MPR People


Lorna Benson

Lorna Benson

Reporter
Minnesota Public Radio
lbenson@mpr.org

Lorna Benson is a correspondent for MPR News, reporting primarily on health and medicine. She has been reporting for MPR since 1990, and hosted All Things Considered from 1997 to 2003. She has also worked at Minnesota Public Radio bureau stations in Rochester and St. Peter, where she was the news director. For a brief time in 1996, Benson worked at KPBS radio in San Diego, where she hosted Morning Edition and a weekly call-in program. She has been honored by the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Minnesota Psychiatric Society, the Minnesota Medical Association, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Minnesota, Eli Lilly & Company and the Minnesota Education Association. Benson was the 2003 Commencement speaker at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Lorna Benson Feature Archive

RSS
Downtown Rochester skyway

At Mayo, a bonanza of medical records is set to grow even larger

Since 1966, the Mayo Clinic has collected as many medical records as possible in Minnesota's Olmsted County to generate powerful studies that help save lives. The Rochester Epidemiology Project, with nearly 600,000 medical records, has provided groundbreaking information on a variety of conditions. The project is expanding to other counties, which will help researchers broaden its database. (03/25/2013)

Carver ranked Minn.'s healthiest county

Carver County is ranked as Minnesota's healthiest county in a new report while Cass County is at the bottom of the list. (03/20/2013)

Rare form of strep gaining ground in Minn.

A rare, antibiotic-resistant form of Group B Streptococcus appears to be getting more common in Minnesota and there's concern that the infection will gain a foothold in the state and sicken more infants. (03/20/2013)

New, tighter concussion guidelines for youth

The American Academy of Neurology based in Minneapolis says any athlete suspected of having a concussion should be immediately removed from play. (03/18/2013)

U study examines employment during pregnancy

A University of Minnesota study has found that a woman's employment during pregnancy does not negatively affect her baby's health. (03/16/2013)

John Kersey, U of M cancer research pioneer, dies

Dr. John Kersey, leader of the U of M team that successfully completed the world's first bone marrow transplant for lymphoma in 1975, has died at the age of 74. (03/15/2013)

Flu death toll in Minn. rises to 176

Minnesota's death toll from influenza climbed to 176, including seven more deaths that were confirmed during week 10 of the flu season that ended last Saturday. (03/14/2013)

'Junk food' tax proposal goes to committee

The proposal, authored by DFL Rep. Jerry Newton, of Coon Rapids, would add chips, pretzels, cookies and other prepackaged treats to the list of snack items subject to the state's 6.88 percent sales tax. (03/13/2013)

Report: Dentists underpaid by state for low-income patient care

A report released Friday by Minnesota's Legislative Auditor says the state should pay dentists more for treating patients enrolled in Minnesota's Medical Assistance program. (03/08/2013)

Deadly superbugs on the rise in Minn.

Deadly superbugs, called Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae [CRE], are on the rise in Minnesota and across much of the nation. (03/05/2013)

U researchers use stem cells to regenerate muscles in diseased mice

University of Minnesota researchers, using stem cell technology, have sparked muscle regeneration in laboratory mice with a fast-moving form of muscular dystrophy, a disease that severely weakens muscles. (03/05/2013)

C-section delivery rates vary widely in US

The rate of cesarean-section deliveries occurs in wide variation in U.S. hospitals, shows a University of Minnesota study. (03/04/2013)

U fund would plug hole if grant money drops

University of Minnesota researchers will be able to tap a new pot of money to support their projects if they lose some of their federal grant funding. (03/02/2013)

17 more flu deaths in Minn., state reports

Flu-related deaths in Minnesota continue to climb, even as the outbreak tapers off. (02/28/2013)

Air pollution alert issued for Twin Cities, Rochester

Fine particle pollution in the air across southern Minnesota is causing unhealthy breathing conditions for children, the elderly and people with respiratory diseases. (02/26/2013)