BIOGRAPHY
I am very fortunate to be able to combine my passions for medicine and writing in an active and varied career as a health educator, medical journalist, book author, researcher, and public speaker around the country.
I have a Master's Degree in Urban Public Health/Community Health Education from Hunter College and am a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)®. This has enabled me to work one-on-one with people to help motivate behavior changes to improve their health. I hope to take on more new challenges in today's rapidly evolving healthcare environment.
I am the recipient of more than two dozen awards for medical journalism and consumer health writing, and an author or co-author of six books on women's health, ranging from mental health to heart disease. My special areas of interest include the effect of culture on health, intimate partner violence, aging issues, and translational medical research.
My most recent book, "The Autoimmune Connection: Essential Information for Women on Diagnosis, Treatment, and Getting on with Your Life," (McGraw-Hill) was lauded by The New York Times and recommended by the National Women's Health Resources Center and the Society for Women's Health Research. A fully updated second edition was published in 2016.
I was honored to be among leading experts in women's health invited to contribute to "The Savvy Woman Patient: How and Why Sex Differences Affect Your Health," published by the Society for Women's Health Research and Capital Books.
I am currently working on a new book.
LECTURES AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
I was a senior adjunct professor for St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY, from 2014-2022. My courses included "Contemporary Health Issues," "Death, Loss and Grief," (teaching the latter during the Pandemic), "Introduction to Forensic Biology" for non-science majors and a Women's Studies minor, "Women's Health Issues."
For almost 20 years I served as a national educational speaker for the Autoimmune Association (formerly AARDA) at free patient forums around the country.
I am on the board of Science Writers in New York (SWINY), a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ), the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the National Association of Science Writers, and the Authors Guild.
WRITING CAREER
My writing career spans every media from wire service to Web.
I have been a regular contributor to the RheumatologyNetwork.com, keeping on top of rheumatology, bone disease, autoimmunity, and other topics in specialty journals and at medical conferences. As a contributing writer for SeniorPlanet.org. I reported on a variety of vital aging-related issues, including polypharmacy, falls prevention, and dementia. I also served as a contributing writer and editor for MedPage Today.com, a respected 24-hour online medical news service providing daily, peer-reviewed reports on clinical studies, meetings, and breaking medical news. For the site, I also created special clinical resource centers and worked as an associate/weekend editor. My work has appeared online for other sites such as WebMD, Medscape, and theheart.org.
For seven years, I served as the editor of the Weill Cornell Women's Health Advisor and the Weill Cornell Food and Fitness Advisor newsletters and have also been a producer for radio and television news, including 10 years as writer-producer of the award-winning "Report on Medicine" for WCBS NewsRadio 880 in New York City in cooperation cooperation with the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Previously, I was a medical editor for City Health Information (CHI), a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene newsletter distributed online to 150,000 health care providers. During my time at the NYC DOHMH, I was also a volunteer member of the agency's Women's Health Committee and Task Force on Domestic Violence, an issue I care deeply about.
My work has appeared in many national consumer magazines including Scientific American Presents, Woman's Day, Redbook, McCall's, More Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Child,(finalist, National Magazine Award), and American Health, for which I also served as a Contributing Editor. I have also contributed to academic and professional journals and publications, including the Anthropology News, the BMJ (British Medical Journal), Medical Tribune, Ophthalmology World News, and Women's Health Weekly.
I had the great privilege to begin my journalism career at the Associated Press in New York City.