ABout JESSICA
Jessica became passionate about research and education on EDS and other chronic illnesses after her own long and complicated journey to a diagnosis (that still continues to this day). In her experience, many healthcare professionals were not well-informed about EDS and related co-occuring conditions, making it necessary for her to do the heavy lifting when it came to figuring out what could be causing her chronic pain and other symptoms. She found that having an understanding of these medical conditions gained from reading the scientific literature was critical to being able to advocate for herself to get the appropriate referrals and medical care.
Jessica holds a PhD in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Harvard University and realized in graduate school that one of her strengths was communicating complex research topics in a way that is accessible to nonscientists. She started doing freelance science/medical writing while completing her PhD and pursued a career in medical communications after graduating.
With over 10 years of experience researching, reading, and communicating about complicated medical topics, Jessica realized that she could combine her passions for helping others and science communication to launch Jess Has EDS, a blog dedicated to translating complex scientific research and literature on chronic illness to make it accessible to the patient community (and hopefully interested clinicians and researchers). Jessica’s greatest hope is that Jess Has EDS will help other patients to better understand their condition(s), empowering them to fight for the medical care that they need and truly deserve.
Jessica currently works as a Senior Medical Writer for a medical communications agency. She has previously worked as an academic and medical editor, freelance science writer, and research scientist.
Jessica is based in Michigan. She loves reading, spending time in nature, and tending her garden and chickens with her husband and children.
Get in touch
Jessica is available for collaborations and welcomes requests for topics to be covered on the blog. If you want to chat about chronic illness, biomedical sciences, homesteading, or anything else, please reach out!
Jess Has EDS 