The Standard of Trust: 200 Years of the United States Pharmacopeial Convention | Echo Storytelling / United States Pharmacopeial Convention, 2022. Digital and hardbound; 139pp.
Roles: Author, researcher, co-interviewer
With 2 billion people benefitting from its quality standards for drugs and vaccines, the United States Pharmacopeial Society could be the most important organization you’ve never heard of. It’s been around since 1820—and it’s been a volunteer-run non-profit the whole time.
Here’s the book on the USP’s first 200 years.
“When Harold Watkins labeled his raspberry-flavored syrup Elixir Sulfanilamide, he was violating branding laws, for FDA rules said that any substance called ‘elixir’ must be ethanol-based, and Elixir Sulfanilamide was not.
This was not the main problem, though. The main problem was that the syrup’s key ingredient, diethylene glycol, was a powerful and highly toxic solvent used in brake fluid and wallpaper stripper. Watkins had performed no tests to see if the new substance was poisonous.
He didn’t have to. In 1937, no law existed in the United States that said a company had to show a substance was safe for use before selling it.”
“Ever wondered why bears don’t get diabetes? Of course you have. Well…now you have.
The answer lies at the heart of why doctors and longevity researchers are so excited about the discovery that you can turn some of your white fat brown. Consider this: every summer, before hibernation, a bear will eat up to 20,000 calories a day, doubling its body weight — and storing it all as pure fat.
Yet most bears live relatively long, healthy lives, free of the obesity-related diseases that plague and shorten our human lives.
How? You guessed it: all that fat is brown fat.”
The Longevity Playbook | Web and mobile app, Baltimore, MD
Roles: Researcher, writer
In the 1990s, Dr. Michael Roizen coined the phrase “60 is the new 40.” By the early 2020s, he believed that new discoveries and technologies would make 90 the new 40. He founded The Longevity Playbook, a subscription-based app, to give people the science-based information they need to extend not only their lifespan, but their “healthspan”—the proportion of their lives that they spent in good health.
My job was to add hundreds of rigorously researched health and science articles, video scripts, and newsletters to the app’s content.
MaiaCare caregivers’ app | Mobile-only app, Ithaca, NY.
Roles: Writer, researcher, content-selection assistant
In the United States alone, 10,000 people turn 65 every day–and more people join the ranks of the country’s 53 million caregivers. Entrepreneur Dan Cerutti created the MaiaCare app to give caregivers a resource for all aspects of the caregiver’s role, from helping with legal and financial documents to handling the many tasks of caregiving–including, most importantly, learning how to take care of themselves.
I wrote core articles on legal, financial, and caregiving topics for the app’s Library feature. Here are samples from the caregiving category.
“Boundaries are self-protecting decisions you make about how other people are allowed to treat you. This includes what they say and do to you and in your presence. For instance, a boundary could be that you won’t accept the care receiver ordering you around like a servant or a sibling disrespecting your time by scheduling you into the care rotation without checking whether you are available. Boundaries are only fair if they are clearly communicated to others.”
“It’s not the cold, it’s the humidity
“For decades, experts thought that it was the cold of winter that irritated asthmatics’ hypersensitive airways. But recent research shows something else. ‘Cold is dry,’ says Dr. Christopher Randolph, a clinical professor in the Yale School of Medicine’s division of pediatric allergy and immunology. ‘So wintertime air is dry air. And we now know that’s the mechanism.’”
Your Guide to Asthma in Winter | Allergic Living magazine
Roles: Writer, researcher, interviewer
When the perils of pollen give way to cold, dry air, you need a different set of tactics to keep your asthma at bay. I get the most up-to-date information from the world’s top experts in asthma management and offer practical steps for good breathing in wintertime.
This was made the lead article in the online edition.
Fit for Life | Western Living magazine
Roles: Writer, researcher, interviewer
A write-up of the fitness trends of the year, including circuit training and Pilates.
“Functional fitness is an approach based on the novel idea that a plumber might benefit from different exercises then, say, a computer programmer. Our hour in the gym can be structured around what we do the other 23 hours of the day—and unless what we do is stand around in tight clothes and make wisecracks, we really don’t need triceps like Jennifer Aniston’s. (Tip: Neither does Jennifer Aniston.)”
“Shhh! Tarantula sleeping! Time slows in the Sara Stern Gallery, where animals, trees, crystals, and fossils are gathered in an awe-inspiring array of nature’s wonders. Get up close and personal with one of our gigantic Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. Sara Stern Gallery will take you on a journey through the wonder of nature, from the majestic to the microscopic, from long ago to now.”
Exhibitions, galleries, displays, and programs | Science World
Roles: Writer, researcher
The problem: The sedate write-ups on the Science World website were a mismatch with the on-the-ground reality of hordes of excited, squealing kids running from room to room and diving into hands-on activities.
The solution: Rewrite all 100+ pages on the site in a vibrant tone that conveyed the fun the kids have at Science World, while also delivering needed information for the parents making the decisions.
Although many write-ups were edited to adjust for COVID conditions, my writing still peeks through in most of them.
Pamela Swanigan portfolio 