Author Archives: Shuka Kalantari

About Shuka Kalantari

Shuka Kalantari is a health and culture reporter living in the Bay Area. She is Outreach Coordinator for KQED Public Radio, where she works with citizen journalists throughout California and produces health-related social media. Shuka’s focus is in health disparities, policy and mental health, with a particular emphasis on Middle Eastern & Latino communities in California. A Philosophy & Spanish Studies graduate from the University of California, Santa Cruz, she received a Masters degree in Multimedia Health and Medicine Reporting from The City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism in 2007. You can read and listen to her stories at shukakalantari.com.

The Train-Hopping 'Polaroid Kidd' Settles in Oakland, Publishes Book of Life on the Rails

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Mike Brodie has earned the nickname "Polaroid Kidd" by winning prestigious photography awards for his pictures documenting the lives of freight train hoppers across the United States. Now, while also working as a car mechanic in Oakland, he has just … Continue reading »


Fatwa Against His Life, Iranian Musician to Play at UC Berkeley

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Iranian musician Shahin Najafi will perform at UC Berkeley's Wheeler Hall this Friday, November 16, 2012.


Women Veterans Suffer from PTSD at Same Rate as Men

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The number of women in the military has doubled in the past decade. According to the Pentagon, about 10 percent of the 2.2 million troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have been women. These women are more likely to … Continue reading »


Study May Lead to Better Understanding of Trauma-Related Stress

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A new study may help identify individuals who are more vulnerable to stress disorders after traumatic events. The study, published in the December issues of Biological Psychiatry, looked at the level of a stress hormone called cortisol in 296 police … Continue reading »


What Shortage of Nurses? In the Bay Area, There's a Surplus

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From the 1980s to the 2000s, the number of young people going into nursing schools plummeted — both nationally and in California. To reverse the trend, the government launched recruitment efforts to get more people into nursing schools.

It looks like they did a pretty good job. The number of registered nurses nationwide skyrocketed in the past decade, according to a study released in today's Health Affairs. Recent grads aged 23-26 increased by 62 percent. There hasn't been a spike in nursing grads like this in the U.S. since the 1970s.


Mental Health Care May be Mandated in California, But Most Aren't Getting Treated

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More than two million adults in California say they need mental health care, but about half of them aren't getting it, according to a report released Wednesday by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. California mandates health insurance companies … Continue reading »


What the Health Effects of Pepper Spray Are and How to Treat Them

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One version of the video of UC Davis campus police dousing protesters with pepper spray has almost 1,800,000 and counting views on YouTube. UC Davis student David Busco was one of the students sprayed that day, saying the pain felt like … Continue reading »


Apple Founder Steve Jobs Has Died

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Apple founder Steve Jobs died at the age of 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.  Apple's Board of Directors released a statement, from Business Wire: We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's … Continue reading »


Stanford Study Finds a Healthy Diet Lowers Risk of Birth Defects

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Pregnant women who eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and eat fewer foods high in things like saturated fats and sugar, have a lower risk of giving birth to babies with specific birth defects. That’s the takeaway from a … Continue reading »