Barbara Goodheart

Barbara Jean Peterson Goodheart was born and raised in Chicago. She earned her BA degree at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, majoring in biology and psychology. While at Northwestern she met her future husband, her lab instructor in Comparative Anatomy.

Barbara began her career as a freelance magazine writer, publishing articles on health, medicine, and travel in more than 20 magazines. She then turned to medical writing, occasionally collaborating with her husband, Clyde, an MD. Her individual credits include films for patients and health professionals, continuing medical educational programs for physicians and other health professionals, white papers, brochures, and newsletters. Her clients include more than 30 major pharmaceutical companies and medical organizations, and more than 20 medical marketing and communications companies.

In addition to writing The Wild Place, Diabetes, and A Year on the Desert, Barbara has contributed to six books, among them Tools of the Writer's Trade and The Complete Guide to Writing Nonfiction, a Book-of-the-Month-Club Dividend. Currently she is collaborating with her husband on a series of ebooks on diabetes.

Barbara's awards from the American Medical Writers Association, Greater Chicago Area Chapter, include the Sound/Sight Award for a series of patient education films on diabetes; a special citation for print and audiovisual work; and honorable mention (for Diabetes) for the Beth Fonda Award for excellence in communication for a lay audience, and for the Morris Fishbein Award for distinguished achievement in medical writing.

She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the American Medical Writers Association, Midwest Writers Association, Association of Health Care Journalists, and Independent Writers of Chicago. In 2009 she earned her credentials as a Board-Certified Editor in the Life Sciences (ELS).

Her favorite activities are sailing, playing a wicked game of Scrabble, and traveling. She especially enjoys foreign travel, opera, and French literature and language.

Barbara and her husband live in Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, Florida.

Also see www.diabetes.besteway.com, www.goodheartmedwriters.com, and www.linkedin.com/in/barbaragoodheart.