ASA/AAAS Mass Media Fellow and Duke computer science major Freya Gulamali will spend 10 weeks this summer as a science journalist with The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Long interested in science and journalism, Gulamali sees science journalism as a powerful mechanism to promote the perspective of patients in the age of artificial intelligence, health, and health care, as well as a driver of accountability.
She considers the next few years pivotal as policymakers determine how to balance the interests of insurance companies, health systems, physician groups, and drug manufacturers and wants to help ensure the patient perspective is integrated in policymaking.
Gulamali has interned with the US Food and Drug Administration Office of Generic Drugs Topical and Transdermal Team and currently works with the Duke Institute for Health Innovation to, for example, develop an AI tool to determine the risk of post-operative outcomes such as mortality and stroke.
Supporting programs such as the ASA/AAAS Mass Media Fellowship helps the ASA realize its vision of a world that relies on data and statistical thinking to drive discovery and inform decisions. Beginning in 2017, the ASA’s sponsorship has allowed the program to expand its efforts to promote statistical capacity in reporting and provide statisticians with more media experience.
Previous fellows include Nick Thieme, Irineo Cabreros, Diana Cai, Jessica Craig, Aparna Nathan, Jayati Sharma, and Lucy Tu. A call for 2025 fellows will be issued this fall.
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