Straight to Voicemail | KQED
After my father died, a wise friend advised me to preserve any voicemails I had from him. The first thing you will forget, he said, is the sound of his voice.
Steven J. Birenbaum
Multi-talented communications strategist and storyteller. Multiple bylines in The New York Times. I have interviewed best-selling authors and am a regular on-air contributor to KQED Radio San Francisco.
A Game to Relish | KQED
A tennis lover, Steven Birenbaum was skeptical of the pickleball craze. He decided not to knock it until he tried it.
Men and the Friendship Gap
How men can develop new friendships as we age
Old Men and the Three | KQED
"We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing."
Care is Fundamental: How Funders Can Accelerate Vital Progress on Caregiving
Caregiving - an essential public health issue that will touch all our lives sooner or later – is highly relevant to funders working on aging, as well as economic security, social justice, public policy, healthcare, workforce, immigration, children and families, and disability.
A Sports Fan Arrives
Sports can be so much more than just a game.
The Grandest Adventure
We made it here after winning the lottery, but not the Powerball kind.
How to Hold a Virtual Memorial Service
Holding a funeral or memorial on a videoconferencing platform like Zoom offers several advantages: It’s easy for distant guests to attend, and you can record it.
Dialing Down the Fight or Flight
Do crime alerts make us safer, or just scared?
Lifting Death’s Veil: A Conversation with Atul Gawande
An interview with Harvard surgeon and New Yorker writer, Atul Gawande, author of the best-seller Being Mortal.
Adding Insult to Injury
From the illegal hotel downstairs, unwelcome commentary
It's Academic Now
Arnold Birenbaum reflects on a pivotal moment in his life during a conversation with his sons Jon and Steven.
Howdy Neighbor!
Nextdoor has become a place to find a decent plumber, sell your ancient amplifier and self-righteously complain about the neighbors.
Race at the End of Life
More than 150 years have passed since the end of slavery, yet its legacy is profound. Mistrust of institutions surfaces in nearly every facet of American life, including health care.
Viewpoints: Auto Rentals: Rough Ride for the Young
If you are young and you want to rent a car, you're in for a rough ride. But there may be a solution.
Joy in Warriorville
The Warriors have another championship. Steven Birenbaum has this tribute.
Nothing But Net
Almost 25 years ago, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird starred in a series of commercials competing to make increasingly improbable shots.
The Curious Case of ZDoggMD
In an era when viewers can click off in a million directions, how do you connect with your audience?
Is Caring the Rx for Medicine?
An interview with Abraham Verghese, best-selling author of The Covenant of Water and Cutting for Stone
You’ve Got To Hear This: Funding A New Health Policy Podcast
If it seems like everyone you know is recommending that you listen to their favorite podcast, you’re not alone.
Twenty Years in the Making: CHCF’s Funding of Health Care Journalism
Why the California Health Care Foundation believes effective health care journalism helps health industry leaders and the public better understand complex and vital health care issues.
The Stark Reality of Life and Death in the ICU
The first time intensive care unit physician Jessica Zitter encountered the “family support team” it didn’t go well.
A Map to Effective Communications
If you’ve ever tooled around the real estate site Zillow.com to look for a home, you know that location matters. Geographical differences exist in health care too.
Caveat Cenare
I first heard the name Kokalos uttered in Erice, a perfectly preserved medieval town in
Sicily.
Sicily.
Travel writing