89.3 WFPL News has hired Lisa Gillespie as its Health and Innovation Reporter, filling a key beat in the newsroom.
Gillespie is a health care reporter who comes to WFPL from Kaiser Health News. During her career, Gillespie has covered all things health — from Medicaid and Medicare payment policy and rural hospital closures to science funding and the dietary supplement market.
At WFPL, she will cover public health and health care policy, the health and science economies in Louisville and the state, and the ways revolutionary technologies are changing our approach to health care. She will also serve as WFPL’s reporter on NPR’s Health Reporting Partnership, which includes Kaiser Health News and partner stations throughout the country.
She starts July 1.
Gillespie joins WFPL after eight years in Washington D.C. She studied journalism at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
"I can't wait to sink my teeth into all things health care and science in Louisville and Kentucky," Gillespie said. "Louisville Public Media has a solid track record of health reporting. I’m excited to report on KyNect, Medicaid expansion, health care disparities, health insurance, the hospital industry and scientific discoveries."
Louisville Public Media Executive Editor Stephen George said Gillespie would fill an important role in the WFPL newsroom.
“Over the past two years, we’ve made a strong commitment to reporting on health because we believe it is a defining issue of our time,” George said. “I’m thrilled to welcome Lisa to the newsroom, and I know she’ll bring a new depth to the beat in our community.”