Rebecca Smith
Rebecca Smith is an award-winning reporter and producer for the KBIA Health & Wealth Desk. Born and raised outside of Rolla, Missouri, she has a passion for diving into often overlooked issues that affect the rural populations of her state – especially stories that broaden people’s perception of “rural” life. She created a conversations-based journalism project, Missouri Health Talks, in 2016 that empowers people throughout the state to share their stories of access to healthcare – in their own words.
She has degrees in both Journalism and Chemistry from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, and often says health reporting is the perfect marriage of individual’s stories and reporting on science.
You can reach her at smithbecky@missouri.edu or 573-882-4824.
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Allergic reactions from alpha-gal syndrome can be dangerous to one's physical health — even deadly. But for hunters who deal with fur and blood, the tick-borne disease can also be a blow to their mental health. -
Dozens of people impacted by alpha-gal syndrome — a tick-borne allergy to mammalian products such as red meat and dairy — rallied at the Missouri capital Tuesday. There is no standard reporting for the disease so it's hard to know how common it is. -
One in eight American women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime — requiring long and arduous treatments that change the way their body looks. A medical tattoo parlor in Columbia, Missouri, is offering a way to regain confidence, but insurance can get complicated. -
Managing alpha-gal syndrome, a tickborne allergy to mammalian products like red meat and dairy, can be hard for anyone. But for Missouri farmers who are in close contact with cattle, the allergy can be ruinous and possibly deadly. -
Cases of alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy caused by tick bites, in Missouri means more people are looking for a mammal-free way to eat out. Some restaurants in the southern part of the state are adapting their menus for patrons. -
Often when Missourians receive an alpha-gal syndrome diagnosis, they don't know where to start — beyond simply not eating red meat. Some people in southern Missouri are trying to help people adapt to their new diets. -
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 450,000 people in the US have alpha-gal syndrome — a tickborne allergy to red meat — while many others have never heard of the condition at all. -
Despite the federal government shutdown, Missourians on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children will be able to redeem their benefits during the month of November. But state officials are unsure how long these benefits will remain available. -
Missouri-born artist Chappell Roan is launching a project supporting LGBTQ+ communities throughout the country — including two community centers in Missouri. -
The Mizzou Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks are set to take the field on Saturday for the first time since 2011.
