Ryan Prior

Experience

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  Macon Telegraph

  Sept 2007 - Sept 2008

  Sports Writer

  -Recorded video at the Georgia Amateur Golf Championship-Recorded audio and video interviews with UGA football players-Reported and wrote on UGA football, ranked #1 in NCAA pre-season rankings in 2008

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  Goddard for Congress

  May 2008 - Aug 2008

  Intern

  -Assisted in one of the NRCC's top five most hotly contested Congressional races in 2008-Phone-banked to register voter interest around Georgia's 8th District; mapped likelihood of voter support and helped plan canvassing strategy to address sympathetic voters-Campaigned door-to-door in Dublin, Warner Robins, and Macon-Helped organize, plan, advertise, and execute fundraisers headlined by Vice President Dick Cheney and President George W. Bush

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  Houston Home Journal

  May 2009 - Aug 2009

  Features Writer

  -Wrote, reported, and photographed special sports features in the Houston County area-Highlights included the Little League World Series champions and various other local personalities who had distinguished themselves nationally in fields as diverse as pro wrestling, rodeo, and men's softball.

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  University of Georgia Honors Program

  Jun 2010 - Jul 2010

  CURO Summer Fellow

  -Applied for and was selected in a rigorous competitive process for the University of Georgia's eight-week CURO Summer Fellowship program; was one of 25 selected in 2010-My project, "Foundations of Medical Philosophy in Ancient Civilizations," explored the possibilities for integrating traditional medicine into reliable public policy in developing countries.-Presented my research progress and findings orally at two meetings of the Fellows group-Presented my research conclusions at the CURO Symposium in 2010 and 2011-Awarded the UGA Libraries Undergraduate Research Award for outstanding use and knowledge of available scholarly resources Show less

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  Georgia Political Review

  Apr 2011 - Mar 2012

  Founder, Editor-in-Chief

  -Georgia's first student-run journal of politics and foreign affairs; seeks to become the nation's most interactive collegiate political journal-Recruited a staff of 30 of UGA's brightest students-Wrote business plan, editorial style guide, media kit, advertising materials, designed and built website-Raised $3,000 to print 500 editions of the initial magazine; circulation increased to 2,000 by the 3rd edition-Wrote 10 articles for the website and print magazine-Shepherded Q&A interviews through the publishing process: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Noam Chomsky, U.S. Senator Wyche Fowler, U.S. Congressman Bob Barr, 4-Star General Eugene Habiger, presidential speechwriter David Frum, and author Peter Godwin Show less

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  Newsweek

  Jan 2012 - Jul 2012

  Writer/Intern

  -Assisted writer David Frum with research and editing of Newsweek magazine articles-Edited, posted, and aggregated content for the David Frum blog at the Daily Beast site-Researched, reported, and wrote original articles about the 2012 elections, healthcare reform, national security, and numerous other topics for The Daily Beast-Article "How Much Do Canadians Pay For Healthcare" re-published through Real Clear Politics-Pioneered the David Frum Facebook fan page; Curated its content for 8,000+ fans-Helped market Frum's novel "Patriots" Show less

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  Center for International Trade & Security

  Aug 2012 - May 2013

  Richard B. Russell Security Leadership Fellow

  -Year-long fellowship focusing on nuclear non-proliferation and export control policies for dual-use technologies.-Developed policy writing skills through weekly policy analyses and open-source research.-Constructed a working knowledge of the technical functions of CBRN weaponry.-Conducted a Design Basis Threat and Risk Assessment on a High Value Target in the State of Georgia.-Assisted CITS researcher Mike Beck with reports and creating training presentations.-Assisted with Security & Strategic Trade Management Academy, a globally recognized training event for over 40 government and industry representatives from 16 counties. Show less

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  USA TODAY

  Aug 2012 - Dec 2012

  Collegiate Correspondent

  -Pitched, researched, reported and wrote weekly news features that garnered hundreds of Facebook recommendations and re-tweets-Participated in frequent webinars with USA Today senior writers-Chosen as one of 19 correspondents out of 600 applicants-Chosen as "Writer of the Week" by USA Today writers twice-Story "The Real Story of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" will be re-published in a book set to be released in 2014-Story "Advice for Freshmen From a Soon-To-Be-Graduate" is being re-published in Tennessee Magazine Show less

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  "Forgotten Plague"

  May 2013 - Nov 2014

  Director, Producer, Writer

  --Raised $150,000 through Kickstarter, associations, partnerships, and private individuals--Planned and executed shoots totalling 3 terabytes of footage with more than 40 patients and more than 20 leading scientists in neuro-immune medicine. Filmed in 9 different U.S. states--Subjects included Columbia University's Ian Lipkin, named the "world's most celebrated virus hunter,"​ by Discover Magazine and Stanford University's Ron Davis, named one of the visionaries "future historians will see as our greatest inventors,"​ by The Atlantic--Selected by Stanford University Medicine X conference as ePatient Scholar and accepted as speaker with talk on "Health Advocacy in the YouTube Age"--Led PR efforts with coverage at the National Press Club, in USA Today, New York Times-Hearst Syndicate, Yahoo, Las Vegas Sun, Sacramento Bee, Univision, Macon Telegraph, 13-WMAZ (Macon), blogs; grew Facebook page to 6,500+ fans worldwide--Production Manager (organized interviews, housing, and transportation in over nine states)--Garnered support for 120+ screenings of the film across 9 nations--The film was hailed a "Must See Documentary" in the Huffington Post, had sold-out theatrical screenings around the country, was translated into 7 languages, and is available on Amazon Prime. Show less

