
Ellen Beshuk
Up To Date intern, 2025-2026Ellen Beshuk is the 2025-2026 intern for Up To Date.
She has a motivation to start conversations that encourage curiosity and inform on what matters, and is excited to bring stories about our environment, community, and technology to the producing booth.
Ellen previously worked for The Pitch, and graduated from the University of Missouri–Kansas City with a degree in biology and communications.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, seeing live music, and doing pretty much anything outdoors.
Contact her at ebeshuk@kcur.org
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Ukrainian physician Dr. Lev Prystupiuk and Kansas resident Roxanne Jones are central to efforts by Lenexa-based Global Care Force to fill the health care gaps caused by Russia's war. The nonprofit's volunteers are sometimes the only providers reaching Ukraine's communities.
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Judy Henderson spent 35 years in prison for a murder conviction, despite maintaining that she was innocent. Freed by the Missouri governor, Henderson's new autobiography “When the Light Finds Us,” documents the cruelty of the state's prisons and what it took her to keep going.
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Dr. Tomi Pastinen, director of Genomic Answers for Kids, led the first clinical study of five-base long read sequencing, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics. This new method shows doctors more of the genome and can diagnose rare diseases with a single test.
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Missouri's health department found that the vast majority of maternal deaths were preventable, and resulted from a lack of care in the months after birth. Cardiologist Dr. Anna Grodzinsky navigated her own high-risk pregnancies, and she explains what our medical system is missing.
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Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are found in substances from cosmetics to nonstick pans — and end up in our bloodstreams, unable to break down. UMKC engineering professor Dr. Megan Hart studies how to get rid of these substances, and shares the everyday changes she has made for her health.
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Scott Poore, founder of On A Mission KC, helps overlooked pets find a home and provides resources for rural animal shelters. It recently earned him the Spirit of Service award from the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, which came with a check for $20,000 to continue his work.