Next Gen Intern’s Diary: At the Intersection of Healing and Storytelling, by Taiwo Fatola

In my first diary, I wrote about the uncertainty that immediately follows graduation from medical school. Years of clinical training had suddenly given way to questions without immediate answers. Returning to journalism through the Next Gen internship became a way of finding direction again.

A few weeks later, that uncertainty began to take shape as my induction into the medical profession is now scheduled for August 2026. Standing at the threshold of one career while deepening another has been one of the defining experiences of this internship.

One lesson has stayed with me throughout: the best health stories are ultimately about people.

My first feature explored how students at Osun State University are choosing sickle cell disease prevention over treatment. Reporting it introduced me to sickle cell warriors and advocates working to reduce the burden of a disease that continues to affect thousands of Nigerians. It also reinforced my belief that journalism should not only expose problems but also examine solutions already making a difference.

Publishing the story was only one part of the learning process. During my weekly one-on-one meetings with the digital editor at New York Amsterdam News, Josh Barker, we dissected each draft, discussing story structure, sourcing and the principles of AP style. After my first story was published, our conversations shifted from getting stories published to making them stronger. Every round of edits became an opportunity to refine my overall approach to reporting.

The next story became far more personal. As someone who may pursue postgraduate medical training abroad someday, reporting on how tightening immigration and licensing policies are reshaping the dreams of international medical graduates forced me to confront uncertainties I may one day face myself. Conversations with doctors from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda revealed that behind every migration statistic are individuals navigating changing policies, career aspirations and difficult choices. Their experiences challenged many of my assumptions and reminded me that reporting often teaches the reporter as much as the audience.

The editing process became even more rigorous with my second feature. I submitted the first draft, revised it following editorial feedback and resubmitted it after another round of discussions. Our weekly intern meetings complemented these individual sessions, exposing me to the editorial experiences of other interns and reinforcing lessons on reporting, writing and revision.

For the third story, I examined Nigeria’s counterfeit medicine crisis, exploring how falsified medicines continue to enter the pharmaceutical supply chain despite repeated regulatory crackdowns deepened my appreciation of the intersection between regulation and patient safety. As a medic, it was impossible not to think about the patients whose recovery depends on clinical decisions and on whether the medicines they receive are genuine.

By the time I began reporting my third feature on counterfeit medicines, the process had become more familiar. Although Mr Barker’s one-on-one meetings were later suspended because of his schedule, his written editorial comments remained just as detailed. 

Currently, I am reporting on the growing attacks on healthcare workers in Nigeria and why some professional associations have begun organising self-defence training for doctors. It is a story that asks difficult questions about the safety of those entrusted with caring for others and what such developments reveal about the broader health system.

This story has been my most personal assignment yet. With my induction into the medical profession only weeks away, I find myself reporting on a reality I may soon experience firsthand. The story is about the safety of a profession I am about to join. That realisation has made every interview feel less like reporting from the sidelines and more like trying to understand the challenges that may one day shape my own working life.

Behind every published story were countless revisions, editorial discussions and moments of learning. Mr Barker’s editorial feedback challenged me to think beyond simply presenting facts, encouraging me instead to strengthen structure, transitions and storytelling.

Beyond the newsroom, our check-in session with the Campus Reporter team offered an opportunity to reflect on our experiences. Receiving feedback from the Campus Reporter editor, Qosim Suleiman, and listening to fellow interns discuss their own reporting journeys reminded me that every story follows a different path, but each benefits from creative writing and careful editing.

Looking back, I realise this internship has done more than improve my writing. It has shaped how I think. My medical education taught me to diagnose disease through evidence. Journalism has taught me to investigate systems with the same discipline and curiosity. Together, they have strengthened my conviction that meaningful improvements in health depend on both clinical care and rigorous reporting that informs public discourse and holds institutions accountable.

With about two weeks left in this internship, I leave with more than published stories. I leave with greater confidence in the kind of journalist and doctor I hope to become. One career will allow me to care for patients one at a time. The other will allow me to examine the systems that shape the health of millions. Increasingly, I have come to see them as distinct but complementary pursuits. I hope to practice medicine and pursue journalism separately, while allowing each to inform the other in my commitment to improving health and serving the public.