BioSerendipity works with illustrator Heather McDonald, Ph.D. to prepare figures, summary diagrams, medical and scientific illustrations, visual abstracts, and graphical abstracts. Dr. McDonald worked as a freelance illustrator for the Science family of journals during the time Nancy R. Gough, Ph.D. was the Editor of Science Signaling. With her advanced science degree, editors and authors found it easy to communicate the complexities of the science in the figure to her. For figure compilation services, the authors work with Dr. Gough on the layout and presentation of the data, then with Dr. McDonald to compile the data into figures for submission. For illustration services, authors can work with Dr. McDonald directly or in consultation with Dr. Gough.
Scientific Illustrations
 | Synthetic reconstitution of directed cell migration. 9 February 2016, Science Signaling http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/9/414/re1 CREDIT: H. MCDONALD/SCIENCE SIGNALING |
 | Conserved innate immune signaling mechanisms. 28 June 2016, Science Signaling http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/9/434/fs13 CREDIT: H. MCDONALD/SCIENCE SIGNALING |
 | Fibrosis: a tangled web. 20 May 2015, Science Translational Medicine http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/7/288/288fs21 CREDIT: H. MCDONALD/SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE |
 | The brain, time-stamped. 7 June 2013, Science http://science.sciencemag.org/content/340/6137/1180 CREDIT: H. MCDONALD/SCIENCE |
 | Breaching the blood-brain barrier. 2 April 2012, Multiple Sclerosis Discovery Forum http://www.msdiscovery.org/news/news_synthesis/320-gate-crashers CREDIT: HEATHER MCDONALD |
 | Stem cells differentiated into cardiomyocytes and injected into primate hearts repair damaged tissue. 15 August 2018, BioSerendipity https://www.bioserendipity.com/stem-cells-repair-injured-hearts/ CREDIT: HEATHER MCDONALD |
 | A set of 5 visual abstracts of those prepared by BioSerendipity for Annals of Saudi Medicine. Annals of Saudi Medicine https://www.annsaudimed.net/doi/10.5144/0256-4947.2019.77 CREDIT: NANCY R. GOUGH and HEATHER MCDONALD |
Biosketch
I have been fascinated for most of my life by both biology and art; I am happiest working where the two fields intersect. I am a cell and molecular biologist by training, earning my B.A. in Biology and Chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis and my Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from Harvard University. After stints as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington and as a faculty member at a liberal arts college, I decided to meld my knowledge of and enthusiasm for science with my lifelong love of drawing and design, changing my career focus to scientific writing and illustration. To further this goal, I earned a Certificate in Digital Imaging from the Corcoran College of Art + Design. I’ve since worked (freelance or as an employee) for a number of scientific organizations and companies, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Multiple Sclerosis Discovery Forum, and several scientific database firms, as a writer, editor, and illustrator. My favorite task is starting with a concept or rough pencil sketch and turning it into a polished illustration. I look forward to new challenges!