I’ve worked in content strategy, writing, and communication in public health, contributing to projects ranging from large-scale digital initiatives to targeted publications and presentations. The examples here show how I approach content as both a strategic system and a practical tool for real-world audiences.

Case Studies

• Outlining a Strategic Plan for a Major Consumer Health Website – View Case Study (PDF)
• Portfolio Audit to Optimize a Collection of Print Publications – View Case Study (PDF)
• Consolidating Online Consumer Health Information Resources – View Case Study (PDF)
• UX Testing for a Website Migration – View Case Study (PDF)
• Program Audit of a Consumer Health Newsletter – View Case Study (PDF)

Articles and Blog Posts

Consumer Health

• What Do We Know About Long COVID? – View PDF
• Are Fingerprints Determined by Genetics? – View PDF
• What Does It Mean to Have Neanderthal or Denisovan DNA? – View PDF
• What Information Can Statistics Provide About a Genetic Condition? – View PDF

For Professionals

• Providing Care to a Diverse Older Adult Population – View PDF
• Tips for Communicating About Your Research with Non-Scientists – View PDF

For Communicators

• Don’t Call Me “Old”: Avoiding Ageism When Writing About Aging – View PDF
• What Does AI Mean for Plain Language Writing? – View Blog Post

Nonprofit (Volunteer)

• Alkaline Hydrolysis: An Environmentally Friendly Choice for End-of-Life Care – View PDF
• A Thoughtful Goodbye: How to Scatter Cremated Remains Responsibly – View PDF

Presentations

• Please Don’t Call Me Elderly: Avoiding Ageism In Your Writing (American Medical Writers Association Annual Conference) – View Slides (PDF)
• Managing Stakeholder Feedback: Lessons from Experience (Digital.gov Federal Plain Language Summit) – View Slides (PDF)
• Helping the Public Navigate and Evaluate Health Information Online (National Academies of Science) – View Slides (PDF)
• Readability Tests: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (NIA Communications Training) – View Slides (PDF)

Publications

• Collins H, Calvo S, Greenberg K, Forman Neall L, Morrison S. Information Needs in the Precision Medicine Era: How Genetics Home Reference Can Help. Interact J Med Res. 2016 Apr 27; 5(2):e13. Full text article
• Morgan T, Schmidt J, Haakonsen C, Lewis J, Della Rocha M, Morrison S, Biesecker B, Kaphingst K. Using the Internet to Seek Information About Genetic and Rare Diseases: A Case Study Comparing Data From 2006 and 2011. JMIR Research Protocols 2014; 3(1):e10. Full text article
• Miller N, Morrison SM. MedlinePlus Connect Integrates Information from Genetics Home Reference. NLM Technical Bulletin. 2013; (395):e1. Full text article
• Morrison SM, Shenassa ED, Mendola P, Wu TT, Schoendorf KC. Allostatic load may not be associated with chronic stress in pregnant women, NHANES 1999-2006. Annals of Epidemiology 2013; 23(5):294-7. Full text article
• Morrison S. Genetics Home Reference Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary. NLM Technical Bulletin. 2013; (391):e8. Full text article
• Cheh M, Morrison S. Genetics Home Reference: A New Consumer Guide to Genetic Conditions. NLM Technical Bulletin, 2003 (332):e4. Full text article 
• Patt J, Morrison S. National Cancer Institute resources for patients and their caregivers. Cancer Practice 2001; 9(5):257-261. PubMed  

Experience

Consumer Health Content Portfolio (National Institute on Aging)
Directed a major NIH health information program reaching 25M+ users annually, overseeing a portfolio of 200+ articles, 60 print publications, and high-visibility web resources like Alzheimers.gov. Managed a multidisciplinary team and led content strategy to ensure accuracy, clarity, and alignment with evolving research and federal priorities. Designed portfolio-wide audits and workflow improvements to streamline production and maintain quality at scale.

MedlinePlus.gov (National Library of Medicine)
Directed this flagship NIH consumer health platform reaching 400M+ users annually with 28,000+ pages of English and Spanish content, along with social media, a newsletter (100K+ subscribers), and EHR integrations. Oversaw content governance, strategy, and operations across a large, distributed team. Led major initiatives including platform consolidation and integration of multiple NIH resources.

Genetics Home Reference (National Library of Medicine)
Directed Genetics Home Reference, an NIH platform serving 45M+ annual users, translating complex genetics and rare disease research into accessible information for public and professional audiences. Built and led a multidisciplinary team and a global network of 1,200+ subject matter experts to ensure scientific accuracy and relevance. Authored nearly 1,000 plain-language summaries and led content strategy and a full site redesign informed by analytics and user feedback.