Managing editor @usnews, doing events and covering health, education and more. Contact me at mmorella@usnews.com. RTs≠endorsements
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Articles by Michael Morella
U.S. News Live Best Leaders Podcast: Spencer Cox Hear an interview with the governor whose state has ranked No. 1 in the U.S. News Best States rankings four years in a row.
USN&WR With the midterm elections fast approaching, Americans are being bombarded with political ads, and even though their opinions might differ sharply by party on specific issues and the direction of the country, a great many people are united in saying that they feel exhausted by politics. Utah Gov.
Health Care How to Stay Ahead in Healthcare Eduardo Conrado, CEO of Ascension, says ambulatory care and agility are key to staying on top of the ever-changing healthcare landscape. Michael Morella Sept. 30, 2026
Eduardo Conrado, CEO of Ascension, says ambulatory care and agility are key to staying on top of the ever-changing healthcare landscape. These days, “if you're standing still and you think that hospitals are going to be the way to deliver care for the next 20 years, then the system will move on beyond you,” says Eduardo Conrado , president and CEO of Ascension, a St. Louis-headquartered health system that has sites of care in 36 states and the District of Columbia.
U.S. News Best Leaders Podcast: How AI and Technology Can Transform Education With Sal Khan
USN&WR Twenty years ago, when he was a freshly minted MBA grad working at a hedge fund, Sal Khan found he enjoyed tutoring his cousins in math over the phone and online. After he started posting some of his lessons on YouTube, they found an even bigger audience than he could have ever imagined. Today, Khan Academy's free virtual lessons in math, science, writing and other areas are used by more than 200 million registered users across the world.
Paging Dr. AI: How Hospitals Should Approach Artificial Intelligence
Oncologist and health policy expert Ezekiel Emanuel explains where AI could improve healthcare, when it needs human oversight and why hospitals should start preparing now. About 3 in 10 adults turn to artificial intelligence at least once a month for information about their healthcare, according to recent data from KFF . For some, this means having more information than ever at their fingertips and greater control over healthcare decisions.
Snapshots of Health Innovation From the Edison Awards
From cancer to cataract surgery, new tech tools are aiming to improve healthcare capabilities for researchers and clinicians. Getty Images AI and new technology are driving innovation in hospitals and healthcare.
U.S. News Best Leaders Podcast: Maternal Health, Entrepreneurship and Life After the Olympics With Allyson Felix
USN&WR Allyson Felix is a champion on the track and off of it. Felix is the most decorated athlete in track and field history, having won 31 medals in the Olympics and world championships. But in 2018, during the emergency birth of her daughter, she suffered from severe preeclampsia that nearly cost both her and her daughter their lives.
Sutter Health CEO Warner Thomas: Health Systems Must Think ‘Digital First' or Risk Being ‘Left Behind'
Technology and innovation will be key themes at the U.S. News Healthcare of Tomorrow conference in Washington, D.C. From expanding its footprint from California to the Midwest to building a new medical school in the Golden State to embracing artificial intelligence, Sutter Health is “leaning hard” into new technology and partnerships as it navigates the future of health, says Warner Thomas, president and CEO of the Sacramento, California-based health system .
U.S. News Best Leaders Podcast: The Fight to Save Science With Dr. Peter Hotez
USN&WR As public health officials are battling outbreaks of hantavirus Ebola and measles , many are also grappling with the rise of anti-vaccine sentiment and fierce resistance from some to long-standing public health guidance.
U.S. News Best Leaders Podcast: Leading Through Global Crisis With Tjada D'Oyen McKenna
USN&WR When someone around the world needs help, Mercy Corps is often there to answer the call. For more than four decades, the humanitarian aid organization has helped hundreds of millions of people across the world grapple with economic, political, social and environmental challenges and catastrophes. From Ukraine to Sudan to Afghanistan and beyond, Mercy Corps is about championing the concept of a “bigger us,” says guest and Mercy Corps CEO Tjada D'Oyen McKenna.
U.S. News Best Leaders Podcast: Financial Literacy, Capitalism for All and the Evolving American Dream with John Hope Bryant
USN&WR As America approaches its 250th birthday, the concept of the American dream remains both inspiring and confounding for many people. To the next generation of dreamers who might be discouraged by their ability to realize that sense of possibility, “ignore the noise,” says guest John Hope Bryant on the latest episode of the U.S. News Best Leaders podcast. “You are the American dream.
U.S. News Best Leaders Podcast: Longevity, Health and the Future of Medicine with Dr. Eric Topol
USN&WR Meaningful innovation is happening in healthcare, but it's hard to know what will have a real impact and what might fizzle out – or even cause harm. On this episode of the U.S. News Best Leaders podcast, guest Eric Topol helps listeners think about how to cut through the noise and focus on what's backed by real evidence when it comes to healthcare. Eric Topol, M.D., is a professor and executive vice president at Scripps Research in San Diego.
