Rebecca Skloot

With a BS in Biological Science and an MFA in Creative Writing, Rebecca Skloot is uniquely suited to write about scientific topics. Having started out as a successful reporter for both scientific and mass publications, Rebecca became intrigued by the story of Henrietta Lacks while still in high school, and began pursuing it in earnest in 2000. The book ended up taking ten years to write, but topped best-seller lists, and was critically acclaimed. Now, Skloot is writing another book about “humans, animals, science, and ethics,” to quote her website. She lives in Chicago, and continues to actively advocate for privacy and patients’ rights. In 2015, she wrote an Op-Ed for the New York Times titled “Your Cells. Their Research. Your Permission?” in which she brought up issues of tissue donation and privacy, using Henrietta Lacks as a key example within her work.