AI-assisted summary Jonny Williams, a reporter for The Journal, has covered Rhode Island’s health care industry for more than a year.

The fellowship focused on health care journalism topics, including hospital finances and the impact of AI.

Williams aims to apply his new knowledge to investigate Rhode Island’s health care system, particularly the financial aspects of hospitals.

For a little more than a year now, The Journal’s Jonny Williams has served as our primary reporter covering the state’s health care industry.

The timing probably couldn’t have been better, as we’ve watched the state enter what many have termed a health care crisis. It’s been a steep learning curve for Jonny, but one he has taken on like a veteran reporter.

During the past year he’s chronicled the shortages of doctors, nurses and dentists and explored the alternatives that have taken the place of traditional health care models. Really, he’s just getting started.

Earlier this year, Jonny was selected as a 2025 Health Journalism Fellow through the Association of Health Care Journalists. The selection meant two days in Los Angeles, where he got to work on his craft and hear from fellow reporters in the field. He’s already gotten some story ideas from it.

We asked Jonny to tell us a little about the experience.

You were named a 2025 Health Journalism Fellow through the Association of Health Care Journalists. Why were you interested in this opportunity?

I was looking for opportunities to connect with other health care journalists, learn from how they approach the beat and get story ideas. I also wanted more professional development, as health care journalism – and particularly the business of health care – poses a steep learning curve.

What did you find most interesting about the fellowship?

There were several workshops and sessions that were particularly helpful. A few explored the finances of hospitals and health systems, which can be quite opaque and hard to report on. There was also an excellent workshop on writing tips, and another on how artificial intelligence is being adopted into health care services, which was both fascinating and unsettling at the same time.​ Finally, I got the chance to network with both other health care reporters from Rhode Island and from other states. It was encouraging hearing from their experience covering the beat, getting tips and sharing stories we’ve written with each other.

How do you envision the fellowship building on your reporting of Rhode Island’s health care issues?

I am hoping that the workshops on the finances of health systems will help yield some stories on that topic, particularly as we are seeing our hospitals both growing and struggling at the same time. Hospitals have a growing footprint in the state, are often some of the largest employers in the community and are a crucial part of the rising cost of health care in the country, so understanding will help us get a better sense of the state of health care in Rhode Island.

The fellowship program took place in Los Angeles. Were you able to enjoy any time outside of the program?

My cousin lives near Los Angeles, so the conference was a perfect excuse to meet up with him one evening, explore the Santa Monica Pier and eat some delicious Chinese dumplings. However, I am not a fan of traffic in LA – as bad as we have it here with the Washington Bridge debacle, it doesn’t compare to rush hour over there!