- Director Of Communications At ITM

Combining the Power of Communication and Science

to Spark Change.

Sara Serritella is an award-winning investigative journalist turned Director of Communications at the Institute for Translational Medicine that’s powered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and she is a lecturer at The University of Chicago and UChicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine.

Sara enjoys teaching science communication to physicians, researchers, faculty, medical students, and undergraduates, and her high-energy presentations grace the stages of global and national conferences.

As a partner at Vantius and licensed private detective, Sara’s favorite high-profile cases are helping to exonerate wrongfully-convicted individuals. She is also a proud alum of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications.

Sara is a lover of rescue pit bulls, yoga, travel, and awesome alliteration.

Courses

Sara's Sci Comm Courses at Top Universities

Testimonials

Hear what Faculty and Students from Top Universities are saying

We loved having Sara and will be much better communicators because of her! We learned a lot and faculty loved it.

Adriana Bermeo-Ovalle, MD | Interim Vice Chairperson, Faculty Affairs Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Sciences

Rush University Medical Center

Sara is a consummate professional with tremendous skill in terms of science communication. Her vast experience makes well-poised to immediately contribute and her ideas elevated our project significantly. She’s also incredibly engaging in the classroom with students of all levels—from high school to graduate school.

Anna Volerman, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics

University of Chicago Medicine

Sara gets these students to understand the core journalistic principles that allow you to connect to another person and to communicate information. It’s an invaluable skill. Communicating science to non-scientists is a goal that should go hand in hand with learning science.

Peggy Mason, PhD, Professor of Neurobiology and Science Communications

University of Chicago

Teaching

Physicians, Researchers, and Students How to Best Communicate with the Public.

Sara Serritella is honored to lecture at The University of Chicago, one of the top 10 universities in the world. She co-created the first for-credit science communications curriculum at UChicago, and through her NIH-related work she also teaches senior physicians, researchers, and their teams at renowned universities. Sara is known for her enthusiasm, hands-on learning techniques, and concrete feedback on how people can optimize.

Students Comments in Course Evaluations

This was an incredible class and one I believe should be a standard part of the MD program.

University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine student

Sara was always a pleasure to be around, very specific in her feedback, and very capable in designing and structuring the course, as well as in organizing speakers. The TED material was helpful as well.

UChicago undergraduate science major

Sara really KNOWS what she is doing. You can tell she has so much experience in science communication. Her comments were really productive for honing in my video and content.

UChicago undergraduate science major

Teaching Undergrads How to Talk About Science

“I’ve never had a Monday class that was so high energy,” said Alyson Thorne, a third-year biology major. “The professors were always so excited and happy to be there, and they gave me a lot of confidence in myself and my ability to communicate. I know I will be able to use what I learned with them when I write publications or present my research on other platforms.”

An innovator in science communications

Launching creative campaigns and leading internal and external communications for initiatives funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Making health research opportunities easily accessible and understandable for everyone.

Hear from Sara in this NBC News Coverage of The New Normal Launch to Help Humanity

NBC Coverage: Here's How to Join COVID-19 Research Studies From Home

Fight COVID-19 and More With The New Normal™ Movement

The New Normal For Researchers

Northwestern Launches Collaborative Project to Match Research Studies, Research Participants

save da hoomans

The doggos are mobilizing to save da hoomans!

Chief Hooman Officer Sara Serritella Explains Save Da Hoomans!

Steve Dale's Pet World Show Features Sara Serritella and Save Da Hoomans

NIH CTSA Program Recognizes SDH as "Best of" Communications Initiative

Dogs Are Mobilizing to Save Their Humans

NIH-funded health research accelerator made up of Chicago’s top universities and health systems.

ITM Announces Launch on WGN

The ITM is bigger and better than ever! Welcome to the new ITM: a city-wide health accelerator fueled by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

A private detective and crisis communications expert

Applying science-based strategies to high-profile local and national cases

Sara is a partner in this boutique investigations firm.

Jackson native, her husband help exonerate Illinois man wrongly imprisoned for almost 30 years

A journalist

Sara's award-winning work and ghostwriting has appeared in media outlets across the country.

Contact Sara