Introducing the U.S. News Best Leaders Podcast
USN&WR Americans are eager for leaders they can trust and feel inspired by. The Best Leaders podcast from U.S. News & World Report is here to empower audiences with a new platform to listen, learn and lead. Hosted by U.S. News Executive Chairman and CEO Eric Gertler, the podcast features in-depth interviews with some of the 25 exceptional individuals recognized last year as part of the U.S. News Best Leaders project.
3 Key Strategies to Prepare for the Future of Work
As artificial intelligence dramatically transforms how people learn and work, it is more essential than ever for educators and employers to innovate and to work together to help students and employees navigate the workforce of tomorrow. That’s one big takeaway from the group of leaders from businesses, schools and community organizations who gathered in Washington, D.C. this week for the 2025 STEM Ecosystems national conference.
James Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid
Few people understand the art and science of a political campaign better than James Carville. As a lead strategist on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, he coined the oft-repeated and remixed slogan that’s been adopted by both parties since: “It’s the economy, stupid.” He went on to serve as an adviser to leading Democrats and in key campaign roles for presidential hopefuls John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.
NIH Director: Hope for a Coronavirus Vaccine by the End of 2020
While COVID-19 cases are surging across many parts of the country, scientists are making extraordinary progress on research for treatments and vaccines to address the ongoing pandemic, according to Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, the nation's medical research agency.
New York City’s New Normal As it Weathers a Pandemic
NEW YORK -- Much of the city that never sleeps is unusually quiet. But for many of the 8.5 million people who live here, the coronavirus pandemic is taking a heavy toll on their health, security and everyday life. SEE: [ The Week in Cartoons for March 23-27 ] New York City has become the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, with more than 25,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 300 deaths as of Friday morning.
Use These 5 Strategies to Pay for Graduate School
Five years ago, when he was thinking about pursuing a Ph.D., Damien Frierson knew what he wanted to study—social work—and where he wanted to study it—Howard University in Washington, D.C.—but not where he would get the money. He'd already accumulated some debt from earning a bachelor's and two master's degrees and didn't want more, and faced giving up the $72,000 he earned annually.
Ohio College Road Trip: College of Wooster
In the library at the College of Wooster, professor Chanson Clark holds a class on Jesus' life and teachings. (Matt Slaby–Luceo for USN&WR) Before they graduate, all 2,000 or so students at the College of Wooster complete an independent study, a substantial research or creative project that they work on for at least a year. The I.S., as it’s known, might take the form of a studio art exhibit, a music or theatrical performance or a long research paper, supervised by a faculty mentor.
Ohio College Road Trip: Ohio State University-Columbus
That community is especially evident on Saturdays in the fall, when more than 100,000 students and spectators come out to Ohio Stadium – better known as the Shoe, for its horseshoe shape – to cheer on the Buckeye football team. With more than 200 undergraduate majors and 1,300-plus student clubs and organizations, OSU’s size and scope are a big draw for many. Located in Columbus, a city of about 860,100, Ohio State’s campus creates a college town feel inside an urban environment.
U.S. News Sits In as Surgeons Carry Out an 8-Person Kidney Exchange
Four Chicago-area residents needed kidney transplants but did not have matching donors. At Northwestern Memorial Hospital, they got the organs the required from willing strangers through a kidney transplant chain. (Brett Ziegler for USN&WR) June 28. 2017 | Bolingbrook, Ill. | Loretta and Lee Jenkins relax with their children at home in Bolingbrook. The Jenkinses are two of eight people participating in this kidney transplant chain.
Learn Whether Now Is the Time to Apply to Law School
Since the Great Recession, law firms have shed thousands of attorneys. The latest data from the National Association for Law Placement showed that 86.7 percent of 2015 law school grads had secured jobs 10 months after graduation, the same as the class of 2014, which represented an uptick after six years of declines. But only slightly more than half of 2015 hires were in private practice, and just two-thirds of graduates found positions that required passage of a bar exam.
Connecticut College Road Trip: Wesleyan University
Looking beyond the stately brownstone buildings and well-manicured lawns, students observe that a strong sense of activism and open-mindedness pervades Wesleyan University’s campus. This is a place that “pushes you to think critically about yourself and about the world,” says 2016 grad Bulelani Jili, from South Africa, a College of Social Studies major.
