Sabriya Rice and William Wan join NIHCM Journalism Awards Judges Panel

Washington, D.C., December 7, 2021 – We are delighted to announce that veteran journalists Sabriya Rice, a journalism professor at the University of Georgia and William Wan, a reporter for the Washington Post, have joined the judge’s panel for the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation (NIHCM) Journalism Awards.

Established in 1993, the NIHCM Awards recognize the tremendous contributions that journalists and researchers make toward greater public understanding of critical issues in health and health care. Our independent judge’s panels are comprised of accomplished journalists and researchers who have done outstanding work in their fields.

"It is a great pleasure to welcome Sabriya and William to the NIHCM Awards. They each bring unique expertise from their careers reporting on the health care industry, consumer health, mental health and other important issues. We are continuing our commitment to uphold the integrity of the NIHCM Awards through the independence of our highly-qualified judges,” said Nancy Chockley, Founding President and CEO of NIHCM.

Sabriya Rice
Sabriya Rice is the Knight Chair of Health and Medical Journalism in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. Appointed to the role in August 2018, Rice directs a professional master’s degree program that helps students get hands-on experience covering health care through the creation of digital content for Grady’s news services and professional media organizations.

Rice joined the university with over 15 years of experience as a health care journalist. For nearly 10 years, she was a writer and producer for the Cable News Network, contributing to Elizabeth Cohen’s Empowered Patient column and producing segments for programs such as House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

She also covered quality and safety for Modern Healthcare magazine, the industry’s leading source of business and policy news, and was the business health care reporter for the Dallas Morning News. Professor Rice’s honors include several prestigious fellowships, the 2011 Mental Health America Media Award and the 2008 NABJ, Health Journalism Award for her reporting on African Americans and Bone Marrow Transplants. She has been a board member for the Association of Health Care Journalists since 2016 and is currently vice chair of the Right to Know Committee.

Professor Rice will serve as a judge for NIHCM’s Digital Media Award

William Wan
William Wan is an enterprise reporter for The Washington Post, focused on narrative and high-impact stories. For his 2020 reporting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health he won a NIHCM Award for General Circulation reporting.

He previously served as The Post's national health reporter during the pandemic. In the past two decades, he has reported from more than 20 countries, covering national security, the Obama presidency, mass shootings and disasters. His coverage of mental health during the pandemic contributed to U.S. government action and an unprecedented increased in federal funding. He was also part of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist team that covered the Fort Hood shooting. Before joining The Post, he worked as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times and The Baltimore Sun.

His honors include: A 2021 National Headliner Award for pandemic coverage, 2021 Public Service Award from the American Association of Suicidology, and a 2021 Katherine Schneider Award for Reporting on Disability.

Mr. Wan will serve as a judge for NIHCM’s General Circulation and Trade Journalism Awards.

NIHCM is now accepting submissions in the following categories for work published in 2021:

Research Award - $20,000 prize
General Circulation Journalism - $20,000 prize
Trade Journalism Award - $15,000 prize
Television and Radio Journalism Award - $20,000 prize
Digital Media Award - $20,000 prize
Honorable Mention - $5,000 prize - one additional entry may be selected for this category

DEADLINE for Entries: January 31, 2022