Jocelyn Wiener is an Oakland-based writer who covers health, mental health, poverty and social issues. Her stories have run in the San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, NPR, Kaiser Health News and other publications around the country. She is a former staff writer for The Sacramento Bee.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/biopic.jpg)
Jocelyn Wiener
From this contributor
Children with disabilities may wait years for essential medical equipment
Many California children with serious healthcare needs often wait months, or even years, before they receive essential medical equipment.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018KHNWheelchair844.jpg)
Children with disabilities may wait years for essential medical equipment
Deportation a constant fear for immigrants with disabled children
As the Trump administration promises to deport a broader range of people, parents of chronically ill children are seeking help to stay in the country.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170525-KHNDisable844.jpg)
Deportation a constant fear for immigrants with disabled children
The builders: How parents shaped autism research
A group of savvy parents jump-started autism research in California, but they also set the research agenda.
![MIND Institute](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/daniel_hertzberg_the_builders.jpg)
The builders: How parents shaped autism research
Explore more from The Transmitter
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
![Research image of neurons in the fly’s ventral nerve cord.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lede-motormodules-1200-1024x692.webp)
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
![Illustration of researchers talking to laypeople amidst strands of DNA.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1200_Charman-1024x687.webp)
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/paincircuit-1200-1024x692.webp)
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.