Before joining Illinois Times, Dilpreet Raju reported on disparity in Illinois through a variety of topics including public health, criminal justice policy, and a burgeoning marijuana industry for Capitol News Illinois as a reporting fellow. His stories and photos were picked up by dozens of outlets, including some neighboring state media. Raju’s passion for journalism began in high school while focusing on arts writing. He went on to graduate from American University in Washington, D.C. with a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry. While studying for his bachelor’s, he worked all four years on The Eagle, a student newspaper. Raju then pursued more journalism education, earning a master’s degree in journalism with a special focus on health, environment, and science from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He held editing positions in both undergraduate and graduate publications.
Beat: Coverage of health issues with an emphasis on mental health care disparities and reform.
The killing of Sonya Massey, the Springfield woman who called 911 for help during her mental health crisis, but was shot and killed by a deputy who answered the call, illustrates the lack of police training for responding to mental illness. A commission organized to advocate for reforms in the wake of her Massey's death has called for changes in the mental health system. The beat would be health care and medicine, with a particular emphasis on systemic problems in mental health care, their causes and solutions.