Our Publication

About Smart Health Reporter

Evidence-based health journalism from physicians, researchers, and registered dietitians.

Smart Health Reporter was founded on a straightforward premise: the public deserves health information that meets the same evidentiary standards applied in clinical medicine. Too much of what passes for health journalism is driven by press release cycles, industry-funded research, and the commercial imperatives of supplement and pharmaceutical advertising. We built this publication to be different.

Every article published on Smart Health Reporter is written by or in collaboration with licensed healthcare professionals and PhD-credentialed researchers. Every factual claim is sourced to peer-reviewed literature, which we cite in full at the bottom of each article. Our editorial staff is composed of board-certified physicians, registered dietitian nutritionists, and biomedical scientists — not general-assignment journalists assigned to cover health topics they don't have the background to evaluate critically.

Our Editorial Team

Dr. Sarah Mitchell, MD

Senior Medical Writer · Internal Medicine

Dr. Mitchell is a board-certified internist and Fellow of the American College of Physicians with 17 years of clinical practice experience. She completed her residency at Mayo Clinic and holds a faculty appointment at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Mitchell oversees our internal medicine, immunology, and general health coverage.

Dr. James Thornton, PhD

Contributing Editor · Nutritional Biochemistry

Dr. Thornton holds a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and has spent 12 years researching dietary fat metabolism, cardiovascular health, and nutritional epidemiology. He is the author of 44 peer-reviewed publications and serves on the advisory board of two nutrition research journals.

Dr. Rebecca Chen, MD

Contributing Writer · Preventive Medicine

Dr. Chen completed her fellowship in Preventive Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and is board-certified in both internal medicine and preventive medicine. Her research focuses on lifestyle interventions for metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes prevention, and evidence-based approaches to dietary behavior change. She has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles.

Dr. Michael Okonkwo, PhD

Exercise & Metabolism Editor · Exercise Physiology

Dr. Okonkwo holds a PhD in Exercise Physiology from Stanford University. His research explores the dose-response relationship between physical activity and neurological health, sleep biology, and metabolic function across the adult lifespan. He has contributed to landmark studies on exercise-induced neurogenesis and cognitive aging.

Dr. Laura Vasquez, RDN, PhD

Clinical Nutrition Contributing Editor

Dr. Vasquez holds dual credentials as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and research scientist, with a PhD in Nutritional Endocrinology from Baylor College of Medicine. Her research focuses on the intersection of stress physiology, hormonal health, and dietary behavior in adult populations. She sees patients in clinical practice and contributes regularly to our nutrition and weight management coverage.

Our Founding Principles

Evidence over anecdote. We do not publish health claims that lack support from peer-reviewed research. When evidence is preliminary, mixed, or emerging, we say so explicitly.

Independence over influence. Our editorial decisions are made by our medical editorial staff, not by advertisers, supplement companies, or pharmaceutical interests. We maintain a strict firewall between advertising and editorial operations. See our Advertiser Disclosure for full details.

Transparency over authority. We cite our sources fully, name our authors, disclose their credentials and potential conflicts of interest, and welcome correction. When we are wrong, we update our articles and note the correction.

Accessibility over complexity. Medical research is published in language that excludes most of the people it would benefit. Our job is to translate that research accurately — without oversimplifying it or stripping out the nuance that makes it practically useful.

Contact & Location

Smart Health Reporter is published by Smart Health Reporter,

Editorial address:
Smart Health Reporter · Smart Health Reporter
P.O. Box 4700
New York, NY 10001

Editorial inquiries: Contact our editorial team

Advertising & partnerships: Contact our partnerships team