“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
— Benjamin Franklin
About me
Hi there!
I’m a Houston-based health and science journalist with an insatiable curiosity and a penchant for words.
From 2015 to 2020, I was a staff writer at the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world, where I covered groundbreaking scientific discoveries, exciting advancements in biotechnology and the unrelenting doctors and patients at the heart of medical tours de force.
I received the Texas Medical Association’s Anson Jones, M.D., Award in 2019 for my article on a musician who played the flute while undergoing deep brain stimulation to treat her Parkinson’s disease. Prior to that, my longform story on two identical twins with two tumors and their extraordinary, first-of-its-kind reconstructive plastic surgery earned first place for the 2018 Lone Star Award.
I graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 2015 with a master’s degree, focusing on health and science magazine writing.
I’ve lived in various cities across the country—including Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago and Houston—but I will always be a Californian at heart. I grew up in Southern California and moved to the Bay Area to attend UC Berkeley, where I graduated in 2011 with a double major in English and media studies.
Outside of journalism, I love exploring the vibrant restaurant scene in Houston, enjoying a glass of single malt scotch, hosting game nights with friends, working out and kickboxing.
Here are five fun, random facts about me:
My Myers-Briggs Personality Type is ENFJ and Enneagram Type 2
The name “Shanley” is Irish and means “old hero”
I’m the youngest of three sisters and have 16 first cousins on my mother’s side
I have a black belt in taekwondo and trained in Krav Maga
My engagement and wedding rings are made from gold my husband (and college sweetheart) mined himself