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  The Blue Ribbon Foundation

  Sept 2013 - Nov 2017

  Founder, President

  --Founder and President of the Blue Ribbon Foundation, Inc., a national non-profit corporation supporting the documentary, "Forgotten Plague,"​ and establishing fellowships for medical students--Incorporated the non-profit organization in the State of Georgia and successfully applied for IRS 501(c)3 tax-exempt status--Hand-picked the inaugural Board of Directors, composed of national leaders in the field of advocacy for patients with neuro-immune diseases--Chaired quarterly meetings of the Board of Directors--Led the drafting of the Case for Support and the organization's 10-year strategic vision--Established a funding partnership with the Wisconsin ME/CFS Association to kickstart a national education program for medical students to gain a firmer clinical and research grasp of neuro-immune diseases--Implemented inaugural edition of the Blue Ribbon Fellowship program for summer 2015, selecting and funding 3 medical students to study neuro-immune medicine at top U.S. research institutions Show less

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  CNN

  Aug 2015 - Nov 2021

  Associate Producer in team with 6-month rotations. My rotations include:-Ticker/On-Screen Presentations. Full-time writer for CNN covering everything under our network's purview: politics, finance, health, science, entertainment, and social issues. I wrote on everything, including the Trump/Russia scandal, North Korean nuclear weapons, U.S. unemployment numbers, unrest in Gaza, corporate mergers, Black Panther's box office success, and the iPhone. Each day I usually wrote five or six 100-200-word stories that would publish on television via CNN's Ticker, digitally via CNN's mobile app, and would also be used in CNN's Google Home app.-Special Projects. I am a multi-platform writer and producer contributing to CNN's series, including "Staying Well" and "Impact Your World." I shoot, produce, and write stories for television and CNN.com. I'm equally comfortable painting in many colors, from television to digital video to newspaper/magazine-style writing-Trends. I write several stories daily for CNN.com which span Politics, Health, Travel, and general US news. I research topics, interview sources, and write. I regularly pitch longer form stories. Show less --I watch and log speeches from all the 2016 presidential candidates, judge what's most important and newsworthy in them, and pull soundbites to air on CNN shows.--I pitch, produce, and write my own original features through CNN Inside Pitch--Produced pilot for "Young People Who Rock" series for CNN Newsource's Video Affiliate Network; the pilot was picked up as a weekly series in 2017 and I continued as a producer--Selected from top 25% of applicants for Turner's Next Gen RISE program, an initiative to foster the next generation of Turner leaders; presented project on CNN mobile app innovation to senior executives--I pull the best soundbites and b-roll to air in CNN packages Show less

  • Cross-Platform Associate Producer

    Nov 2017 - Nov 2021

  • Freelance Writer, CNN.com

    Feb 2017 - Dec 2018

  • Cross-Platform Production Assistant/Newsroom Associate Producer

    Feb 2016 - Oct 2017

  • News Assistant, Production Assistant

    Feb 2015 - Jan 2016

  • Freelance Associate Producer, CNN-International

    Aug 2015 - Dec 2015
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  The MIT Press

  Aug 2021 - now

  Author, “The Long Haul”

  “The Long Haul: Solving the Puzzle of the Pandemic’s Long Haulers And How They Are Changing Health Care Forever.”The book is the definitive narrative non-fiction story of Long Covid — with an unforgettable cast of characters including scientists at the highest levels of NIH working toward a cure and patients who became homeless due to the disease. It’s the remarkable story of how patients became the experts and illustrated a new paradigm for how healthcare can finally learn to reckon with nearly a dozen hard-to-treat diseases.Sen. Tim Kaine calls it “a book we need right now.” Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Ed Yong calls it “the story of Long Covid as it should be told.” And the Director-General of the World Health Organization hails the book as a “timely and important contribution.”Available everywhere books are sold. Show less

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  The Century Foundation

  Nov 2022 - Aug 2023

  Fellow / Journalist-in-Residence

  I tell stories highlighting the human side of policy, and help unite the grassroots with highest level of the policymaking ecosystem.Op-eds, features, and essays published for The Century Foundation, as well as in The Guardian, STAT News, The Nation, and Psychology Today.

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  Psychology Today

  Apr 2023 - now

  Writer, “Patient Revolution” Column

  Author of a regular blog for Psychology Today

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  Harvard Kennedy School

  Jul 2024 - now

  Graduate Teaching Fellow

  Course Assistant for Professor David King: "Policy Entrepreneurship in the United States"Course Assistant for Professor Margaret Talev: "Engaging the Media"