Charles Piller, an investigative journalist for Science Magazine, has been named the winner of the 2025 Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting. The judges selected Piller from an exceptionally competitive field of applicants, and they hailed his high-impact reporting that revealed risks of some experimental drugs, led the National Institutes of Health to suspend a clinical trial, and raised questions about influential Alzheimer’s research on amyloid proteins.
“Piller’s meticulous investigations have exposed fraud in high-profile basic research, flawed clinical trials, and lax regulatory oversight,” wrote Science news editor Tim Appenzeller in his letter of recommendation. Judges commended Piller’s persistence in uncovering problems within the field of Alzheimer’s research. “Attacks on Piller’s work by many Alzheimer’s researchers showed his investigations have clearly hit a nerve,” judge Usha McFarling said.
An important lesson from Piller’s reporting is that “science is a human endeavor, flawed like all human endeavors,” noted judge Richard Harris. “But it can be a self-correcting process, when people of principle are brave enough to stand up for it.”
The Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting is awarded annually by the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (CASW) for a body of work published or broadcast within the last five years. Piller will receive a $5,000 cash award and be recognized during a November 9 awards ceremony at ScienceWriters2025, a joint meeting of CASW and the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) to be held in Chicago, IL.
The prize is underwritten by Michelson Philanthropies, a Los Angeles-based philanthropic organization devoted to supporting medical research, promoting equity in education, and improving animal welfare.
“We believe journalism that scrutinizes biomedical research is essential to maintaining public trust, ensuring that science serves patients and society rather than narrow interests,” said Phillip Kim, Michelson Philanthropies Executive Director. “Charles Piller’s investigations exemplify this role—exposing manipulated data, uncovering weak oversight, and revealing conflicts of interest. From questioning the integrity of high-profile Alzheimer’s studies to highlighting gaps in drug regulation, his reporting shines a light on hidden flaws, sparks critical debate, and holds powerful institutions accountable.”
“Charles’ work is the gold standard for science investigative reporting,” said judge Stephanie Lee.
Charles Piller
Charles Piller writes investigative stories for Science. He previously worked as an investigative journalist for STAT, the Los Angeles Times, and The Sacramento Bee. His work also has appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, and other leading publications, and he has reported on public health, biological warfare, infectious disease outbreaks, and other topics from the United States, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Central America.
Piller has won numerous journalism honors, including the 2016 AAAS/Kavli Science Journalism Gold Award, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Communications Award, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency PASS Award, the First Amendment Coalition Free Speech & Open Government Award, a 2023 Award for Excellence in Science Communications from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Schmidt Futures, and the 2023 and 2024 National Institute of Health Care Management Trade Journalism Awards.
Piller’s book Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s was published in February 2025. He previously authored two investigative books about science and has testified before the U.S. Senate about his reporting on workplace electronic surveillance and government compliance with the Freedom of Information Act.
The Victor Cohn Prize
Piller is the 30th recipient of the Cohn prize. This year’s entries were judged by Richard Harris, CASW president and former NPR science correspondent; Laura Helmuth, former editor in chief of Scientific American and past president of NASW; Stephanie Lee, senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education and a 2022 Cohn Prize recipient; Usha McFarling, director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT and the 2024 Cohn Prize recipient; and Cristine Russell, science journalist, senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, and longtime CASW board member. The judging was chaired by independent journalist Christie Aschwanden, vice president of CASW and author most recently of Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery.
The Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting has been presented since 2000. The award honors the late Washington Post medical writer and health columnist Victor Cohn, known as the dean of medical science reporting. He distinguished himself by the clarity and effectiveness of his reporting during a 50-year career that began with outstanding coverage of early “wonder” drugs and the polio vaccine, as well as the dawn of the modern space age. Late in his career, Cohn started a Post column called “The Patient’s Advocate,” and authored a book, News & Numbers: A Guide to Reporting Statistical Claims and Controversies in Health and Other Fields. Cohn, who died of cancer in 2000, was a co-founder in 1959 of CASW.
CASW is a not-for-profit organization committed to improving the quality and quantity of science news reaching the public.
