Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future Announces 2026 Cohort of Food Systems and Public Health Fellowship for Journalists
Apr 30, 2026
The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) is delighted to announce the 2026 cohort of the Food Systems and Public Health Fellowship for Journalists.
Established in 2024, the Food Systems and Public Health Fellowship for Journalists is designed to empower early-to-mid career journalists with the insight and access to valuable resources and expertise to navigate the complexity of issues at the intersection of public health and food systems. The fellowship program supports journalists' efforts in the pursuit of high-impact reporting on neglected and poorly understood topics rooted in the prevailing model of food production and the many levers affecting our food systems.
The 2026 cohort includes 10 journalists. Nine of this year’s fellows are based across the US, in California, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, and one is based in Shetland, UK. The range of topics covered among this year’s fellows is impressive and includes topics such as the climate crisis, agriculture, animal welfare, and social justice as they relate to food systems, and it includes stories about issues ranging from the pollinator crisis to beef production in the Amazon. They have produced documentaries, podcasts, news articles, and long-form investigative reports.
As part of the kick-off for the year-long program, each fellow participates in a four-day program at the Bloomberg School with presentations and discussions with research, education and policy experts as well as senior journalists. The on-site program aims to provide an immersion experience that includes a field trip. A series of activities engage fellows throughout the year, including guest speaker conversations with researchers and community organizers, pitch sessions with editors, and one-on-one mentorship.
The 2024 cohort visited Seaford, Delaware, and the 2025 cohort visited St. Michaels and Cambridge, two towns on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. This year’s cohort will spend time at farms in Baltimore County, examining how food production operates at different scales—from diversified vegetable farms to livestock and dairy operations—and how those differences shape communities and public health.
“Each of these 10 journalists come to the fellowship with unique experiences and perspectives,” says Tom Philpott, a journalist and senior research associate at the Center for a Livable Future, who helps to facilitate the fellowship. “I am excited to see their growth throughout the year as they explore and share today’s pressing stories about food systems and public health.”
The 2026 recipients of the Food System and Public Health Fellowship for Journalists are:
Teresa Cotsirilos, a staff writer and producer for Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN) based in Berkely, California
Sam Delgado, a reporter with The 51st, based in Washington, DC
Neenma Ebeledike, a multimedia journalist at The Sacramento Observer, based in Sacramento, California
Samuel Gilbert, a freelance reporter based in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sarah Kaplan, a climate reporter for The Washington Post, based in Washington, DC
Rebeca Pereira, a news editor and agriculture reporter with Concord Monitor, based in Concord, New Hampshire
Carla Ruas, a freelance reporter based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Ben Seal, a freelance journalist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Daniel Shailer, a freelance reporter based in Tingwall, Shetland, UK
Linh Ta, a reporter at Axios Des Moines, based in Des Moines, Iowa