Nelly’s Story

Nelly Edmondson first became a writer for practical reasons: she had strengths in researching ideas and shaping narratives, and she saw a need for those skills. Practicality may not be the most romantic of motivations, but don’t underestimate it just yet. Because writing—and specifically, the power of words—ultimately saved her, too. That would come much later, in a twist Nelly couldn’t foresee when she was first starting out.

After getting a Master’s in Journalism from NYU, she worked her way up to writing for top health markets. On the full-time side, she held editorial positions at many prestigious outlets, including articles editor at Weight Watchers Magazine, health and medical editor at the Ladies’ Home Journal, editorial director at Healthworld, and Executive Editor at Health Monitor Network. Most recently, she worked at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine as Managing Editor of Einstein Magazine.

On the freelance side, her work has appeared in publications and online outlets such as The New York Times, Parents, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Bride’s, American Baby, Physician’s Management, Breastcancer.org, Lifescript.com and many others. Throughout her career, Nelly has split her time between freelancing and being on staff. From her staff experience, she knows how to edit prose to make it sing and how to develop and stick to a budget. As a freelancer, she knows how to interpret research, interview experts, and craft reader-friendly stories that make editors’ lives easier.

Nelly has found a niche in health content, and as a health writer, she’s tackled all manner of health topics. In fact, she always saw her role as something of a student—until she unexpectedly became a patient. In the summer of 2000, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent surgery (a lumpectomy), chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone therapy. During her treatment process, she found that she was journaling more than usual, and that getting her feelings on paper through raw expressive writing—far from the polished kind of writing she did for clients—helped her deal with stress and fear, process what was happening, and move along with her day. She got a grant from the Danbury, Connecticut Cultural Commission and began offering expressive writing workshops to cancer patients and survivors. Over and over again, she saw that what worked for her also worked for others: words had the power to help people heal.

Nelly still runs expressive writing and art journaling workshops. In May of 2016, she received her Master’s in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. Now, she is bridging health and medical writing with her specialized experience in using narrative as a healing tool. She runs narrative medicine workshops at hospitals, medical schools and other healthcare organizations. Her curriculum teaches healthcare professionals and students how use narrative skills to deal with their own feelings about their work and better communicate with their patients.

As an emerging field, narrative medicine is ambitious in its vision for the future of healthcare, and with this specialized training, Nelly is part of a group of pioneers interested in using stories to change outcomes.

Nelly currently lives in Yonkers, New York, and tries to visit her daughter and new grandbaby in Florida as often as she can. She enjoys the creative freedom and exploration of mixed media and collage art, and her work was recently selected for a juried show in Hastings-on Hudson, NY.

Words have served Nelly well throughout her professional career. How can she help your publication or organization harness the power of words?

Contact her today, or check out her portfolio.