Medscape

Ursula Snyder graduated from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1983 with a bachelor of science degree in physics. Her undergraduate honors thesis work concerned biomagnetism, particularly the noninvasive measurement of magnetic fields in the brain. As a graduate student at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, she studied biophysics and molecular biology, specifically the biophysics of photosynthesis in blue-green algae and DNA-protein interactions in the phage lambda, which culminated in several publications in each of these fields and a doctoral degree in molecular biology in 1991.

Dr. Snyder has a history of work in women's health. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate education, she was involved in various actions concerning reproductive rights and women's safety on college campuses. While a graduate student, she taught physical fitness at aerobics studios, colleges, and hospitals. She eventually became a certified personal trainer and specialized in strength training for older women. Dr. Snyder also worked as a physical fitness trainer and counselor for women with severe chronic illness (multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, and anorexia) before pursuing a career in medical writing and editing. She worked for a number of medical education companies as a writer and editor, focusing mainly on sexually transmitted diseases and depression. Before coming to Medscape, she was a clinical editor at Scientific American Medicine. There she edited a text on gynecology for primary care written by prominent physicians in the field of gynecology and oncology. Now at Medscape, she hopes to develop the Women's Health site into a first-class source of professional information on all aspects of women's health.