About

I’m Jacquie Michels, a freelance writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I specialize in making complex or technical medical material relevant and interesting to all audiences.

I started Painblogger to share my experiences treating and managing pain while keeping a positive attitude and a fighting spirit.

I have been a medical writer for nearly 20 years, spending 12 of them at the UCLA School of Medicine. At UCLA, I wrote and produced UCLA Medicine Magazine and the Annual Report for the medical school, as well as brochures and speeches. In addition, I was a public information representative covering basic science and neuroscience findings of top researchers. I also edited a scientific journal for the UCLA Department of Medicine.

I previously worked at CIGNA Health Plans as manager of communications for Southern California, where I wrote and produced communications materials for a readership of more than 200,000.

My articles and publications have won multiple awards.

Some recent examples of my freelance work:

• The UCLA Center on Aging Newsletter
• A feature article on pancreatic islet cell transplantation for Discoveries, a publication of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center