisher, John R. MacArthur, known as

We Are in Hiding From Each Other, Not Together in Public Anymore

I began working with Ed in 2011 as the Director of Global Business Development and Special Projects for VII Photo Agency in New York. We have worked together on mass incarceration stories, labor rights stories, and multiverse health projects, including “SOME PEOPLE” (Every)Body.

Recently, Ed worked on a health feature for TIME Magazine that gave us good reason to discuss the state of Global Health in 2023. I caught up with Ed on the road. He is currently traveling across the United States worki

On Par

There have now been more mass shootings in 2023 than days in the year.”

“O​ne of the essential accessories for performance shooting is a shot timer,” writes Caleb Giddings, a writer for “Shooting Illustrated” magazine, which is published by the National Rifle Association (NRA.)

Shot timers have been around since the 1980s. This was the decade when gun manufacturers began aggressively marketing military weapons to civilians in the United States. January 17, 1989 marked the beginning of this mas

They Are Other Nations

Note from the Editor: This article contains photographs of violence. These images may be triggering for select persons. Reader discretion is advised.

On January 19, the Royal Geographic Society will present the World Premiere of the documentary Eyes of the Orangutan. The film is a captivating exploration of one of the most troubling facets of modern wildlife tourism, and an uplifting celebration of the human animal’s closest living relatives: the orangutan.

Sharing 97% of our DNA, they are sen

Everything Will Be Different

When the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic hit in 2020, healthcare professionals, trauma surgeons, nurses, medical students, ethical business leaders, artists and writers began publishing work and giving testimony about the need for a Global Health Philosophy Transformation. Would humanity seize the moment, or would the moment seize us?

Zac Deloupy’s work titled “Le monde d’Après,” caught my attention and stood out. The ongoing series is an unapologetic and hard-hitting graphic novel series about the ravages

I Regret Becoming A Mother

As THE FINE PRINT publishes this morning, September 1, 2022, readers in the United States are ramping up to the midterm elections on Tuesday, November 8.

The recent United States Supreme Court ruling permitting states to ban women from accessing medical care, criminalize patients in need of medical care, and criminalize persons who assist pregnant persons with accessing medical care, is factoring in heavily to voter ballot preparation.

As a direct result of the SCOTUS ruling, the number of wom

What I learned Along The Way Was Everybody Was Cut Into The Deal Except for The Patient

After reading “Code Blue,” by Mike Magee, I contacted him to learn more about his personal and professional evolution, from working as a high-level executive at one of the most profitable pharmaceutical companies in the world, to publicly criticizing the Medical Industrial Complex in the United States.

Mike Magee, MD is a medical historian and journalist on the faculty of Presidents College at the University of Hartford in the United States. He has held similar roles at a range of academic inst

Many Miles to Go

“Jim Borling, one of the music therapists we featured, said: ‘Music allows us to tap into that innate desire to grow that is already within us, that desire to move toward wholeness, that desire to heal.’ I really like that.”

Taylor Sisk is Nashville-based healthcare journalist whose work is primarily focused on how policies and practices affect people’s lives. He’s served as contributing, associate, managing and executive editor of several newspapers and online publications. Recent projects inc

We Have to Call Out The Wrongs That We See In The System

“I have two daughters, ages 14 and 16. At a very young age, I empowered them to ask the doctor any questions they had at their checkups. They know they have to give consent for anyone to touch them. I teach them to listen to their body and give it what it needs. I’ve also told them to consider how a state respects the rights of women before they choose to live there. I think this should be considered when looking at a college or job. Young women everywhere should be asking: Where will I live and

I Want Them All To Know That I'm Fighting For Them

Recently, I spoke at length with Dr. Mary Owen about her lived experience as a Native American woman, physician and citizen.

Dr. Owen is a member of the Tlingit nation. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School and North Memorial Family Practice Residency Program before returning home to work for her tribal community in Juneau, Alaska. After eleven years of full-scope Family Medicine, she returned to the University of Minnesota Medical School in Duluth in 2014, and became th

Great for Lawyers, Not So Great For Everybody Else

“Hospitals are really unregulated utilities. We need a national plan that covers everybody. “

Billable hours are sometimes tracked at the absurd rate of tenths of an hour. Their professional lives are rooted in the Letter of the Law, rather than the often-times less linear, gray and less analytical areas of the human experience.

Doug Aldeen is an ERISA attorney who recently served as ERISA counsel on behalf of the Berkeley Research Group in New York City to the $7.7 billion May 2016 acquisitio

On Water and Wild Rice: What Americans Might Learn From The Ojibwe People About Health, Healthcare and Public Health - An Interview with Staci Lola Drouillard | By Kimberly J. Soenen

“If our communities are to heal from the wounds of the past, historical truths, like sunken barrels of wartime munitions, must be brought to the surface, carefully uncapped, and responsibly disposed of so no further harm can be done.”

Of the states in the United States of America that have seen at least one rural hospital close over the past decade, Texas leads with 21 rural hospital closures followed by Tennessee, which has seen 16 hospitals close.

A variety of harmful governance models in th

Vicarious Trauma

First tears, and then he collapsed. Half of the country cheered, and the other half is weeping, again. Still.

The United States, very specifically, breeds a unique brand of systemic and fatal cyclical violence. Young men, across the political, religious and socio-economic spectrums, seem to be lost.

Of the three young men who were shot by Rittenhouse, one was suicidal and one had already been incarcerated for violence. As we all know now, Rittenhouse was using a lethal weapon illegally given t

79th Street Was America Then

Early in November, two men were shot dead and Cole was shot at during lunch-hour gun violence on 53rd Street in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that a 31-year-old man died after being stabbed in his right leg in the 5300 block of Cottage Grove Avenue and a 24-year-old man was shot and killed during a robbery in the 900 block of East 54th Place. Cole was shot at in a third crime, which took place around noon in the 1500 block of East 53rd Street. The fatal s

Failure to Act is a Violent Action

In the April of 2020, I co-authored an OpEd for the Washington Post with Dr. Ronald Wyatt about the language of marginalization and oppression across the United States healthcare scape.

Wyatt is an internationally-recognized Patient Safety advocate. We were first introduced by the editor of Please See Me literary journal. Dr. Wyatt attended a guest lecture by me that was cosponsored by The MedStar Institute for Quality and Patient Safety during the world premiere run of the “SOME PEOPLE” (Every

Got Cancer? Quick, Lace Up Those Running Shoes

Comedic Artist Alex Kumin has very strong opinions about the United States approach to, and model of, healthcare. She talks about it frequently on stage and manages to make people laugh about some of the most frustrating aspects of accessing, and affording, healthcare. She writes about bias in healthcare, unaffordable healthcare, illness prejudice, gender disparity in healthcare, and sexual and reproductive health medicine. She brings down the house each and every time.


Alex is an alumni of t
Load More