Rachel Crowley

I'm a strategic science communicator and digital content strategist with a passion for translating complex public health and biomedical topics into clear, compelling content tailored to healthcare professionals, scientists, stakeholders, and public audiences. With a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and extensive experience managing cross-functional teams, I excel at driving communications projects from concept to execution, including scientific blogs, publications, presentations, newsletters, social media campaigns, web content, and stakeholder briefs.

Technical Writer/Editor and Communications Project Manager, 8/21 – 7/25 (due to reduction in force)

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), Bethesda MD

• Managed and edited the NIGMS Biomedical Beat blog, leading a team of 4-6 writers and copyeditors to tell grantees’ stories and explain basic science concepts, increasing blog page views two-fold
• Developed content calendars to publish 1-2x/week, oversaw concept clearances, and wrote e-newsletters, improving open rates through A/B testing and subscriber segmentation
• Conceptualized and curated the STEM resource Educator’s Corner; page views tripled year 1 to 2
• Ensured language accessibility and scientific accuracy in collaboration with subject matter experts
• Created innovative social media posts, including graphics and videos, which doubled the number of accounts engaged on both Facebook and Instagram in the first 90 days of implementation
• Managed and enhanced the Image & Video Gallery and Glossary by improving submission workflows, backend functions, and ensuring scientific accuracy and accessibility
• Automated tasks in Teams to increase efficiency and established other streamlining processes
• Created SOPs and protocol planning documents for various assigned tasks
• Managed intranet and external web content, improving accessibility and user experience
• Prepared Congressional briefs, fact sheets, comms plans, and presentations for executive leadership
• Led outreach efforts, such as presenting at STEM conferences, coordinating NIH’s branding

Public Affairs Specialist, 9/19 – 7/21; Diversion Outreach Coordinator (MVM Inc, contractor) 2/18 – 9/19

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), San Diego CA

• Developed drug prevention curriculum based in neuroscience and public health, and established and trained a speaker’s bureau of 30+ to give data-informed presentations throughout the region
• Designed and presented engaging drug education to groups of 5 -1500 people, 2-3x per week
• Created and continually updated outreach materials, websites, and media strategies
• Built a cross-functional collaboration framework, coordinating with law enforcement, health professionals, and schools to align messaging warning juveniles of drug smuggling (13k+ people reached), athletes of opioids (2k+ posters printed nationally), and pharmacists of fraud
• Led media relations efforts, drafting press releases and coordinating executive communication

Researcher, Advisor Thomas E. Prisinzano: Postdoctoral, 8/17 – 11/17; Graduate, 6/12 – 7/17

University of Kansas, Dept. of Medicinal Chemistry, Lawrence KS

• Researched opioid and drug addiction through natural product extraction, organic synthesis, chemical analysis (HPLC, LCMS, NMR), and tissue culture-based pharmacology assays
• Trained pharmacy and undergraduate students in the lab (15+) and classroom (60+, 2 semesters)

Undergraduate Researcher: Advisors Susan Mercer, 8/10 – 5/12; J. Dominic Smith, 6/10 – 8/10

Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy and Dept. of Chemistry, Nashville TN

• Used synthetic organic and computational chemistry in opioid and oncology drug discovery

Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry