Only about one-third of Americans have ever tried to get information about their family’s medical history, an increasingly important tool in avoiding and treating major illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and dementia. (The Washington Post)

 Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.

Madlin Mekelburg was a reporting fellow for the Tribune in 2015 and 2016. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied journalism and French. Madlin previously worked at the...