Local 'genius' changed how we think about healthcare and the environment

Last week, the MacArthur Foundation announced its annual list of "geniuses." These are folks who have made significant contributions in the arts, sciences and humanities and are awarded a no-strings-attached grant of $625,000. This year's geniuses include an economist, a neuroscientist and a puppeteer. Two of the 2015 class of fellows have ties to our region — Ta-Nehisi Coates and Gary Cohen. Coates is a D.C.-based writer for The Atlantic, and a Baltimore native. Cohen is the founder of the Reston, Virginia-based nonprofit, Health Care Without Harm. It's a global organization dedicated improving environmental stewardship in the healthcare sector.