I became a science writer because it combines my immense interest in science
and new discoveries with my love of the written word. No one could have told me,
when I set out to become a science writer in 1982, what a wonderful career it
would turn out to be. Not only am I constantly learning new things, I have the
incredible opportunity to meet and interview scientists across a wide spectrum
of disciplines. In the process of writing about science, I also have the
privilege of meeting many people whose lives have been touched by scientific
advances, including people who themselves have diseases and their family
members. Here's a little bit about the path I took to becoming a science
writer:
Education
Certificate in Science Communication, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1983
M.A., Immunology, University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, 1980
B.A., Biology (with honors), University of California, Santa Cruz, 1977
Professional Experience
Freelance science and medical writer and editor, 1983-2006. I have written
for a wide range of institutions, publications, web sites, and corporations.
You can view examples of some of the things I have written by clicking on
the Feature Writing, Meeting Coverage, and Web Content tabs.
Grant Writer and Scientific Editor, University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine, 2004-2006. In this position, I assist in the development of large
multidisciplinary grants for School of Medicine faculty.
Research Project Manager, Department of Psychiatry, The Deafness & Family
Communication Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 1995-2004. In
this position, I managed all phases of research projects from conception,
grant-writing, design, and implementation through analysis, presentation,
and publication of results. One of our projects involved development of a
website for parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing. This site,
raisingdeafkids.org, was designed to provide parents with understandable and
comprehensive information that would help them communicate with and care for
their children.
Science Writer and Press Officer, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania,
1993-1995. Covering the basic science beat, I wrote press releases and
worked as a liaison between reporters and scientists
Associate editor, UCSF Magazine, San Francisco, California, 1983-84.
Reporter intern, The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Summer 1983
Applications Chemist, SmithKline Instruments, Sunnyvale, California, 1981-83
Research Assistant, International Diagnostics Technology, Sunnyvale, California, 1980-81
Professional organizations
National Association of Science Writers (NASW)
Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ)
Publications
A selected list of my publications is included on my resume. For more details
and some samples of my work, see these sections of this site: Books, Features,
Meeting coverage, Web content, Grant facilitation, and Scientific editing.
Version: 1.1 (March 12, 2006)
