Duaa Eldeib

Reporter

Photo of Duaa Eldeib

Duaa Eldeib is a reporter at ProPublica whose work has examined the systemic failures that led to a stillbirth crisis in the U.S., the fatal consequences of delaying care during the pandemic and the plight of hundreds of children trapped in psychiatric hospitals. She was part of a team of reporters who were among the first in the country to reveal the disproportionate and devastating effects of COVID-19 on Black Americans and collaborated with colleagues to cover the Trump administration’s Zero Tolerance policy for immigrants. Eldeib’s reporting has sparked legislative hearings and government reform and has led to the release of young men incarcerated as juveniles then later sent to adult prison for “minor” offenses. Her series on stillbirths was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting.

Before joining ProPublica, Eldeib was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune, where she investigated police misuse of polygraphs in cases leading to wrongful convictions. Her stories with two colleagues uncovering children being assaulted and sexually abused at taxpayer-funded residential treatment centers was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting. Eldeib’s reporting also led to the exoneration of a mother who was wrongly convicted of murdering her son. She has won numerous other national and local awards and was a 2014 finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. Before joining the Tribune, Eldeib reported for the Daily Southtown, where she wrote stories exposing theft and corruption at a regional education office, which led to the arrest of the superintendent and spurred lawmakers to abolish the office.

Eldeib graduated from the University of Missouri with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and psychology and received a master’s degree in public policy from Northwestern University. She is based in Chicago

We’re Investigating Mental Health Care Access. Share Your Insights.

ProPublica’s reporters want to talk to mental health providers, health insurance insiders and patients as we examine the U.S. mental health care system. If that’s you, reach out.

A Memorial for the Children Lost to Stillbirth

Each day in the U.S., about 60 babies are stillborn. Here, families share their child’s name and their lasting legacy.

As the U.S. Struggles With a Stillbirth Crisis, Australia Offers a Model for How to Do Better

Australia has emerged as a global leader in the effort to lower the number of babies that die before taking their first breaths. It’s an approach that could benefit America, which lags behind other wealthy nations in reducing stillbirths.

Experts to Examine a Controversial Forensic Test That Has Helped Convict Women of Murder

Responding to a ProPublica investigation into the “lung float test,” which some have likened to a witch trial, lawyers and medical professionals will work to determine whether the test should be used in court.

Legislation to Support Stillbirth Prevention Heads to House After Unanimous Senate Approval

Following ProPublica’s reporting on the nation’s stillbirth crisis, a bipartisan group of senators reintroduced a bill to fund prevention. After the Senate passed the legislation unanimously in September, the House is expected to take it up next.

A Lab Test That Experts Liken to a Witch Trial Is Helping Send Women to Prison for Murder

The “lung float” test claims to help determine if a baby was born alive or dead, but many medical examiners say it’s too unreliable. Yet the test is still being used to bring murder charges — and get convictions.

Lawmakers Propose $45 Million in New Funding for Measures to Lower U.S. Stillbirth Rate

The legislation seeks to improve data and research, as well as develop stillbirth awareness materials. Many women interviewed by ProPublica said they didn’t know they were at risk until they delivered their stillborn baby.

Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill to Battle Nation’s Stillbirth Crisis

After legislation fell short of passage last year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers hope to advance a new bill to fund stillbirth prevention, and they credit ProPublica for its reporting.

What You Need to Know About Stillbirths

We spoke to dozens of parents and medical experts about what causes stillbirths, whether there are warning signs to look for during pregnancy, and what your options are if you experience a stillbirth.

Federal Study Calls U.S. Stillbirth Rate “Unacceptably High” and Recommends Action

A National Institutes of Health report decried stillbirths as a “major public health concern” and said the nation needed to do more to address the problem through research and prevention.

Lawmakers Pledge to Fight for Comprehensive Action on Stillbirths

A ProPublica investigation found the U.S. lagging other developed nations in reducing the number of stillbirths. Lawmakers say increased funding will be key to any improvement.

She Says Doctors Ignored Her Concerns About Her Pregnancy. For Many Black Women, It’s a Familiar Story.

Black women in America are more than twice as likely as white women to have a stillbirth. Getting physicians to take their concerns seriously is one reason for this disparity, they say: “If you’re a Black woman, you get dismissed.”

After a Stillbirth, an Autopsy Can Provide Answers. Too Few of Them Are Being Performed.

One in three stillbirths goes unexplained, leaving parents desperate for information. Many doctors don’t perform autopsies or tests that could offer insight, while some patients decide against them without fully understanding the potential benefits.

Help Us Report on Stillbirths

We want to understand stillbirths and their effects on parents, families and medical professionals. You can help by sharing your experience with us.

Her Child Was Stillborn at 39 Weeks. She Blames a System That Doesn’t Always Listen to Mothers.

Every year more than 20,000 pregnancies in the U.S. result in a stillbirth, but not all of these tragedies were inevitable. As many as one in four stillbirths are potentially preventable.

“God, No, Not Another Case.” COVID-Related Stillbirths Didn’t Have to Happen.

A lack of testing data and government guidance led many to avoid the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, unwittingly increasing their chances of a stillbirth.

How Misinformation About COVID Vaccines and Pregnancy Took Root Early On and Why It Won’t Go Away

Before coronavirus vaccines were even released, a disinformation campaign used a moment of national and personal vulnerability to prey on those who were pregnant or who planned to become pregnant.

They Were the Pandemic’s Perfect Victims

The pandemic killed so many dialysis patients that their total number shrunk for the first time in nearly half a century. Few people took notice.

Legislator Pushes for Law Requiring Illinois Hospitals to Report All Assaults to Police

In response to a ProPublica investigation, Illinois State Sen. Julie Morrison said she will propose a law mandating that hospitals notify police about suspected patient-on-patient sexual assaults.

A Patient in a Psychiatric Ward Was Seen on Video Possibly Being Sexually Assaulted. No One Reported It.

Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago kept quiet about a possible sexual assault of one patient by another in its psychiatric unit. Only after ProPublica asked questions did Illinois’ public health officials alert law enforcement.

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