Author: Barbara Gastel, MD MPH

Barbara Gastel, a physician specializing in biomedical writing and editing, is professor of integrative biosciences, humanities in medicine, and biotechnology at Texas A&M University, where she coordinates the master's degree program in science and technology journalism. Dr. Gastel is the author of three books: Presenting Science to the Public (ISI Press, 1983), Teaching Science: A Guide for College and Professional School Instructors (Oryx Press, 1991), and Health Writer's Handbook, now in its second edition (Blackwell Publishing, 2005). In addition, she coauthored, with Robert A. Day, both the eighth edition of How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. She also has written many articles and chapters on writing, editing, teaching, and medical topics. From 2000 to 2010, she edited Science Editor, the periodical of the Council of Science Editors. Dr. Gastel has received awards from the American Medical Writers Association and the Council of Science Editors, and she is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2006, the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences named her an Honored Editor in the Life Sciences. She was the 2010 recipient of the John P. McGovern Science and Society Award, given by the scientific research society Sigma Xi.