Columbia instructor

Medical Writing Instruction for Physicians and Researchers

As my journalism work became more specialized toward health, science, and medicine, I found a niche in working with physicians and researchers on their writing projects for print, web, and book publishing. This passion for teaching my craft evolved into several areas, allowing me to now offer these services to other hospitals, physicians and researchers.

Writing Instructor: Writers in Residency

Starting in 2014, I have been a writing instructor at Columbia University Medical Center, thanks to my mentor, Dr. Harry Lodge, who wanted to share his love of communication with the rest of the CUMC community. The idea is that doctors are full of information and ideas that are fascinating and useful to the general public. And it's easier to teach a doctor how to write than teach a reporter to practice medicine. It started with Writers in Residency, which I co-taught with Dr. Cecilia Fix, an internal medicine doctor. We led weekly classes at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to the house staff for three years.

Medical Journal Writing Tutor + Editor

In 2017, I began a cross-departmental series at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital called The Faculty Writing Project which involved both small-group and one-on-one sessions. The faculty was able to produce several published articles over that time, and we also established a relationship with The Conversation which allowed us to publish on the AP newswire.

Narrative Medicine: Reporting and News Writing Instruction

Additionally, for the past four years, I have been invited to teach a section of Narrative Medicine to first-year students at Columbia Medical School. We focus on news writing and reporting from the perspective of a doctor in the hospital, and use it as a vehicle to understand communication with patients and their family, as well as empathy.