Susan Ruel served until 2026 as a hematology/oncology editor for a global medical news website (Medscape/WebMD). She has worked as an editor on the international desks of the Associated Press and United Press International and has reported from Shanghai, San Francisco, Washington, and New York. She has researched, written, and edited articles and books for the United Nations, including pieces on the Middle East, landmine proliferation, desertification, iodine deficiency syndrome, and oral rehydration therapy (in Nigeria). A cum laude graduate of Harvard with a PhD in writing and literature, she is a former English/journalism professor (University of Delaware) who has co-authored two French books on U.S. media history. Before doctoral studies, Ruel lived and worked as a Fulbright scholar in West Africa (Sierra Leone). Six chapters excerpted from her historical novel, THE SHANGHAI FRIENDSHIP STORE, about foreign "experts" in China during the 1980s, were published online in 2019. Based in NYC, Ruel writes on topics ranging from politics and health care to music and travel for Medscape (WebMD), News-Decoder.com, Down Beat, and other outlets.
