Rowan Walrath is a life sciences reporter at Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly magazine of the American Chemical Society. She reports on the biopharmaceutical industry. Rowan is particularly interested in exploring patient-centric drug and device development, with an eye toward clinical trial design, diversity and how business leaders help patients overcome barriers to health care access.
Find her at work: r_walrath@acs.org
Rowan previously spent three years as the life sciences reporter for the Boston Business Journal, taking the local angle in her coverage of the biotech, pharma and medical device industries. Before that, she was associate editor of BostInno and Rhode Island Inno.
Over the years, Rowan has reported for Mother Jones, the Boston Globe, and Boston Magazine, among other publications. She has also fact-checked for Wired, Eater, HuffPost, and more.
Here’s a snapshot of Rowan’s reporting work:
- Mixed signals: Mass. biotech executives face conflicting signs on growth // Boston Business Journal, August 2022
- Clinical trial revisited: New approaches to drug studies could pave the way for more diversity // Boston Business Journal, April 2022
- Patients to the front: Biotechs bring in patient liaisons // Boston Business Journal, July 2021
- Funding fix: How new funding models are helping biotech startups launch // Boston Business Journal, August 2021
- With all eyes on diversity, it’s entrepreneurs of color who are working doubletime // BostInno, June 2020
- Accelerator Hopping: Who Benefits From Boston’s Incubator Programs? // BostInno, June 2019
- Climate Change Isn’t Just Frying the Planet—It’s Fraying Our Nerves // Mother Jones, February 2019
- This Bill Would Allow College Students To Get a Medication Abortion Without Leaving Campus // Mother Jones, February 2018
- High school students dissect immigration, hate crimes, fake news at youth-led conference // The Boston Globe, September 2017
- Fossil-Fuel Divestment Campaigns Hit Boston’s College Campuses // WGBH News, December 2016
As a multimedia journalist who has held several digital-facing roles, Rowan knows WordPress inside and out, has run (and trained people to run) social media accounts, and has designed newspapers and magazines. She has created websites and videos as a freelancer and, separately, produced audio for textbook publishers and Mother Jones’ flagship podcast.
Rowan has appeared many times on WBZ, Boston’s local CBS radio station, and on Bloomberg Baystate Business. She has moderated many a panel.
She likes the Oxford comma, but AP Style prohibits her from using it.
Site header photo and headshot are both by Gary Higgins.