Elana Gordon

Reporter

The World

Elana Gordon is a reporter at The World.

Elana Gordon covers global health at The World.

She also moderates a regular online discussion series about the pandemic that has garnered millions of views through an ongoing partnership between The World and The Studio at Harvard’s Chan School. 

Elana has spent her journalism career digging into the complexities of health care, inequities, as well as how we live and die. Her stories have been featured on NPR, Kaiser Health News, The Washington Post, and the podcasts “Undark,” “99% Invisible” and “Criminal.” She is a founding member of WHYY’s health and science show, “The Pulse,” and was a 2018-19 Knight Science Journalism fellow at MIT. 

Elana’s reporting on drugs and addiction has taken her across the world, from Vancouver to Lisbon. She is the recipient of multiple Public Media Journalist Association and Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Eno Breathe class on Zoom

How opera techniques are helping people with long COVID breathe easier

​​​​​​​Around the world, few treatments exist for the countless numbers of people who develop long COVID-19. In the UK, where more than a million people are estimated to be in this situation, a group of medical specialists and professional opera singers have been examining whether an age-old performance practice can help address one of the most common, debilitating symptoms: breathlessness. 

How opera techniques are helping people with long COVID breathe easier
A nurse prepares a Pfizer coronavirus vaccination at the Kiswa Health Center III in the Bugolobi neighborhood of Kampala, Uganda Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. 

Why auto-disable syringes are key to vaccinating the world

Why auto-disable syringes are key to vaccinating the world
Refugees wait to travel back to Ukraine from the train station in Przemysl, southeastern Poland

Ukraine: The humanitarian catastrophe

Ukraine: The humanitarian catastrophe
A 5-year-old boy gets his first dose of China's Sinovac vaccine, at a vaccination center in Santiago, Chile, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. 

Why Chile moved ahead with COVID vaccines for the very young

Why Chile moved ahead with COVID vaccines for the very young
Ukrainian refugees wait for a transport at the central train station in Warsaw, Poland

Discussion: Ukraine: The humanitarian catastrophe

Discussion: Ukraine: The humanitarian catastrophe
Pharmacist Kenni Clark injects Robert Champion, of Lawrence, Mass., with a booster dosage of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic at City of Lawrence's "The Center," which serves seniors, families and the community

Coronavirus Conversations: What researchers have learned about the omicron variant

Listen to the latest updates and findings about the omicron variant of COVID-19 as The World's reporter Elana Gordon speaks with epidemiologist Bill Hanage of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Coronavirus Conversations: What researchers have learned about the omicron variant
People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk along the street in Tokyo, Japan

Discussion: What researchers have learned about the omicron variant

Some parts of the world are still battling the omicron variant of COVID-19, while others seem to be somewhere around its peak. Join The World's reporter Elana Gordon for our regular series of conversations about the pandemic. She will moderate a panel on Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 12 p.m. Eastern time, and will be speaking with epidemiologist Bill Hanage of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Discussion: What researchers have learned about the omicron variant
A vial of the Moderna vaccine for the coronavirus.

What does Moderna owe the world?

Moderna’s newfound success has put the small Massachusetts company in the hot seat over its handling of vaccine manufacturing and global access.

What does Moderna owe the world?
Women wear mask to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, in Paris, France

Coronavirus Conversations: The pandemic, women's health and pregnancy

Women are facing many challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including those who are pregnant. The World's reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Ana Langer, Professor of the Practice of Public Health and Director of the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health about the topic.

Coronavirus Conversations: The pandemic, women's health and pregnancy
A pregnant woman wearing a face mask and gloves holds her belly as she waits in line for groceries at St. Mary's Church in Waltham, Mass.

Discussion: The pandemic, women's health and pregnancy

The coronavirus has affected women in various ways, including physically and socially. As part of The World's regular series of conversations about the pandemic, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Ana Langer, Professor of the Practice of Public Health and Director of the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health about the pandemic-related challenges affecting women in particular.

Discussion: The pandemic, women's health and pregnancy
Travelers wait for the coronavirus testing at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea

Coronavirus Conversations: The omicron variant and holiday travel

To understand the new variant, travel restrictions and how people can better prepare for the upcoming festive season, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Stephen Kissler — who is a research fellow in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — as part of The World's regular series of conversations about the pandemic.

Coronavirus Conversations: The omicron variant and holiday travel
Security forces stand guard inside an airport terminal in Rabat, Morocco

Discussion: The omicron variant and holiday travel

COVID-19 cases from the omicron variant are causing a new surge in infections around the globe. The World’s Elana Gordon moderated a live discussion with Stephen Kissler from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health about travel during the holiday season.

Discussion: The omicron variant and holiday travel
An information sign is displayed as a child arrives with her parent to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11-years-old at London Middle School in Wheeling, Ill.

Coronavirus Conversations: Children's mental health during COVID

As part of The World's regular series of conversations about the pandemic, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Karestan Koenen, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, to discuss the challenges surrounding the mental health impacts of the pandemic on children.

Coronavirus Conversations: Children's mental health during COVID
Passengers wait at a ticket counter at Johannesburg's OR Tambo's airport, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. 

COVID-related travel bans spark outrage from targeted countries

“As omicron makes its way around the world, we have to see borders not as a stop point, but more as a surveillance point,” said Kelley Lee, a researcher of cross-border measures at Simon Fraser University in Canada.

COVID-related travel bans spark outrage from targeted countries
Children play with a therapist in the pediatric unit of the Robert Debre hospital, in Paris, France

Discussion: Children's mental health during COVID

The World's reporter Elana Gordon hosted a discussion on the pandemic's effects on children's mental health with Karestan Koenen, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Discussion: Children's mental health during COVID