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Rupsa Chakraborty is an award-winning Indian journalist currently serving as Assistant Editor (Health) at Hindustan Times, where she leads coverage on critical health issues. With over 13 years of experience, she has worked across prominent national dailies including The Indian Express, Mid-Day, DNA, The Times of India, and Deccan Herald. Rupsa also contributes to the British Medical Journal as a health correspondent.

Her work spans in-depth data analysis and on-ground investigations across cities like Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Mumbai. She has uncovered scams, exposed systemic failures, and highlighted public health crises through her use of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Her reporting focuses on tuberculosis, malnutrition, mental health, rare diseases, the under-reporting of heatwave deaths, and gaps in India’s healthcare infrastructure.

Rupsa has received several prestigious awards and fellowships in recognition of her impactful journalism. In 2024, she was selected for the Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellowship, funded by the UK government, where she studied National Health Systems at the University of Westminster, with a focus on the mental health of the geriatric population.

She was honoured with India’s most prestigious journalism accolade—the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism (2022) in the "Uncovering India Invisible" category, presented by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi. In 2023, she was awarded the Statesman Award for Rural Reporting for her work highlighting grassroots health issues.

Rupsa is also a three-time recipient of the UNFPA-Laadli Media Awards, having been recognised in categories such as Best Investigative Report and Best News Report for her gender-sensitive reporting.

Rupsa, chosen by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, attended Columbia University's childhood development cohort, sharing knowledge with global reporters in New York in 2024. She represented India. She has been a fellow in the 'Rare Disease Fellowship' program of the National Press Foundation, the Schizophrenia Research Foundation-WHO, the Lilly-REACH National Media Fellowship, and the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) South Asia's Without Borders Media Fellowship.

British Medical Journal •

India’s organ transplant paradox: women donate the most and receive the least

Women in India donate nearly twice as many organs as men, yet men are more likely to be recipients. Rupsa Chakraborty asks why
The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (Notto), India’s apex government body overseeing organ donations, says that 63.8% of all living organ donors from 2019 to 2023—mostly liver and kidneys—were women. Yet men received the majority of donated organs, accounting for 69.8% of the recipients.
A BMJ analysis of the data reveals deep rooted gender inequalities pervading India’s health systems and societal attitudes to women’s health. The underlying causes of this paradox include sociocultural factors, economic dependence, and healthcare attitudes and practices, requiring a holistic approach.
Hindustan Times •

Hindustan Times

In her role as a health reporter, she extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic in Maharashtra, the most severely affected state with the highest number of cases and fatalities. This comprehensive coverage included visits to ICUs, hospitals, and jumbo centers, where she exposed instances of insurance violations as institutions denied coverage to Covid-19 patients. Furthermore, she brought to light cases of patient deaths across the state caused by shortages of beds and oxygen. Her investigative reporting not only led to policy changes but also exposed crucial loopholes in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hindustan Times •

Hindustan Times

In her role as a health reporter, she extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic in Maharashtra, the most severely affected state with the highest number of cases and fatalities. This comprehensive coverage included visits to ICUs, hospitals, and jumbo centers, where she exposed instances of insurance violations as institutions denied coverage to Covid-19 patients. Furthermore, she brought to light cases of patient deaths across the state caused by shortages of beds and oxygen. Her investigative reporting not only led to policy changes but also exposed crucial loopholes in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic.