ProPublica announced Friday that it has hired reporter Jenny Deam to cover health care in Washington, D.C. She starts on March 1.

Known for her sharp news instincts and narrative writing skills, Deam comes to ProPublica from the Houston Chronicle, where she has worked since 2015. With an investigative focus on the business of health care, she wrote about health care fraud and the uneasy intersection of politics, providers and the insurance industry. Her reporting on systemic billing irregularities led to tough new patient protection laws.

Before the Chronicle, Deam was based in Denver as a special correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, covering Colorado and the region. Her work there included extensive coverage of the Aurora movie theater massacre and its aftermath, the early days of marijuana legalization and the rise of fracking. She has also reported for the Denver Post, St. Petersburg Times and Kansas City Star.

A two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award, Deam was part of the team that became a finalist for Pulitzer Prize for breaking news in 2018 for coverage of Hurricane Harvey.

“Jenny is an acclaimed storyteller with a reputation for making complicated subjects accessible,” Marilyn Thompson, ProPublica senior editor, said. “She long ago mastered the fine art of juggling major projects with breaking news and quick turnaround investigations. We’re excited to bring her talents to our team in Washington.”

“I am thrilled and deeply honored to be joining such an amazing group of reporters and editors,” Deam said. “I can’t wait to get started.”