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Sam Baker
Senior Editor and Morning Edition HostSam Baker is KERA's senior editor and local host for Morning Edition. The native of Beaumont, Texas, also edits and produces radio commentaries and Vital Signs, a series that's part of the station's Breakthroughs initiative. He also was the longtime host of KERA 13’s Emmy Award-winning public affairs program On the Record. He also won an Emmy in 2008 for KERA’s Sharing the Power: A Voter’s Voice Special, and has earned honors from the Associated Press and the Public Radio News Directors Inc.
Sam worked in commercial television at NBC and CBS affiliates for six years before moving to public broadcasting. He was news director and Morning Edition host at KWGS-FM in Tulsa, Okla., for three years and moved to KERA in 1991. He has served on the board of Public Radio News Directors Inc. and is a member of the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Communicators.
As a volunteer, Sam for seven years produced a weekly series, Jazz in Words and Music, for Reading and Radio Resources, an agency serving the visually impaired. He is also a former member on the board of Southwest Transplant Alliance, a private nonprofit organization that provides organs and tissues for transplantation.
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A Parkland Health pharmacy specialist explains why overexposure in high temperatures can make people on certain medications more sensitive to heat.
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Analysis of Veteran Affairs records found gut, brain and lung problems that began after the viral infection ended. A North Texas doctor suspects inflammation.
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Sleep experts say watching TV and using devices within an hour of bedtime can disrupt sleep. The study concludes this may not be true of everyone.
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Dallas County has reported at least 90 positive mosquito samples for West Nile Virus. Recent heavy rain has led to more mosquitoes, but the summer heat adds to the problem.
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Dallas County health officials describe the current uptick in COVID-19 activity as similar to past summers. But because they're more vulnerable, people 65 and older are urged to update their COVID-19 booster shots.
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A local cardiologist says low to moderate consumption isn’t harmful, but those at risk for heart attack and stroke should probably stay away from artificial sweeteners.
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A Parkland health psychologist defines burnout, and how employees can address the problem. She also discusses the role employers have in trying to avoid burnout.
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Energy drinks are promoted as enhancing energy, mental alertness, and physical performance. A registered dietitian warns they can damage your health if you're not careful.
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A study by Harvard researchers of 92,000 people over 28 years found consuming at least 7 grams of olive oil daily was linked with a 28% lower risk of dementia-related death than those who never or rarely ate olive oil.
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A study of 67,000 people found AFib more prevalent in people younger than 65. A North Texas doctor explains why the results didn't surprise him.
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The procedure avoids surgery by using ultrasound waves, imaging, heat, and algorithms to destroy prostate cancer tissue with far less chance of side effects.
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Using the highly advertised drug Keytruda can help a patient's immune system overcome cancer, but the drug alone doesn't help with melanoma. Dr. C. Lance Cowee explains how adding the COVID-19 technology may help.