What is The Conversation?  
The Conversation is a nonprofit news organization that publishes articles written by academic scholars to inform the public about important research. UMass Chan Medical School and the four other UMass system campuses are partners with The Conversation. Short-form articles (800 - 1,000 words) are written by academics and edited by a team of journalists employed by The Conversation. Every day, articles are distributed via the Associated Press and republished as written in news outlets including The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Boston Globe, among other others. Articles written by UMass Chan faculty for The Conversation are also the most read stories on UMass Chan News. 

Why write for The Conversation?  
•    Opportunity to share your research with a large general audience 
•    Follow-up from media with interview requests
•    Raise the profile of your work and UMass Chan
•    Increase your citations 
•    Opportunities for future writing

“It was amazing to see how broadly the article was picked up by other outlets, which led to additional rounds of articles and media coverage. Writing for The Conversation is a great way to amplify the dissemination and impact of your work!” – Nate Hafer, associate professor of molecular medicine 

“Writing for The Conversations has been one of the best opportunities that I ever had, and it has immensely helped my professional development! It raised the visibility of my work to implement evidence-based treatments in Ukraine. It led to interview opportunities with the media, including NPR, ABC News, The New Yorker and Soledad’s O’Brien TV program, ‘Matter of Fact’.” – Zlatina Kostova, PhD, instructor in psychiatry

“The Conversation’s editorial team provided guidance for every step and a clear timeline. My editor was thoroughly supportive and kind.” - Laura Gibson, MD’94, associate professor of medicine and pediatrics

If you’d like to learn more about writing for The Conversation, including how to pitch a story, email the UMass Chan Office of Communications: UMassChanCommunications@umassmed.edu or Media Relations Director Sarah Willey, sarah.willey@umassmed.edu. 

Browse articles written by UMass Chan faculty