Olga Khazan

Olga Khazan is a staff writer for The Atlantic, covering health, gender, and policy. Prior to that, she was The Atlantic’s Global editor. She has also written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, and other publications. She is a two-time recipient of the International Reporting Project’s Journalism Fellowship and winner of the 2017 National Headliner Awards for Magazine Online Writing.

Personal email: olga.khazan@gmail.com

Order my first book, WEIRD, now in paperback

Award-winning writer Olga Khazan reclaims the concept of “weird” and turns it into a badge of honor rather than a slur, showing how being different—culturally, socially, physically, or mentally—can be a person’s greatest strength.

Most of us have at some point in our lives felt like an outsider, considering ourselves too weird to fit in. Growing up as a Russian immigrant in West Texas, Olga Khazan always felt there was something different about her. This feeling permeated her life, and as she embarked on a science writing career, she realized there were psychological connections between this feeling of being an outsider and both her struggles and successes later in life. She decided to reach out to other people who were unique in their environments to see if they had experienced similar feelings of alienation, and if so, how they overcame them.

Weird explores why it is that we crave conformity, how that affects people who are different. Khazan explores the causes behind—and the consequences of—social rejection, but she also finds the hidden upsides to being “weird.” Weird provides actionable insights on issues like social anxiety and impostor syndrome based on interviews with dozens of experts and a review of hundreds of scientific studies. Combining Khazan’s own story with the trajectories of others, and with cutting-edge research, Weird reveals how successful individuals learned to embrace their weirdness, using it to their advantage.

A few of my favorite stories …

Features:

The Rock Doc (featured on Longform)

Being Black in America Can Be Hazardous to Your Health (featured on Longform)

Into the Body of Another

Why Do Women Bully Each Other at Work?

Why Can't Addicts Just Quit?

Sex Ed Without the Sex

America’s Unending Tragedy

Investigations:

No Other Option — Across the country, medical boards allow abusive doctors to keep seeing patients. And patients addicted to opioids keep going back. (for the Texas Observer.)

America’s Most Powerful Medical-Debt Collector — investigation into civilian medical debt at military hospitals led to legislation being introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and a new provision about military hospitals included in the NDAA

The Obesity Cure Is Out of Reach in the Heaviest States — Bariatric surgery is the best treatment for obesity, but many states don’t cover the procedure in their state employee, Obamacare, or Medicaid plans.

What Are Parents Supposed to Do With Their Kids? — We contacted every state. Of the 30 who got back to us, 15 admitted they had no free child care available for parents who can’t work remotely

The Real Reason Americans Aren’t Quarantining — Most Americans aren’t actually quarantining after traveling or being exposed to coronavirus. The reason? They have work.

What Americans Don’t Know About Their Medications — Why is side effect information so confusing?

Invisible Middlemen Are Slowing Down American Health Care — on the scourge of pharmacy benefit managers

Living Poor and Uninsured in a Red State — CJR: “If a prize were given for the best story about Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to date in 2014, it would go to The Atlantic for Olga Khazan’s ‘Living Poor and Uninsured in a Red State.’”

Profiles:

The Brain Bro

The Bro Whisperer

The New Face of Trumpism in Texas

Scoops/exclusives:

Amazon Confirms First Known Coronavirus Case in an American Warehouse

Don’t Get Your Pet Groomed, Groomers Say — when hair salons closed, Petco’s grooming salons stayed open

The Problem With ‘Uber for Therapy’ — a popular therapy app fired its counselors, then offered to hire them back as part-timers without benefits

Women in the U.S. Can Now Get Safe Abortions by Mail — citing poor access and a growing need, a global provider of mail-order abortion pills expanded to the U.S.