Rob Stein
Rob Stein is a correspondent and senior editor on NPR's science desk.
An award-winning science journalist with more than 30 years of experience, Stein mostly covers health and medicine. He tends to focus on stories that illustrate the intersection of science, health, politics, social trends, ethics, and federal science policy. He tracks genetics, stem cells, cancer research, women's health issues, and other science, medical, and health policy news.
Before NPR, Stein worked at The Washington Post for 16 years, first as the newspaper's science editor and then as a national health reporter. Earlier in his career, Stein spent about four years as an editor at NPR's science desk. Before that, he was a science reporter for United Press International (UPI) in Boston and the science editor of the international wire service in Washington.
Stein's work has been honored by many organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association for Cancer Research, and the Association of Health Care Journalists. He was twice part of NPR teams that won Peabody Awards.
Stein frequently represents NPR, speaking at universities, international meetings and other venues, including the University of Cambridge in Britain, the World Conference of Science Journalists in South Korea, and the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.
Stein is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He completed a journalism fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health, a program in science and religion at the University of Cambridge, and a summer science writer's workshop at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.
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While many people have stopped wearing masks and resumed pre-pandemic activities, anxiety persists about dropping COVID precautions, even among people who aren't at high risk for serious illness.
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New research out of New York found the protection of the vaccine against infection in kids ages 5 to 11 dropped from 68% to 12%. -
The omicron BA.2 variant spreads about 30% more easily and has caused surges in other countries. Its steady increase in the U.S. raises questions about the wisdom of rolling back COVID restrictions. -
It's another discombobulating moment in the pandemic, with conflicting signs of where the virus is heading and what people should do about it on a daily basis. Here's how to cope. -
The Food and Drug Administration is has postponed releasing details about whether two low doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine can protect kids ages 6 months to 5 years old.
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NPR has learned that Pfizer and BioNtech have gathered additional data that the companies say strengthen their case for authorizing the COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than age five.
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The U.S. death rate from COVID-19 continues to increase daily, as the rolling seven-day average for daily COVID-19 deaths has been above 2,000 since Jan. 23. -
The U.S. has hit more than 900,000 deaths from COVID-19 — yet another once-unimaginable new toll. And the number of people dying every day is still rising.
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Pfizer and BioNtech are expected to ask the FDA for authorization for the first COVID-19 vaccine regimen for kids younger than age 5.
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Pfizer-BioNTech filed for emergency use authorization with the Food and Drug Administration for a vaccine regimen for children from six months to five years old.
