Personal

Elizabeth Cohen graduated from the Columbia College, situated in New York City. She received her Bachelor of History degree from there. She did her Master’s in Public Health at Boston University. She has received the outstanding alumna award from both the colleges for her significant contribution to major news coverage.

Career

In the early stages of her broadcasting career, Cohen worked at WLVI, which is located in Boston. She was associate producer for ‘Green Watch’, which is an environment show. She also did a brief stint at the States News Service present in Washington DC and served at The Times Union located in Albany, New York. Her career in CNN started in 1991. She targets issues related to health and consumer rights and most of her stories like the earthquake in Haiti, Hurricane Katrina, and Gulf oil spill always have a medical angle. She takes care of the Wellness, Medical, and Health unit at CNN presently.

Accomplishments

Cohen has reported live on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the massive destruction wrought by the earthquake in Haiti. She also did a whistleblower exclusive on the health concerns the fishermen face. She also highlighted the lack of medical facilities in Haiti reporting from a makeshift hospital. She also did a follow up coverage of the relocation of the survivors of the earthquake in 2011. She also reported on the global effects brought on by the H1N1 virus and the issue concerning research of female hormone botanicals by medical research personnel.

Awards

Cohen has received Emmy award and the Peabody award for her coverage of the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. She had reported on the airlift of premature babies and displaced patients suffering from cancer who needed immediate treatment. She was also responsible for CNN winning the Emmy for the report on September 11 attacks. She also received the Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Professional Journalists Society. Her ‘A Lesson Before Dying’ dealing with the medical decisions made by a desperate man before his death, won a National Headliner Award. The other awards she has received include the Gracie Award and the Mental Health America Media Award.

Elizabeth Cohen believes that medical journalism is actually community education aimed at educating the public about serous health issues. Her Empower Patients idea was started based on this concept only. Cohen has also been honored by the Newswomen’s Club of New York and also the New York Association of Black Journalists for her show that dealt with African Americans and the issues faced in Bone Marrow Transplant procedures.