Durham, NC United States
Noelle Lake
About me
Hello! My medical writing career has spanned over 20 years, covered various formats and the range of therapeutic areas - from infectious diseases to women’s health, acupuncture to ophthalmology and many more. Before becoming a writer, I was a pediatrician. So I know first-hand what matters to doctors and patients and how to connect with them.
I think I lend a human touch to the presentation of science. My background allows me to listen to doctors’ conversations like a colleague, find critical threads and through-lines, and bring their observations and insights to life in orderly, compelling, and engaging narratives.
I like to:
- interview KOLs to unearth unique, interesting points of view
- craft clear, concise articles from interview & meeting transcripts and secondary research
- digest & organize content from round table discussions
- write needs assessments for grant applications
- record voiceover for multimedia medical projects
My roles and specialties
Writer
Medical, Wellness, Health
Voice Over Artist
Medical, Book narration, Video Voiceover
My portfolio
Visit these portfolio pieces to see more of my work.
What is the latest project you completed?
I’m currently ghost-writing a series of articles on peripheral neuropathy for a PhD division head of a major university and teaching hospital.
How do you keep the creative fires burning?
- Eating a whole-foods diet, including a big breakfast
- Exercising outside in the sun - I love hiking!
- Remembering the big picture of a project and focusing on patients who stand to benefit from a job well done
Have you always been independent? What has your career trajectory been?
I think I am just independent by nature. To me, expressing thoughts accurately, clearly and with a certain style is unique satisfying. And I need to drop deep into myself to be able to do that. So while I’m a extravert and enjoy interacting with teams, I am most efficient working on my own.
Early on in my pediatrics career, I suspected that I was on somebody else's path, not mine. When I moved to New York City in 1999 to study acting (that’s where the voiceover work started!), I found the medical communications field a better fit for my expressive talents.
In a nutshell, my career trajectory is about growing more and more skillful in reaching and moving people. It’s tempting to think of science writing as being purely or mostly objective in nature. But readers think, and feel. I’ve found that writing compelling science is about getting that balance right and crafting narratives that readers are able to follow and want to follow.