Health Writer, Editor and Content Creator

KATE FERGUSON

*** ****** ******, **********, ** *7601 • Phone: 347-***-****

*********@*****.***

Professional Summary: Seasoned media professional, creative content creator and storyteller with excellent editorial and copywriting skills accumulated during more than 12+ years of experience in various aspects of magazine and digital communications. Ability to translate complex scientific knowledge into easily understood information for a general audience. Adept at developing and implementing relevant strategic print and digital content across multiple channels for distribution to diverse hyperlocal audiences. For the past 10 years, I’ve worked wholly remote or within a hybrid work environment to complete assignments and projects on time and successfully collaborate with teams while working onsite or from home. EXPERIENCE

Remote Freelance Writer-Editor and Content Coordinator, Hackensack, NJ (December 2023-Present)

• Cancer Health, Smart + Strong Publishing, New York, NY Conduct research, interview health professionals and patients for articles focused on wellness solutions for people living with cancer and their caregivers, as well as fact checking content for several sections of this health and wellness magazine that serves cancer survivors and their families.

• Park Ridge Living, Best Version Media, Brookfield, WI Organize, write, proofread, edit and fact check all content for this monthly hyperlocal magazine in New Jersey; collaborate with publisher to create interesting local content and add new sections to the publication as needed.

Associate Editor, Publications Team, Communications and Marketing Department, NYU Langone, New York, NY, (January 2022-December 2023)

• Oversaw the distribution of print and digital communications materials that reached a target audience of more than 90,000 readers composed of consumers, patients, physicians, students and employees. This included purchasing rental lists, maintaining the distribution list (contacts and numbers for each source), managing the magazine racks, managing subscriber requests, creating tracking protocols, and liaising with the printer

• and Assisted digital in team the production about distribution. of content showcasing the institution’s excellence in patient care and research which was recognized with Clio Health Awards, MM+M Awards and accolades from U.S. News and Health Report for Best Hospital and comprehensive

• academic Assisted with medical researching, center. uploading, and managing enterprise-commissioned

• photography Managed the on conversion Merlin, a of database print content housing to digital thousands templates of proprietary and helped images. to develop and

• launch Assisted campaigns in the coordination on various of social photoshoot media platforms. logistics.

• Processed and tracked freelance vendor invoices and payments; liaised with the finance

• manager Oversaw on the purchase onboarding order of balances new vendors and updates. (writers, illustrators, photographers, and transcription service providers). Also collaborated with finance team to troubleshoot billing and payment issues once resolving a complicated error to avert the loss of a key vendor whose services were used by the entire Communications Media & Marketing

• department. Researched distribution strategies for a special-focus publication that resulted in an expansion of outreach to more than 30,000 new readers. Editor-in-Chief, Real Health, Smart + Strong Publishing, New York, NY (June 2008 to December 2021)

• Organized, created and managed print editorial and online content for this comprehensive African-American health and wellness publication to ensure the magazine adhered to best practices and standards. Supervised junior editors, recruit freelancers and bloggers; generated editorial calendars; assign and edit news, feature stories and generate evergreen content • Developed partnerships and content-sharing opportunities with other organizations to increase Real Health’s online visibility, as well as improve UX to drive traffic to the website and sustain readers’ interaction with the digital platform. Contributing Writer, Smart + Strong Publishing, New York, NY (June 2008 to December 2021)

• Produced print and editorial content as needed for POZ magazine, an advocacy publication for people living with and affected by HIV. Executive Editor, Smart + Strong Publishing, New York, NY (June 2013 to December 2021)

• Tracked trends in health care to evaluate new editorial strategies that focused on the personal experiences of patients, caregivers, health care professionals and researchers that served to engage readers, increase audience participation, and build traffic.

• Produced engaging editorial content that resonated with readers, such as the hair health department I launched after joining the company.

• Implemented promotion and marketing strategies to build brand awareness by identifying opportunities to partner with organizations that shared synergies and goal.

• Updated, scheduled and published a bi-weekly online newsletter in our content management system and promoted them through blitzes on major social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter (now X).

• Collaborated with editorial and integrative marketing teams to create targeted content for special projects on demand.

• Implemented SEO best practices, posted, curated and promoted the publication’s best digital content in our CMS.

Freelance Content Producer, Xiaoduo Media, Beijing, China and New York, NY (July 2013- September 2016)

• Researched and wrote articles about a variety of biotechnology topics for Front Vision, an award-winning, monthly global Chinese science magazine for tweens. Also researched, located and secured royalty-free images to illustrate the stories. Editor-in-Chief/Managing Editor, Faces Magazines, Inc., Paramus, NJ (1988-2008)

• Launched, managed, created the content and supervised the production of several magazines for this parent company including teen entertainment publication, Word Up!, and consumer lifestyle magazines Today’s Black Woman and Black Men. Quarterbacked the development of several partnerships with outside organizations to secure sponsorships for special events, such as the annual “Man of the Year” contest, that resulted in a 40% growth in distribution for the magazines via additional visibility and awareness of the publications.

• Created, launched and supervised the production of special events titles with doubled print runs domestically and abroad that upped newsstand sales by more than 50%. Editor-in-Chief, Starlog Group, Inc. New York, NY (November 1987-August 1988)

• Produced monthly teen music and lifestyle publications, and bodybuilding magazine for women. Responsibilities included hiring and managing in-house staff writers and freelance writers and photographers; writing, editing, and proofreading all articles; interviewing entertainers and athletes and covering news events and industry-related competitions for all titles. Also, generated and managed editorial and photography budgets for all three titles.

EDUCATION

Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, New York, NY M.A., Health and Science Journalism University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO M.A., Broadcast Journalism Hunter College, New York, NY B.A., Mass Communications SOFTWARE EXPERIENCE

Microsoft Office 365 Suite • InCopy, InDesign • Content Management Systems for content creation and maintenance, SEO, and social media • Webex, Slack, SharePoint, Trello, and ClickUp • Sudowrite • Back Office • Canva

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