We connect journalists with experts, studies and stories to help you inform and engage the public.
Media inquiries
General inquiries
Phone: 314-286-0100
After-hours assistance
Jessica Church
Director of Media Relations
314-320-8485
j.church@wustl.edu
Abeeha Shamshad
Senior Media Relations Specialist
925-998-0775
abeeha@wustl.edu
News writers
Shawn Ballard, Senior Science Writer
Shawn covers neurology, infectious diseases, molecular microbiology, nephrology and psychiatry, among other topics. She holds bachelor’s degrees in physics and math from the University of Arkansas and a PhD in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Shawn joined WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications in 2025 after working as a science communicator for Arts & Sciences and McKelvey Engineering on the Danforth Campus for six years.
Mark Reynolds, Senior Science Writer
Mark covers surgery, cell biology and physiology, radiology, neuroscience, neurosurgery, and both occupational and physical therapy. Prior to joining WashU Medicine, he was a freelance writer for many years, specializing in science and medicine with publications in CNRS International, Canadian Geographic and the Medical Post, among others. He is a former editor of McGill University’s Headway/En Tête research magazine and has won awards from the Canada Council for the Advancement of Education including for best science writing. He has a bachelor’s degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Kristina Sauerwein, Senior Science Writer
k.sauerwein@wustl.edu | 314-747-7921
Kristina covers pediatrics, surgery, medical education and student life. In 2020, she received a gold Robert G. Fenley Writing Award for general staff writing from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and in 2019, she received the silver award. Kristina is an author and former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Los Angeles Times, where she was part of a team of journalists that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for breaking news. Additionally, she covered the 2014 Ferguson unrest for TIME magazine and, for eight years, wrote a popular parenting column for BabyCenter.com.
Stories by Kristina Sauerwein »
Maggie Singleton, Senior Writer
Maggie covers the human side of science, focused on the stories behind our incredible WashU Medicine faculty members and programs. Prior to joining WashU Medicine, her work was published in several external outlets such as Amazon, Becker’s Hospital Review, Frontiers of Health Services Management, Health Progress, Modern Healthcare, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and YouTube. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Greenville University.
Julia Evangelou Strait, Senior Science Writer
straitj@wustl.edu | 314-286-0141
Julia covers medical news in genomics, cancer, cardiology, developmental biology, otolaryngology, biochemistry & molecular biophysics, and gut microbiome research. In 2022, she won a gold award for excellence in the Robert G. Fenley Writing Awards competition. Given by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the award recognized her coverage of long COVID-19. Before joining WashU Medicine in 2010, she was a freelance writer covering science and medicine. She has a research background with stints in labs focused on bioceramics, human motor control and tissue-engineered heart valves. She is a past Missouri Health Journalism Fellow and a current member of the National Association of Science Writers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering science from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Minnesota.
Stories by Julia Evangelou Strait »
Marta Wegorzewska, Senior Science Writer
Marta covers pathology & immunology, pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology, anesthesiology, ophthalmology, and technology management, among other topics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Georgetown University and a PhD in immunology from the University of California, San Francisco. She did her postdoctoral work in WashU’s Department of Pathology & Immunology. Marta joined WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications in 2023 after working as a science writer in the Department of Biology on the Danforth Campus for five years.
Stories by Marta Wegorzewska »