Client: Alverno College
Project: Alumni magazine story
Not surprisingly, I’ve been writing a lot about COVID-19 this year — everything from patient communications for health care orgs to features for alumni magazines. But it was this interview with an ICU nurse on the front lines of the pandemic that I couldn’t stop thinking about for days afterward. Read the story.
MSOE website
Client: Milwaukee School of Engineering
Project: Website
Faced with a looming deadline for a new website launch, MSOE asked me to rewrite dozens of high-level web pages to make them more complete, engaging and persuasive for prospective students and other website visitors. Some of the pages I worked on included the Admissions, Academics, Campus Experience, and MSOE Advantage sections.
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin feature story
Client: Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Project: Feature story
In the cardiac community, it’s well known that Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin played a pivotal role in transforming survival rates for kids with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, one of the most severe heart defects. But the hospital had never captured and shared the full, behind-the-scenes story of its pioneering cardiac research for a lay audience, and the hospital’s leadership wanted a narrative feature to commemorate this important part of its history. The story was shared online and distributed as a booklet at an event that celebrated the Herma Heart Institute’s new name and the conclusion of a successful fundraising campaign. As the mom of a child with heart defects, I found this project especially meaningful, and it was a true gift to be able to tell this important story. See the PDF.
Alverno College viewbook
Client: Alverno College Admissions
Project: Undergraduate viewbook
Alverno was looking for a fresh perspective on its viewbook, which previously had a more institutional tone that didn’t reflect the warm, friendly vibe of its campus. I rewrote the copy to make it snappier and more inspiring, with lots of small copy blocks and bolded phrases to pull in teens and parents with short attention spans. See the PDF.
Alverno College program sell sheets
Client: Alverno College Admissions
Project: Two-sided fact sheets about each of the majors
As a former reporter, I can get interested in almost any subject, and I especially love learning about people’s work and passions. So I’ve had a lot of fun spending the past year interviewing Alverno faculty and alumnae from a variety of disciplines, ranging from business to chemistry to art therapy, for a series of fact sheets aimed at prospective students. Read a sample.
Medical College of Wisconsin annual report
Client: The Medical College of Wisconsin
Project: 2015 annual report
The challenge: Report and write seven stories — requiring interviews with nearly 20 extremely busy doctors and medical students — in a little more than two weeks. Despite the tighter-than-usual timeline, I got it done (I did begin my career as a daily newspaper reporter, after all), and the client was thrilled with the result. See the PDF.
UW Health e-newsletter content
Client: University of Wisconsin Hospitals & Clinics
Project: E-newsletter content
Nearly every month, I write an article or two showcasing UW Health’s expertise on a variety of topics. And after every interview, my husband and kids have to listen to me gush about all the interesting tidbits I’ve learned. I can’t help it — I can get fascinated by any topic! Read a recent article about managing back pain.
Little Company of Mary Hospital Foundation
Client: Envision/Little Company of Mary Hospital Foundation in Chicago
Project: Feature stories, July ’15
A Chicago design firm, Design360, asked me to help produce the content for this donor publication. I wrote the planned giving article, which tells the stories of donors who have included the hospital’s foundation in their estate plans, as well as the article about the Beverly Breast Cancer Walk and accompanying sidebar. See the PDF.
Deer meets motorcycle
Client: Froedtert Today magazine/Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin
Project: Feature story, May ’15
After a motorcycle accident left a Fond du Lac man’s leg shattered, he turned to the experts at Froedtert for emergency surgery and followup care. Read the story online.
Alumni award profiles
Client: University of Wisconsin-Madison/Wisconsin Alumni Association
Project: Profiles of the 2015 “Forward under 40” award winners
There’s nothing like an alumni awards project to make me feel woefully unaccomplished by comparison! Seriously, though, it’s a treat to write about a university’s most successful and inspiring alumni, and I loved learning the stories behind this year’s “Forward under 40” honorees. I wrote all eight profiles for the Wisconsin Alumni Association website, including this one.
