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Dr. Jim Withers, who established the practice of street medicine, visits with Amanda Stedman, 59, in UPMC Mercy Hospital on Jan. 17, 2018. Withers helped Stedman many years ago get off the streets and find permanent housing. She has been housed for the last few years. Withers has kept in contact with her through the years and wanted to visit with her prior to a surgical procedure.
Dr. Jim Withers (right) stands with Janice Kochik, a nurse practitioner (center), and Joe Tholany, a first-year medical resident, as they wait for an elevator in a hospital prior to visiting a former patient of his on Jan. 17, 2018.
Operation Safety Net's Janice Kochik, a nurse practitioner (right), and Calla Kainaroi, an outreach specialist, drive around Pittsburgh checking on people experiencing homelessness.
Operation Safety Net's Janice Kochik, a nurse practitioner (center), and Calla Kainaroi, an outreach specialist (right), talk with Steve Balog to check on his needs on Jan. 24, 2018, at a transitional camp for people experiencing homelessness near the North Side.
Operation Safety Net's Janice Kochik, a nurse practitioner (center), and Calla Kainaroi, an outreach specialist (left), and Kelsi Bockenhauer, a registered nurse, walk through a transitional camp for people experiencing homelessness on Jan. 24, 2018, near the North Side.
Justin Merriman is a freelance photojournalist, commercial photographer, licensed drone pilot, and filmmaker based in Pittsburgh. His career began in Southwestern Pennsylvania, where he worked as a newspaper photographer dedicated to community storytelling and politics. Since then, his work has been recognized with regional, national, and international awards and has appeared in publications around the world.
After covering the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, Merriman committed to documenting the U.S. military’s War on Terror, reporting from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the United States. His international assignments have also included life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba, India’s campaign to eradicate polio, the aftermath of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution, Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, and the uncertain future of Guantanamo Bay in 2015. That same year, he traveled the full U.S.–Mexico border to document immigration issues.
In addition to photography, Merriman works as a director and filmmaker, creating recent films on refugees in Turkey, Jordan, India, and South Africa.
Closer to home, he frequently covers stories across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, focusing on the intersections of economic, environmental, and political life. Most recently, he reported on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and its impact on the community.
Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg with a B.A. in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award. He is a founding member of Argo Collective, a group of photographers sharing diverse visions of America. He lives outside Pittsburgh with his wife, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource.