Contributors
Want to share your news with the BioSpace community? Submit a press release
For other questions, inquiries, or pitches, you can contact the BioSpace news team: news@biospace.com
Editorial Team
Jef Akst | Managing Editor | jef.akst@biospace.com | @jefakst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) is a professional journalist and editor specializing in the life sciences. She earned her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses and spent the first 13 years of her career at The Scientist, where she edited features and oversaw the production of the publication’s digital and print magazines. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers. She lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with her husband, young daughter, wild coonhound, and aging cat. Her hobbies including hiking, camping, and shooting pool.
Heather McKenzie | Senior Editor | heather.mckenzie@biospace.com | @chicat08
Heather McKenzie is a professional journalist with more than five years experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Since joining BioSpace, she has written more than 200 features and breaking news articles with a particular focus in neuroscience and gene therapy. She has also traveled internationally to cover global biotech hubs such as Israel. In previous roles, she has covered current affairs, sports, education and politics. She previously spent eight years as a senior content producer for executive-level business conferences in the pharma/biotech, legal, energy and business strategy sectors. In her free time, Heather enjoys creative writing, spending time with family and playing with her energetic Russian Blue cat Roofus. She hails from Toronto and has also lived in Chicago and Chesapeake, Virginia..
Lisa Munger | Senior Editor | lisa.munger@biospace.com | @lisagmunger
Lisa Munger has 20 years of work in journalism, public relations and as a professor in higher education. Her reporting has appeared in local, regional and national newspapers and magazines, such as the Huffington Post, as well as on international platforms, including Transitions magazine in the Czech Republic and Al-Jazeera English web coverage in Qatar and Egypt. Munger holds a B.A. in political science and women’s studies from TCU and an M.A. in news-editorial journalism from the University of Nebraska—Lincoln and moonlights as a motivational speaker for the Midwest Speakers Bureau, teaching cross-cultural communication and communication strategies to address microaggressions, particularly for women. She served as a Professor of Teaching in Journalism and Public Relations at Iowa State University for 7 years before leaving academia to work in the industry. Lisa lives in Des Moines with her 8-year-old twins and a house full of pets. In her spare time, she enjoys fitness, gardening and reading.
Rosemary Scott | Editor | rosemary.scott@biospace.com | @scott_maryrose
Rosemary Scott has seven years of experience as a writer, editor and producer. She earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Georgia (go Dawgs!) and lives in north Georgia with her two dogs, Bailey and Lily, and her cat, Maple. When not writing and editing for BioSpace, she enjoys true crime podcasts, baking, live music and photography.
Contributing Writers
Ana Mulero | News | @anitamulero
Ana Mulero has been reporting on pharma and biotech for nearly 10 years. She earned her Master’s in Multiplatform Journalism from the University of Maryland. Ana has held editorial and reporting positions at the Washington Business Journal, Industry Dive, FDA News, the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society and BioCentury. Her work has also appeared in Endpoints News, Xtelligent, BioWorld, HealthLeaders, among other publications. She is currently pursuing her second Master’s degree, this time an MBA in Healthcare Management at the Florida Institute of Technology. She is from and lives in Puerto Rico.
Christie Adams | Careers
Franklin Carpenter | Careers
Gail Dutton | Features | gaildutton@gmail.com | @GailLdutton
Gail Dutton has covered the business of biotech since the industry’s early days, writing features, whitepapers, and other communications. She has presented comments at the National Defense University and the Genopole Conference near Paris, and writes regularly for BioSpace, GEN, the EBD Group, and other publications.
Hayley Shasteen | News & Features | @hayleyphd
Hayley Shasteen is a PhD student in the department of Biobehavioral Health at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research work has focused on patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and cognition. She enjoys writing and learning more about autoimmune diseases, neuroscience, immunology, and innovative therapies for brain-centered conditions. Hayley is passionate about concise and understandable science communication.
Jia Jie Chen | News & Features
Jia Jie Chen reports on biotech news. As a PharmD from St. John's University, Jia Jie has a variety of experiences working at different healthcare and healthcare-adjacent sectors. With day jobs ranging from biotech equity research to business intelligence analysis, Jia Jie has worked in many different settings in the NYC area ranging from hospitals to offices. When he is not working, Jia Jie enjoys writing music, assembling AI healthcare tools, doing full-stack software engineering, staying up-to-date on the latest advances in drug development, designing thought-provoking games and mentoring others.
Kate Goodwin | News & Features | kate.goodwin@biospace.com
Kate Goodwin hails from a background primarily in marketing. A passion for health sciences and writing led her to the biopharma news world, and she's never looked back. She's been writing for BioSpace for more than two years with a focus on cutting edge research, Alzheimer's disease and pediatrics. Her free time is filled by her husband, children, Beagles, books, crochet and creative writing.
Tristan Manalac | News | tristan.manalac@biospace.com
Tristan is an independent science writer based in Metro Manila, with around seven years of experience writing about medicine, biotech and the environment. Being formally trained in molecular biology, he once dreamed of collecting degrees and starting his own lab. But these days, he finds his greatest joy in a bottle of beer and a beautiful sentence.