Where she is now  |   Kris Cambra, ’11, is the Director of BioCommunications at Brown University. She is also the editor of the alumni magazine Medicine@Brown. Kris spends most of her time at work meeting with her staff, faculty, and other program directors, reading and editing articles, and meeting with the art director of the magazine. One of Kris’s current projects is relaunching the magazine with a new name and design. The magazine’s articles consistently receive awards from national professional organizations. Recently, Kris received backing for a consumer-focused magazine called Health Discoveries. 

How she got there  |  Kris didn’t know that her job existed when she was an undergrad. She spent some time working in publishing before applying for a Communications Manager position at Brown. She got involved in the magazine and took it over ten years later when the editor stepped down. In the MPWC program, Kris focused on science writing, and the research she performed fueled her passion for the discipline. Her coursework in Public Relations also prepared her to consider the optics of her job, particularly how to respond to situations ethically and transparently. Kris hopes that her position will lead her into a role as VP of Communications for an entire university. 

Her advice  |  Kris’s advice for aspiring writers Kris recommends that students build a portfolio of writing samples outside of internship experience, whether it’s for a blog or for different organizations. For students interested in science writing, Kris says “Follow the hot button topics in science”.