Elana Gordon joins The Washington Post as audio producer

Elana comes to us from the radio news magazine “The World,” from GBH and PRX. Over the last few years, she has led the international program’s coverage of global health and the pandemic. Her beat expertise led her to be tapped to host a popular online forum about covid, speaking with faculty from Harvard. Before “The World,” Elana was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, researching and reporting stories on addiction and the nation’s overdose crisis.

Elana already has some Post bylines. Stories she reported during her time as a reporter and producer at Philadelphia public media station WHYY were picked up by The Post, including a story about the lack of support at medical schools for students with disabilities.

While at WHYY, she helped launch the weekly health and science show “The Pulse,” which now airs on dozens of stations across the country. One of her most popular episodes, a collaboration with the podcast “Criminal,” was recognized as one of the Atlantic’s top podcast listens that year. It was about the mystery surrounding a 19th-century horse thief.

Elana’s interest in public health, policy and listening to people’s stories goes back to work she did before her turn to journalism. She was an HIV counselor and prevention specialist in Kansas City, Mo., at one of the country’s largest free health clinics. She says the front row seat she had to the deadly consequences of stigma and inequities shaped her approach to storytelling.

Her work has been honored numerous times, including with seven regional Edward R. Murrow Awards as well as top honors from the Pennsylvania AP Broadcasters Association and Kansas City Association of Black Journalists. Elana holds a BA from Barnard College, where she majored in political science and music. In her spare time, she likes to play an old, mildly out of tune euphonium with other recovering musicians.

Her first day will be Aug. 22, and we look forward to giving her a warm welcome.