Scroll down to see my work history in CV/resume form in increasingly exhaustive detail.

ABOUT JESSICA BARON

I’m a writer, editor, and researcher who has spent my career learning how to understand complicated subjects and explain them to other people. My work has taken me from academia and journalism to technology, healthcare, and pharmaceutical writing, with plenty of unexpected subjects along the way.

I’m happiest when a project requires both good writing and deep research. I enjoy learning new fields and figuring out what an audience needs to know about them. That can mean anything from writing a white paper about an unfamiliar technology, digging through clinical studies for a healthcare campaign, creating decks for the C-suite (although I’d give me design skills a solid B+), or helping teams turn years of institutional knowledge into something other people can use and appreciate.

If you’re here because I’ve applied for a pharma writing contract, it may be important to know that I’ve spent the last few years writing and editing compliant content. After hundreds of hours spent in MLR/PMRT and working with both US and EU teams, I’ve learned many ways of building constructive relationships between marketing, medical, regulatory, and legal teams.

I was trained as a historian and philosopher of science, and more specifically the history of medicine and public health. That background has given me the tools to help clients and employers think critically about the systems they use and build. It also shapes my approach to AI, grounding my work in how “intelligent” systems influence judgement & expertise, communication, and institutional decision-making.

Before founding Arista Consulting in 2017, I spent over a decade in academia and public scholarship. I taught tech ethics and the history of medicine & public health at the University of Notre Dame and served as the managing editor for a leading international journal. Along the way, I began writing for wider audiences, contributing to Forbes.com as an innovation columnist and publishing essays in Huff Post, Aeon Magazine, The Daily Beast, and Spirituality & Health, and more. I’ve been quoted in news stories and thought leadership pieces around the world, featured in the Brazilian publication Época, and participated in an expert panel on defining tech ethics for TechCrunch.

While nearly all of the details of my ghostwriting and consulting contracts are under NDAs, I have worked with the following companies in some capacity: Dyson, Honeywell, Epic Games, Moderna, Sanofi, RedGuard, Cobalt, Endava, and RWS, to name a few.

In 2016, I was named one of my region’s 40 Under 40 young professionals.

My CV:

(Also see my LinkedIn page)

Current position

2018 - present: President, Arista Consulting, LLC
Jan 2019 - Present
Arista is a boutique consulting company that helps organizations communicate complex work clearly and accurately through writing, content strategy, and training and program design. Increasingly, that work centers on AI itself: evaluating generative AI tools, building content strategy around AI adoption, designing AI training programs, and helping teams figure out where AI adds value and where it doesn’t. Clients have included Dyson, the US Air Force, Sanofi, Moderna, Honeywell, Epic Games, as well as various hospital systems, medical schools, and think tanks. (Some client names are protected by confidentiality agreements.)

Most recent full-time contract clients:

AI Content Evaluation & MLR Review Consultant - Sanofi
Nov 2024 - Present (Contract ending early November)
Originally engaged with the US Established Products team’s Content Acceleration Program (CAP) initiative; selected for inaugural Global Marketing Studio project. Within the Studio, responsible for MLR pre-check review and claims-to-reference auditing for a flagship diabetes brand, evaluation of generative LLM output for accuracy and regulatory compliance, and human-in-the-loop validation, including shaping review workflow requirements. Built training materials and reference infrastructure used across global and country teams; advise senior marketing leadership on generative AI content risk.
Senior Medical Copywriter - Moderna
Oct 2023 - Nov 2024
Wrote scientific and educational content for HCP and patient audiences supporting Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, across long-form, digital, and banner formats, including content architecture and copy for an HCP-facing web property. Advised internal teams on navigating MLR review and advocating for content integrity during regulatory feedback. Several deliverables were adopted by Medical Affairs.

Education

2013: Ph.D., History and Philosophy of Science, University of Notre Dame

Dissertation: “Reforming the Raj: Florence Nightingale’s biomedical liberalism in British India”
Exam fields: History of Medicine; Feminist Philosophy of Science; History of Modern Science and Technology; History of Modern India; European Political Ideologies

2004: M.A.H., Humanities Interdisciplinary, SUNY at Buffalo

Fields: Classics, Anthropology, History

2002: B.A., with honors, Medical Anthropology, SUNY at Buffalo

Previous Positions

2011–2018: Outreach and Communications Coordinator, University of Notre Dame’s Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values

Managed communications and media engagement for the Reilly Center at Notre Dame, focusing on ethics in science and technology.
Developed the Top 10 List of Ethical Dilemmas, garnering significant media attention and public interest.
Planned and executed academic conferences and speaker series on critical topics like pharmaceutical ethics and climate change.

2013–2018: Director of Media and Engagement, History of Science Society

Directed media relations, public engagement, and content strategy.
Built partnerships with science journalists to bring history of science scholarship into public conversation.
Represented HSS on Capitol Hill, collaborating with COSSA on federal advocacy for the humanities and social sciences.

2013–2018: Concurrent Assistant Professor of History and First-Year Studies Program, University of Notre Dame

Developed and taught undergraduate courses on the history of medicine and technology ethics.
Directed "Science, Ethics, and Responsibility Summer Leadership Seminar" aimed at recruiting high-achieving, underrepresented students to Notre Dame.
Designed and taught graduate-level seminars in science communications and research ethics/integrity.

2011–2013: Managing Editor, Studies in History and Philosophy of Science

Managed the full editorial pipeline from submission through publication, including reviewer coordination, manuscript anonymization, and compliance with publication standards.
Responsible for upholding the integrity of the peer review process across all incoming work.
Served as primary liaison between the Editor-in-Chief, authors, reviewers, and the publisher.

Teaching Experience

Concurrent Assistant Professor in Science, Technology, and Values Program and Department of History, University of Notre Dame (2013 - 2018)

Courses:
Science, Ethics, and Responsibility Pre-College Leadership Seminar
Social Responsibilities of Researchers CCE-STEM Seminar for graduate students
History of Medicine and Public Health in the U.S. (HIST 30626)
Man and Machine: Humanity, Ethics, and Future Technology (STV 20089)

Adjunct Lecturer, Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana (2010-2011)

Courses:
The History of Women in Science and Medicine (HIST 425)
Topics in Women’s History: Women in the British Empire (HIST 410)
Modern European Women (HIST 370)
World Civilizations I (HIST 103)

Instructor, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (2005)

Curie, Carson, and Franklin: Women and the Nature of Science (Master’s-level class for high school science teachers)

Service & Leadership

2017 – 2018 – Executive Committee and Committee on Prevention, Michiana Opioid Task Force; Faculty/Staff leader of the ND Student Opioid Task Force
2017 – 2018 – Mentor, Notre Dame (NSF) Social Responsibilities of Researchers Program
2015 – 2018 – Representative from History of Science Society to the Consortium of Social Science Association’s (COSSA) Social Science Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill
2014 – 2018 – Co-director of HSS at Work caucus for academics working outside the tenure track
2013 – 2015 – Creator and Organizer, South Bend Science Café
2012 – 2018 – Member of the History of Science Society’s Committee on Education and Sub-Committee for Instructional Module
2009 – 2011 – Creator/Facilitator, Notre Dame Development Studies Working Group
2007 – 2008 – Graduate Career Advisory Council, University of Notre Dame
2005 – 2007 – Executive Committee, HPS Summer School Committee for High School Science Teachers