Hello! BDD Communications is my most recent endeavor after having spent time in academia, non-profits, and the government. See below for a brief explanation of my experience in the past year: 

 

Through the AAAS Science& Technology Policy fellowship, I had the privilege of working in the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Office of the Director in the Clinical and Healthcare Research Policy division. This is something that I had been working towards for several years, and was elated to use my experience as a caregiver to my mom during her treatment for colon cancer with my expertise in cancer immunology and passion for science communication. 

 

During my time at NIH, I was able to work on NIH’s ENGAGE initiative where I helped facilitate external and internal working groups on how best to include the public in clinical research. I’ve always had an interest in patient engagement and encouraging people with lived experiences to be part of the research process to make therapies better for everyone and ENGAGE was a great way for me to combine this interests. 

 

In the winter of 2024, I realized that patient engagement, policy, and communication were likely not going to be a priority at the NIH under the new administration. That, coupled with some significant life changes, led me to my decision to leave the NIH and move back to my home state of Florida. 

 

I’m so thankful for my time as a federal employee and the ability to make new friends with similar interests through the AAAS S&T fellowship and in the federal government.

 

I'm elated to continue to my science communication endeavors through BDD Communications and am currently accepting new clients in the biomedical space!