Margarita Martín-Hidalgo Birnbaum
Health Equity Leader
Margarita Birnbaum is AHCJ’s health beat leader for healthy equity and an independent journalist based in Dallas. Over the years, her stories about health, as well as crime and other topics she covered early in her career, have appeared in WebMD, American Heart Association News, The Dallas Morning News, The Miami Herald and Reuters. Fluent in English and Spanish, Birnbaum is also an interpreter and translator. Her personal and professional experiences living and working in the U.S. and in several Central American countries have informed her reporting work in covering health disparity trends among racial and ethnic groups in the U.S.
“Reporting on health equity involves looking at the ways factors such as job type, housing policies, and experiences with discrimination affect people’s physical and mental health.”
Authored Posts
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How two reporters investigated inequities in the liver transplant system
Their investigation showed that Native Americans are less likely to make the liver transplant list than others, despite being at…
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Using WIC analysis to write about health trends in women, infants and children
Learn how WIC, a social services program for low-income women, infants and children, has long been hampered by regulatory barriers.
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Covering reproductive health: A closer look at issues affecting women of color
In this webinar, we explore how abortion disinformation and misinformation among other things contribute to health issues for women of…
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How one reporter tracked the money trail behind efforts to limit medical abortion
Journalist Amanda Becker with The 19th showed how a conservative legal activist is a key figure in efforts to ban…
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The immigrant health beat: A practical and ethical guide
In this AHCJ webinar, speakers discuss health and ethical issues journalists need to consider when reporting on immigrant health.
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Tips for reporting on the syphilis crisis
Rising cases in newborns has brought renewed attention to an international syphilis crisis. As clinicians race to stem the spread,…
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How one reporter uncovered possible heat-related deaths in Texas prisons
More than two-thirds of Texas prisons don’t have air conditioning in living areas, a fact former Texas Tribune reporter Jolie…
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Influence of abortion disinformation and misinformation on health trends of women of color
Since the repeal of Roe v. Wade, thousands of clinicians and advocates who support abortion access have been playing defense…
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How to ramp up your coverage of teen pregnancy health risks
Pregnant teenagers face unique health risks compared to their older counterparts because, for one thing, their bodies are still developing.…
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Finding fresh approaches to reporting on the maternal mortality crisis
A recent analysis of state maternal mortality data offers journalists topic ideas they can expand on in articles about a…