David Epstein covered science, medicine, sports, and frequently all three of those in the same project. (When a woman with muscular dystrophy and an Olympic medalist sprinter have the same mutant gene, heâs there.) Prior to joining ProPublica, Epstein was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, where he co-authored the 2009 report that Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez had used steroids. He has also written about drugs-but-not-sports, detailing the DEA's complicated pursuit of Chapo Guzman's rivals. His science writing has won a number of awards, and he is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Sports Gene. David was a crime reporter at the New York Daily News, and the first reporter at Inside Higher Ed. He has masterâs degrees in environmental science and journalism from Columbia University, and has lived in the Sonoran desert, on a ship in the Pacific Ocean, and in the Arctic.
David Epstein
Reporter
More Athletes Say Track Coach Alberto Salazar Broke Drug Rules
Following an investigation by ProPublica and the BBC, other athletes describe pressure to get prescription drugs they didn’t need and Salazar’s top runner flies to Oregon to get answers.
Off Track: Former Team Members Accuse Famed Coach Alberto Salazar of Breaking Drug Rules
Some top runners and others who've worked with Salazar allege that he experimented with testosterone and pressured athletes to use prescription medications they didn't need to gain a performance benefit.
In a Rare Sanction, Top Track Coach Gets Eight-Year Suspension
An arbitration panel handed prominent track coach Jon Drummond a lengthy ban after deciding he transported prohibited substances and encouraged top sprinter Tyson Gay to use them.
Hyperspecialization Is Ruining Youth Sports—And the Kids Who Play Them
Research has found that kids who play a variety of sports before settling on one achieve higher levels of success and suffer fewer serious injuries.
Tyson Gay's Coach Says He Didn't Give Sprinter Banned Substances
Jon Drummond, saying he is facing a lifetime ban, is suing Gay and the head of U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for defamation.
Weak Sanction for Sprinter Gay Signals Change in Anti-Doping Tactics
Anti-doping investigators say they would rather trade leniency for information on coaches and other athletes involved in doping
Cheat Sheet: The Tyson Gay File
The web of dubious connections, suspect medicine and outsize risks behind America’s top sprinter’s failed drug test and ruined reputation.
Do These Chemicals Make Me Look Fat?
Why are Americans – and animals – getting fatter? It isn’t just because of eating more and exercising less.
