Oransky to take helm at Reuters Health

May. 26th, 2009 by Pia Christensen
Filed under: Health journalism, Health policy, Member news

AHCJ board member Ivan Oransky, M.D., has been named executive editor of Reuters Health. He assumes RH’s top editorial job from Bob Saunders, who is retiring. Oransky leaves the position of managing editor for online at Scientific American.

Ivan Oransky, M.D.

Oransky, first elected to the AHCJ board in 2002, will remain in New York for the new job, which he starts on June 15.

“Joining Reuters Health is a great opportunity to lead a talented team that has built a highly authoritative, comprehensive and successful news service over the years,” Oransky says. “I look forward to even more success by bringing newly available technology to bear.”

“I’ve known Bob and the team, and the work they do, for almost a decade, so it will be a real pleasure to work with them at 3 Times Square.”

Oransky has helped lead AHCJ’s efforts to build a new Web site with resources for its members that debuted in July 2007 and he has continued to advise the organization on how to increase its online presence.

Traffic to Scientific American’s Web site has increased 50 percent since Oransky’s arrival, something he attributes to his staff’s efforts, including posting more items, becoming more news cycle-driven , adding more regular features and using social media, such as Twitter, to connect with readers. MinOnline.com recently cited the site as one of three science-related titles to have fared well in the past year.

Oransky also teaches medical journalism in New York University’s Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting program and at the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism and is a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the New York University School of Medicine, where he received his medical degree.