Arthur Allen, senior correspondent, writes about the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry as well as topics related to covid-19. He joined KFF Health News in 2020 after six years at Politico, where he created, edited, and wrote for its first news team to focus on health information technology. Previously, he was a freelance writer for publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and Slate. He also worked for The Associated Press for 13 years, including stints as a correspondent based in El Salvador, Mexico, and Germany. He is the author of the books “Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine’s Greatest Lifesaver,” “Ripe: The Search for the Perfect Tomato,” and “The Fantastic Laboratory of Dr. Weigl.” He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California-Berkeley.