Karen Weintraub is a healthcare reporter for USA TODAY, covering infectious diseases, vaccine development, public health, cancer and other medical issues. Before joining USA TODAY in May 2010, she was a freelance health/science journalist for a decade for publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, ScientificAmerican.com and STAT. In her spare time, she teaches science journalism at MIT and recently co-authored a book, “Born in Cambridge” about the history of innovation in the Massachusetts town where she lives.