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“As a small liberal arts school, Lafayette allowed me to pursue my curiosity about many different fields, with the support of some excellent professors,” says Cary Barbor '86, an English graduate. “As a freelance journalist, I still get to pursue wide-ranging interests, and I still recognize the value of finding good teachers wherever I can.”
Since July, Barbor's teachers have been scientists and researchers. Through a Knight Journalism Fellowship, she is studying public health, epidemiology, and biostatistics at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. A freelance health writer based in New York City, the fellowship offers Barbor an opportunity to strengthen her work as a medical reporter.
In addition to classroom instruction, fellows participate in and contribute to research projects. During the final month in October, fellows accompany CDC scientists on an investigation of an outbreak of disease in the United States or abroad.
“I will travel to Kisumu, Kenya,” says Barbor. “This is an area with a huge malaria problem, especially in children. The project we will work on involves installing insecticide-soaked nets over villagers' beds, which should help protect them from the mosquitoes that carry the disease.”
Barbor has published articles in Salon, CBS Healthwatch, Psychology Today, Women's Sports & Fitness, Backpacker, and other publications. She has edited several consumer health books and written for health-related web sites.
