Lauryn Higgins Title: Freelance Health Journalist Education: Mars Hills University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Location: Lincoln, Nebraska Expertise: Health, Public Health, Wellness, Mental Health, Climate Change Experience Lauryn is a journalist whose work focuses primarily on public health, agriculture, and climate change. A native of North Carolina, she now resides in Nebraska where she earned her master's degree in journalism. She currently works as a freelance journalist, adjunct professor of journalism and as a Midwest stringer for the New York Times and The Washington Post. She has covered public health, the Covid-19 pandemic and the reversal of Roe v. Wade for the New York Times, NPR, Women's Health, Salon, Teen Vogue and other outlets. Her work tracking the Covid-19 pandemic at the New York Times was part of a team that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, as well as the 2020 Philip Meyer Journalism award and a 2020 Sigma Delta Chi award. Highlights:8+ years as a public health reporterContributor to NPR, Teen Vogue, Well + Good, Women's Health, and the New York TimesRecipient of 2021 Pulitzer in Public Service for work on tracking the coronavirus for the New York Times4+ years as an adjunct journalism professor at the University of Nebraska-LincolnAwards:2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service2020 Philip Meyer Journalism award2020 Sigma Delta Chi award Education Lauryn Higgins received a BA in business administration at Mars Hill University and later went on to receive her masters in journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. During her time at Nebraska her area of study was on public health reporting in relation to gun violence and mental health in adolescents. About Real Simple Real Simple, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is an award-winning, trusted online resource for smart, authentic solutions to simplify your life. We reach 11 million readers a month. Our content is written by experienced journalists and fact-checked for accuracy. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines.