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Shannon Najmabadi is the women’s health reporter at The Texas Tribune, where she started as a fellow in 2017. Her stories — on higher education and other topics — have prompted lawmakers to change three state laws, including one involving a very narrow definition of the word “pickle.” She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia University.
In March, Gov. Greg Abbott barred all procedures not “immediately medically necessary,” and the state’s attorney general declared that the restriction applied to abortions — sparking a weekslong court fight and prompting some women to seek abortions out of state. Full Story
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Concerns that Texas hospitals would be unable to accommodate a surge of COVID-19 patients seem to have been assuaged in recent days. Full Story
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Abbott's original ban was intended to preserve medical resources. On Friday, he said Texas had ample hospital bed space and a strong supply chain of personal protective equipment. Full Story
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Health care facilities are under financial pressure after a steep drop-off in lucrative surgeries, meant to free up hospital space and preserve protective equipment for the coronavirus outbreak. Full Story
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The appeals court's latest ruling comes after abortion providers and state officials have battled over what access to the procedure should be allowed during the public health crisis. Full Story
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Fenves’ five-year tenure as president brought a sense of stability to the downtown Austin campus. With the coronavirus pandemic upending the university and hammering its budget, his successor will face "trial by ordeal." Full Story
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University of Texas officials confirmed the departure on Tuesday morning. Full Story
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The Labor Department has urged employers to “be judicious” in exempting their workers. Critics say the exemption hurts nurses and doctors, who have already complained about their lack of protective equipment. Full Story
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As health care professionals beg for supplies to protect themselves from COVID-19 infection, a Texas company found a seller with at least 2 million masks and quietly offered them for sale at $6 each. Before the pandemic, they cost around $1. Full Story
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Though Texas has dramatically increased its testing capacity, many who have gotten one are waiting days on end, and sometimes a week or more, for the results, according to interviews with patients and health care professionals. Full Story
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The efforts to quickly add capacity come after Gov. Greg Abbott waived hospitals’ occupancy restrictions Sunday and ordered health care providers to postpone surgeries that are not “immediately, medically necessary.” Full Story
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Texans marooned there after the country closed its borders described a harrowing ordeal trying to find a plane ticket out. The U.S. government is trying to repatriate them. Full Story
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Professors and instructors are polishing their technical skills — with a little trepidation among technological Luddites — as Texas colleges move courses online. The transition is marked by uncertainty, including over how courses like labs and art can be taught virtually. Full Story
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The announcements are among the latest responses to the novel coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended canceling gatherings with 50 or more people for the next eight weeks. Full Story
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Texas appears to be lagging behind other populous states in testing for COVID-19, but trying to determine how many tests have been given is as confusing as figuring out how to get one. Full Story
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Texas universities are moving online, but how do you learn circuit welding or vocal ensemble by videoconference? What happens when campus jobs dry up? And will anyone get to walk the stage come graduation day? Full Story
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After the Ebola outbreak, a task force recommended stockpiling protective gear and expanding state powers to deal with infectious diseases. "Tinfoil hats" opposed to big government killed a bill that would have done it, its sponsor says. Full Story
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More than a dozen Texas schools are extending spring break and moving to online classes, at least temporarily. Some universities said they will cancel in-person instruction for the rest of the semester. Full Story
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An internal investigation found that unqualified students were admitted and given scholarships at Texas Southern's law school and unearthed allegations of kickbacks to an admissions official. The incidents led to the ouster of university President Austin Lane. Full Story
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If there is an epicenter of the new coronavirus in Texas, it’s arguably Fort Bend County, which had the first confirmed case of COVID-19 outside of the federal quarantine site in San Antonio. There are six total cases there now, all stemming from an Egypt cruise trip. Full Story
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