Reading and writing is what I do . . . with a little science thrown in.
As a kid growing up in the birthplace of the Manhattan Project, I expected to become a scientist.
After getting my BS in neuroscience from Bates College and working at Los Alamos National Laboratory, I began graduate school at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. But as time went on, I found I was enjoying editing the articles written by my PhD mentor more than performing the experiments included in those articles. I started exploring alternative careers and that’s when I discovered science writing and editing.
I began as a volunteer campus reporter, speaking with investigators about wide-ranging topics like designing new vaccines and the health consequences of uranium mining. After I graduated with my PhD in 2018, I took online courses from the University of Chicago and received a certificate in editing while also freelancing as a science writer.
Since then, I have freelanced for various companies, including McGraw Hill. I recently completed copyediting the fifth edition of Symptom to Diagnosis, which will be available in January 2027. I’m also the Principal Editor for the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco.
Thanks to the winding path I have taken, I now get to read about science and medicine for a living while helping someone else’s work become the best it can be—and still write my own stories.