Take a College Road Trip to Connecticut
Scenic fall foliage gives way to snowy New England winters in the Nutmeg State, which despite its small size is home to a diverse set of colleges. Join U.S. News on a visit to University of Connecticut in rural Storrs; Wesleyan University in suburban Middletown; and Yale University and Connecticut College in cities along the southern coast. Connecticut College Road Trip: Searching for a college? Get our complete rankings of Best Colleges.
Connecticut College Road Trip: Yale University
Students at Yale University can participate in hundreds of student organizations and more than 50 performance groups. (Matt Slaby–Luceo for USN&WR) Embedded in the heart of downtown New Haven, Yale University’s campus features elegant Gothic architecture, plenty of well-kept green spaces, and amenities like several performance venues and the university art gallery, which includes more than 200,000 works.
Connecticut College Road Trip: University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut is a sprawling campus with five cultural centers and an active student union. (Matt Slaby–Luceo for USN&WR) The University of Connecticut got its start in 1881 as Storrs Agricultural School. Today, the state's flagship public university is part of a bustling college town where undergraduates can choose from more than 100 majors, get involved in cutting-edge research, and cheer on the Division I Huskies, particularly in men's and women's basketball.
Connecticut College Road Trip: Connecticut College
Connecticut College is located in a historic whaling port, where students venture for food, entertainment and beach time. (Matt Slaby–Luceo for USN&WR) Connecticut College in New London has a lot in common with a certain British capital, with its gray stone castle-like architecture and sweeping view of the Thames River. Founded in 1911 as Connecticut College for Women, the private liberal arts school enrolls nearly 1,900 undergraduates, about 60 percent of whom are female.
The Relentless Focus of the Hospital for Special Surgery
NEW YORK – Lea Marie Medina has been gently turned facedown, arms at her sides. Inside an operating room at the Hospital for Special Surgery, the 16-year-old from Queens is undergoing selective thoracic fusion to correct the scoliosis in her spine. The condition, in which vertebrae in the back curve improperly to the side, is a common one in adolescents that often does not require surgery.
Graduate Engineering Programs Beef Up Efforts for Women, Minorities
Rice University Ph.D. candidate Sydney Gibson works alongside her friend, postdoctoral student Jade Li, right, in their lab at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.(Brandon Thibodeaux for USN&WR) Rice University bioengineering Ph.D. student Sydney Gibson spends her days in the lab, working with tissue and natural biomaterials like collagen and elastin to model vascular processes in lung cancer. Rice stood out among her grad school possibilities.
Smart Ways to Raise Money for Graduate School
Nearly half of all graduate students take out student loan debt, but it's important to have a clear repayment strategy. (Pushart for USN&WR) As an undergrad at Florida International University in Miami, Lucia Lopez volunteered in poor communities and saw firsthand the health care challenges many people face.
The Story of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
MEMPHIS, Tenn.–Tiny Sebastian Perez lies in intensive care battling pneumonia, a big concern because the 8-month-old’s immune system is so weakened. Since he was born in California’s San Fernando Valley, Sebastian has hardly spent any time outside a hospital. The diagnosis came within hours once doctors saw the moles on his skin: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer and typically one of the most curable. Except in infants.
Photos: Take a Tour of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
5 of 9 Paishence Watkins, 12, from Indiana, had osteosarcoma and is currently cancer-free. She, accompanied by her mom, Nanette Watkins, was in for a limb-lengthening procedure at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Take a College Road Trip to the San Francisco Bay Area
The University of California—Berkeley is one of several colleges located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Home to both the storied Silicon Valley tech scene and an abundance of natural wonders, the San Francisco Bay Area is also the setting of an array of colleges, each with its own personality. Join U.S. News at the University of California—Berkeley and the University of San Francisco along the bay before we head south to Stanford University and the University of California—Santa Cruz.
San Francisco Bay Area College Road Trip: University of California-Berkeley
Students at the University of California—Berkeley have more than 1,200 student organizations to choose from. Some 50 years ago, hundreds of students gathered at Sproul Hall on the University of California—Berkeley campus demanding that administrators not stifle their right to political free speech. That protest established Berkeley as a national hotbed of student activism.
San Francisco Bay Area College Road Trip: University of San Francisco
Nursing is among more than 40 majors students can choose from at the University of San Francisco. Like the city that it calls home, the University of San Francisco is a melting pot. About half of undergraduates are students of color, and close to 20 percent hail from outside the U.S., representing 87 different countries.
San Francisco Bay Area College Road Trip: Stanford University
Computer science, engineering and biology are among the most popular majors at Stanford University. An estimated 13,000 bikes can be seen on Stanford University's campus each day, helping students stay active and manage their usually packed schedules at the private university near Palo Alto, one of the most selective undergraduate institutions in the country. Just over 5 percent of applicants earned a spot in the class of 2019.
