During my 20+ years as a medical writer and editor, I’ve produced
content for organizations such as the American Heart Association, the
Epilepsy Foundation, and Massachusetts General Hospital. My work has
been featured on health blogs and clinical journals, and I received a
journalism award from the International Bureau for Epilepsy.
My path to medical communication was a personally meaningful one, and
it still inspires the work I do today.
content for organizations such as the American Heart Association, the
Epilepsy Foundation, and Massachusetts General Hospital. My work has
been featured on health blogs and clinical journals, and I received a
journalism award from the International Bureau for Epilepsy.
My path to medical communication was a personally meaningful one, and
it still inspires the work I do today.
Medical writing and editing as a personal mission
Writing and editing have always been the core of my professional work, but I wrote about computer technology until about 20 years ago. My young daughter developed some health issues at that time, and I became active in a national advocacy and support organization that asked me to help prepare website and newsletter material. A few years later, the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital invited me to work on content for the department’s patient and family resource center. In addition to helping develop family-friendly material about mental health, I edited a consumer newsletter on cognitive and emotional health. Writing about health was new and immensely satisfying. I'd found my calling.
Medical communication became a full-fledged personal mission when my daughter faced new health issues as a preteen. Her wide-ranging symptoms had no obvious cause, but eventually we learned that the video games she played every day were causing unseen seizures with lingering aftereffects. Reading studies on visually triggered reflex seizures offered hope her health would improve if she avoided video games and other sources of flashing light. My daughter agreed to a trial, and the improvement in her health and daily functioning was stunning. I felt I needed raise awareness of the public health risk of flashing images, particularly from video games, and to share what I'd learned about reducing the risk.
There wasn't much information available for the public or for clinicians, so I created a blog about video game seizures, wrote evidence-based articles for clinical publications, and eventually co-authored a book chapter and a paper on photosensitive epilepsy. A committee of researchers and clinicians in the International League Against Epilepsy revised the clinical definition of epilepsy in 2014, adding reflex seizures to the existing diagnostic criteria. According to the committee's chair, my writing had influenced them to make that change. In 2021, I was invited to join the Epilepsy Foundation Photosensitive Epilepsy Task Force, where I contribute to documents for clinicians and patients.
Medical communication became a full-fledged personal mission when my daughter faced new health issues as a preteen. Her wide-ranging symptoms had no obvious cause, but eventually we learned that the video games she played every day were causing unseen seizures with lingering aftereffects. Reading studies on visually triggered reflex seizures offered hope her health would improve if she avoided video games and other sources of flashing light. My daughter agreed to a trial, and the improvement in her health and daily functioning was stunning. I felt I needed raise awareness of the public health risk of flashing images, particularly from video games, and to share what I'd learned about reducing the risk.
There wasn't much information available for the public or for clinicians, so I created a blog about video game seizures, wrote evidence-based articles for clinical publications, and eventually co-authored a book chapter and a paper on photosensitive epilepsy. A committee of researchers and clinicians in the International League Against Epilepsy revised the clinical definition of epilepsy in 2014, adding reflex seizures to the existing diagnostic criteria. According to the committee's chair, my writing had influenced them to make that change. In 2021, I was invited to join the Epilepsy Foundation Photosensitive Epilepsy Task Force, where I contribute to documents for clinicians and patients.
What I do today...
As a freelance medical writer and editor, I now work on health blogs, clinical training materials, pre-submission manuscripts, and other pieces, covering many areas of health and medicine. Whether creating or editing copy, I'm committed to editorial excellence and client satisfaction, and I bring a strong sense of purpose to every project.
...can help you change lives
Patients, clinicians, and the public rely on the health information you provide. Place your trust in a skilled communicator with a passion for delivering information that can advance clinical practice and improve patients' lives.
Contact me to see how I can help you.
Contact me to see how I can help you.