Bruce Hensel, M.D.
Medical, Health and Science Reporter
Bruce Hensel, M.D. is the Chief Health, Medical and Science Editor and Correspondent for NBC4. He joined the station in 1987.
Dr. Hensel is an award-winning journalist and a practicing physician who is board certified in two specialties - Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine. It is these unique qualifications that have enabled Dr. Hensel to break numerous exclusive stories, break investigative reports and provide the latest medical information to viewers for more than 25 years.
In addition to his work at NBC4 and being a practicing physician, Dr. Hensel is a radio talk show host, author, documentary film producer, a magazine contributing editor and a former actor. His radio program, “The Bruce Hensel Show,” can be heard weekly in national syndication.
Dr. Hensel currently serves as regional director for Emergency Medical Associates, which runs 16 emergency rooms. He is also a full Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and is one of the founders of the High Ethics and The Internet Committee, which was formed to insure validity of health information on the Internet and for the protection of privacy.
During his tenure at NBC4 Dr. Hensel has won two Golden Mikes and seven Los Angeles area Emmy Awards for his work on various news pieces and stand-alone specials covering important health issues and breakthroughs. He was also the recipient of the Best Show Award from the American Heart Association and the City of Los Angeles Commendation for Outstanding Contributions and Achievements in Health Care Reporting. The California Medical Association and the American Diabetes Association have also honored him.
Dr. Hensel’s documentary film “The Opposite Sex: Rene’s Story,” which aired on Showtime in 2004 and follows the journey of a woman who seeks a sex change operation, received the Grand Jury Award from the Outfest Film Festival in Los Angeles and was critically acclaimed by television critics.
Dr. Hensel began his career in broadcasting in 1981 when he produced a show called “Medical Minutes” while still completing his internship and residency training at Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital at UCLA. This led to his first on-air reporting position at KCOP in Los Angeles where he did a weekly segment called Dr. Hensel’s Medical Journal. From 1983 to 1985, he was the host of the USA Cable show “Alive and Well.”
A graduate of UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political theory, Dr. Hensel also studied journalism at both UCLA and Columbia University and attended medical school at Columbia University’s College of Physcians and Surgeons.