San Francisco Bay Area College Road Trip: UC-Santa Cruz
Tucked in a redwood forest a couple of miles from the Pacific coast, the University of California—Santa Cruz is a nature-lover's dream, complete with some 25 miles of walking trails and a 33-acre farm, part of the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. Walking to class can quite literally be a hike, leading to what students wryly refer to as the "freshman minus-15," says senior Sami Chen, a Santa Cruz native studying ocean sciences.
Make a Work-Study Job Pay Off
Most jobs are on campus, such as in the library or with an athletic team – though some might be with local employers. Like all first-year work-study students at Dickinson College, Angeline Apostolou started with a stint in the cafeteria, cleaning tables and washing dishes.
Kevin' Carey Explains 'The End of College' and Higher Education's Future
Only about one in 18 students who apply to Harvard gain admission, but today anyone in the world can take dozens of online courses from the esteemed Ivy League university free of charge. Harvard is one of more than 100 institutions offering such open-access online classes, and over the last few years millions of people have enrolled.
MBA Road Trip: Stanford Graduate School of Business
Students can take the "Finance and Society" class at Stanford's Graduate School of Business.
Road Trip: Behind the Scenes at the Top-Ranked MBA Programs
On the surface, the business schools at Stanford University, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania look strikingly similar. Each features state-of-the-art facilities, diverse and high-achieving student populations, vast menus of global excursions and student clubs, and tuition and fees that run more than $61,000 annually.
MBA Road Trip: Harvard Business School
From Day One at Harvard Business School, students step into the shoes of so-called protagonists – business leaders grappling with complex issues such as expanding operations into a new foreign market or addressing social media strategy – and work toward solutions together.
MBA Road Trip: Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania
In 1881, during the second Industrial Revolution, Philadelphia magnate Joseph Wharton founded the nation’s first collegiate school of business at the University of Pennsylvania. Today, the Wharton School, based in Huntsman Hall along Penn’s tree-lined pedestrian thoroughfare Locust Walk, says it has the world’s largest alumni network – more than 93,000 graduates – and boasts the second biggest full-time enrollment at approximately 1,700 MBA students, after Harvard University.
Underground Railroad Legacy Is an Example of Interracial Cooperation
In the decades before the Civil War, tens of thousands of slaves escaped from the South through the Underground Railroad, often navigating many miles of unfamiliar terrain, dodging rampant slave-catchers and working with sympathetic northerners willing to break the law. In “Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad,” Columbia University historian Eric Foner examines what this experience was like for fugitive slaves passing through New York City.
Medicine and Health Care Will be Personalized Thanks to Technology
From wearable fitness trackers to virtual doctor visits to smartphone apps and attachments that can collect sophisticated medical information, new technology is giving users unprecedented direct access to their own health data.
Why Evolution Is Undeniable
More than two in five Americans believe that God created human beings in essentially their current form within the last 10,000 years, according to a Gallup poll, about twice as many as those who think the species evolved over millions of years and God had no role in the process. In his new book “Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation,” TV’s “science guy” Bill Nye sifts through the evidence supporting evolution to debunk the ideas of creationism.
John McCain and Mark Salter Tell the Personal Histories of U.S. Soldiers
During more than two decades of service in the U.S. Navy, Arizona Sen. John McCain spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam before later being elected to Congress and becoming the Republican Party’s 2008 presidential nominee. His new book, “13 Soldiers: A Personal History of Americans at War,” written with former staff member Mark Salter, chronicles the lives of 11 men and two women who participated in major U.S. conflicts from the American Revolution to the Iraq War.
The 'Triple Focus' Approach to Improving Student Performance
While many educators and policymakers are eyeing technology and revised standards to improve student performance in subjects like math, reading and science, psychologist and author Daniel Goleman has a different remedy: Blend in lessons in social and emotional learning that can help students better understand themselves, their peers and the larger systems around them.
Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am Talks Robots, STEM and Technology
Rapper Will.i.am wants to inspire students with STEM technology.Jonathan Short/Invision/AP Will.i.am likes robots as much as he likes rapping – maybe even more so. The Grammy Award-winning musician and Black Eyed Peas frontman has supported inventor Dean Kamen’s FIRST Robotics Competitions, inspired underserved students with technology through his i.am.angel Foundation and even had his song “Reach for the Stars” beamed back from Mars by NASA’s Curiosity rover in 2012.
10 Pet Heroes to the Rescue
Everybody loves a good-news story of friend helping friend, neighbor assisting neighbor, stranger saving stranger—of people who step forward in a moment of crisis to offer a selfless hand. Sometimes, that hand is a paw or a hoof.
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