Writing

Freelance communications

I'm now a full-time freelance science and health writer and editor. I primarily work with institutional clients to showcase their inspiring research, programs and patient care. Below are some sample clips.

Stanford Medicine

Six distinct types of depression identified in Stanford Medicine-led study June 2024
Brain imaging, known as functional MRI, combined with machine learning can predict a treatment response based on one’s depression “biotype.”
Generative AI develops potential new drugs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria March 2024
Stanford Medicine researchers devise a new artificial intelligence model, SyntheMol
What really happens to our memory as we age? March 2024
Model estimates who benefits most from frequent COVID-19 boosters March 2024
A study led by researchers at Stanford Medicine finds the benefit of frequent booster vaccination for COVID-19 is highest for those over 65 years and the immunocompromised.
For those with an alcohol problem, are non-alcoholic beverages a wise choice? February 2024
Nonalcoholic beverages are popular with those trying to cut back on drinking, but new research suggests they can be problematic for people who struggle with addiction

Yale Medicine

FDA Use of “Proxies” to Expedite Drug Approvals Not Supported by Evidence, Analysis Finds May 2024
In the Early Steps of Cancer Formation, Timing Matters April 2024
Heart disease in women: How bias compounds sex-linked biological differences Yale Medicine Magazine, Spring 2024
Stroke After Heart Surgery: Patients Less Likely to Receive Lifesaving Treatments February 2024

Simons Foundation

MIT Center Improves Understanding of Autism and the Social Brain Simons Foundation 2023 Annual Report

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Sylvester Brain Tumor Institute Launches to Personalize Brain Cancer Treatment May 2024
The institute will study individual patients’ tumors with the goal of identifying precision treatments for all patients with brain tumors.
Studying Endometrial Cancer in Black Women March 2024
Bronze award, The Robert G. Fenley Writing Awards, Association of American Medical Colleges
Some Jobs Carry Greater Multiple Myeloma Risk March 2024
Firefighters and others exposed to carcinogenic compounds on the job are at higher risk for this blood cancer
Q&A with Sophia George, Ph.D. February 2024
Sylvester geneticist focuses on cancer and health inequities “from society to the cell.”
To Evade Treatment, This Brain Cancer Mimics Neurons January 2024
Study analyzing glioblastoma proteome also identifies potential therapies to combat cancer recurrence
Scientists Unveil the First Individual Risk Prediction Model for Multiple Myeloma January 2024
New machine learning method could improve predictions for treatment response, prognosis

University of Washington

A drive to serve his community May 2024
Joey Teresi named 2024 DEOHS Outstanding Master's Student
From the 'COVID years' to belonging April 2024
Hannah McKinley named 2024 DEOHS Outstanding Undergraduate Student

Me (left), discussing amazing brains with researchers from the Allen Institute. Photo by Erik Dinnel

Allen Institute

From 2018 to 2023, I was the sole science writer and editor for the Allen Institute, a life sciences nonprofit in Seattle that studies the brain, the cell and the immune system. I produced more than 200 stories, press releases, podcast episodes and newsletters for the Institute. My work there was recognized with regional and national science writing awards. Here are a few of my favorite stories:

Aging is evolutionary, according to a new molecular ‘clock’ that predicts age in all mammals 2023
The first-of-its-kind clock could also be used to test rejuvenation therapies
Long COVID's long fallout 2023
Patients share their experiences of ongoing, debilitating symptoms nearly 3 years after initial infection
Meet the machines that are helping us understand the brain 2023
From probing neurons to grabbing microscope slides, cutting-edge equipment is helping neuroscientists advance research faster

A mysterious brain region: the claustrum 2023
The brain is mysterious, but some parts are extra mysterious. An inside look at the claustrum, a tiny structure nestled under the cortex.
Naked mole rats don’t show signs of old age, but their DNA says otherwise 2021
The extremely long-lived rodent tracks its aging in its DNA just like we do
Honorable mention, National Association of Science Writers' Excellence in Institutional Writing Awards, 2022
Random chance in early brain development sets adult fruit flies’ personalities 2020
Brain wiring asymmetry established as animals grow influences their innate behavior
Honorable mention, National Association of Science Writers' Excellence in Institutional Writing Awards, 2021
This is what it's like to donate your brain to science 2019
A profile of Casey Schorr, a young epilepsy patient who donated some of his brain tissue to research.
Winner, Northwest Science Writers Association's Best of the Northwest award, Institutional writing category, 2020
5 unsolved mysteries about the brain 2019
Can we understand our own brains? We have a long way to go, neuroscientists say

Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Center

From 2009 to 2018, I was a writer and editor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. My work ranged from writing feature stories for the Hutch's print magazine to online news stories to editing manuscripts for scientific teams. I covered basic science, infectious disease, cancer research and wrote several patient stories. Some sample clips:

One family, two sides of cancer 2017
Basic scientist Dr. Wenying Shou’s parents were both treated for — and cured of — their cancers. The similarities end there.
Backyard viruses of the Pacific Northwest 2017
Infectious disease scientist Alex Greninger was determined to sequence every virus he could get his hands on.
A boy, his chicken and a bone marrow transplant 2017
An experimental treatment — and an unconventional pet — offered both hope and healing for Andrew Adams’ rare and debilitating genetic disorder
Malaria during pregnancy can alter babies’ immunity 2017
Mothers infected with the mosquito-borne parasite during pregnancy can pass more of their own cells to their offspring and change their babies’ risk of later infection
A little card with a big task: Saving lives from CML, 2016
Researchers develop low-cost, paper-based diagnostic for use in low-income countries. Article resulted in coverage in New York Times.

Photo by Bo Jungmayer

Life with graft-vs.-host disease: When the transplant is just the beginning 2015
How researchers are trying to combat this common, often debilitating side effect of treatment
MacGyvering lab equipment 2015
From old bicycle wheels to an in-house metalworking shop, scientists get creative when the research tools they need don’t exist

Other writing

Through internships and freelance work, I've also written for Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UCSF, the University of Washington, the Loh Down on Science (public radio), The Scientist, Mongabay, Virginia Mason Hospital, Xconomy Seattle, Cancer Discovery, the Monterey Herald, Modernist Cuisine (multi-volume molecular gastronomy cookbook), and others. Sample clips:

Wild Microbiome Stems Tumorigenesis in Lab Mice, Cancer Discovery, 2018
See other news brief articles I wrote for the journal Cancer Discovery here.
'Astronaut food approach' to medical testing, University of Washington News, 2009
Dehydrated, wallet-sized malaria tests promise better diagnoses in developing world. See all my articles for UW News here.
A must-see spot — if you're a Berkeley bee, The Berkleyan, 2009
Gordon Frankie's Oxford Street garden is a popular stop for dozens of native bee species — and a laboratory for learning what plants they prefer
This is your brain on adolescence, UC Berkeley news, 2008
MRI studies of teenage brain show why kids act before they think
The secret love lives of octopi, Monterey Herald, 2008
See all my articles for the Monterey Herald here.

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