About
I’m a science journalist for Spanish-speaking outlets in Colombia and USA. I write about biology, health, basic research, #OpenScience, science policy, science in Latin America and Europe, COVID-19, and #ClimateChange, among other topics. Currently based in Italy; please find some examples of my work at the end of this text.
Briefly, this is what I do:
- Science journalism: writing pieces on scientific issues for printed and digital media in English/Spanish. I am currently the editor of the science magazine “Divulgación Científica” of the Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá (here are the English and Spanish pdf versions of 2021). I collaborate with Medscape en Español, the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, and I am part of the communication experts of the Science Media Hub of the European Parliament.
- Create science communication materials (for web, video, audio, and printed formats), and organise outreach activities such as science cafes, seminars, talks, workshops, etc. I currently collaborate with Chaperone, the IAI, and Latinoamérica 21, organising writing and science communication workshops.
- Tailored communication strategies to target both the general public and specialised audiences. To name a few, I’ve worked on the Impact / ‘Communication and Dissemination activities‘ sections for Horizon 2020 projects by creating, implementing, and reporting (mid-term and final reports, too) a communication strategy for the projects 4DHeart, ScienceSquared, CommHERE, and EuroStemcell.
My work in science communication is to help scientists to communicate their research to lay and specialized audiences. I propose a clear and straightforward way of showing and sharing the results and the science behind the studies. I help identify the key aspects to be told, create and develop a story around the subject, and measure its impact.
To do this, I work closely with scientists, press offices, marketing and communication managers, IT teams, journalists and media producers, agencies, designers, and programmers, to carry out the production and editorial phases of the projects.
Outreach activities (science cafes, webinars, online conferences)
Conference: “Una apropiada divulgación científica para científicos“. Jointly developed by the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) – 22nd September 2022.
Conference: “Desafíos y soluciones para una apropiada divulgación científica“. Jointly developed by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and Latinoamérica 21 – 9th November 2021
Webinar: “Manuscript Writing and Publication” for researchers from Portuguese-speaking African countries. Organised by Chaperone and sponsored by Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. 2021 and 2022 Editions
Conference: “Vela Oceànica i Ciencia: un binomio win-win” Ciclo de Conversaciones Oceánicas de la Fundació per la Navegació Oceànica Barcelona (FNOB) y el Museu Marítim de Barcelona (video) – 21 January 2021
Webinar: “What does being a science communicator mean?” with the Spanish Scientists in Belgium (CEBE). June 3rd, 2020
Video: “Ciencia en Belgica Cap 2: Virólogos” (with english subtitles). With Joan Martí Carreras, a PhD student in virology at the REGA Institute of KU Leuven with Dr. Piet Maes.
Video: “Ciencia en Bélgica: ciencia, innovación y tecnología hechas Bélgica en español para todo el mundo” (with english subtitles). This series is about science, innovation, and technology made Belgium in Spanish for the whole world. Follow #SPreadScience in Twitter
Live conference: El coronavirus está aquí, ¿y ahora, qué? – With physician and microbiologist Emmanuel André from KULeuven at the Instituto Cervantes in Brussels. POSTPONED! MARCH 11th in Brussels
Live conference: Bioética. ¿Acortar la vida o acortar la muerte? – With Jacqueline Herremans, president of the “Association pour le droit de mourir dans la dignité”; doctor Marc Desmet, member of the Jesuit order & Marie Nagy, member of the parliament & co-author of the law of euthanasia in 2003. At the Instituto Cervantes in Brussels. POSTPONED! MARCH 11th in Brussels
Other previous events with the Communications team at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG):
- The human genome. From past to the future with Roderic Guigó
- The French, Spanish and Catalan Flag Problems with James Sharpe now head of the EMBL Barcelona
- Great Ideas of Biology, with Sir Paul Nurse (2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine) now director of The Francis Crick Institute
- Special 2021: “Colombia and the climate change”, PDF in Spanish & English.
- Special 2022: “Migration in Colombia: The challenge of integration”, PDF in Spanish & English. Is a two-piece special:
- “Migration from a human rights perspective: Good practices in managing the Venezuelan crisis” with professor Maria Teresa Palacios.
- Migrating for the good of the country: Social remittances”, about Dr. Julia Seither‘s research.
- Special 2023: “Colombia, una democracia con fallas”. PDF in Spanish (English will come very soon).
- “Estado de las vacunas y los candidatos vacunales contra la COVID-19 en Colombia” Medscape en Español – Apr 2022
- “Colombia despenaliza el aborto hasta la semana 24 de gestación“. Medscape en Español – Feb 2022
- “¿Cuál es el valor de los autoanticuerpos en el síndrome de Guillain-Barré?” Medscape en Español – Nov 2021
- “Biomarcadores para tratamiento efectivo con antibióticos en pacientes pediátricos con trasplante de médula” Medscape en Español – Nov 2021
- “Niegan eutanasia en Colombia a paciente con esclerosis lateral amiotrófica no terminal a pesar de que la ley del país lo permite” Medscape en Español – Oct 2021.
- “España aprueba financiar la combinación de Inmovid (pomalidomida) con bortezomib y dexametasona para el tratamiento de pacientes con mieloma múltiple“. Medscape en Español – Oct 2021
- “Colombia publica resultados de su primer estudio de efectividad de las vacunas contra la COVID-19“. Medscape en Español – Sept 2021
- “Los datos apoyan el uso de la vacuna Vaxzevria de University of Oxford y AstraZeneca, dice Agencia Europea de Medicamentos“. Medscape en Español. March 2021.
- “Europa añade más vigilancia para la exportación de vacunas“. Medscape en Español. March 2021
- “Agencia Europea de Medicamentos aprueba la vacuna de una dosis de Janssen contra la COVID-19“. Medscape en Español. March 2021
- “Resultados de fase 3 de la vacuna Sputnik V contra la COVID-19: eficacia de 91,6%“. Medscape en Español, February 2021.
- “La Agencia Europea de Medicamentos aprueba la vacuna contra la COVID-19 de University of Oxford/AstraZeneca“. Medscape en Español, February 2021.
- “La Unión Europea anuncia la aprobación condicional de Comirnaty, la vacuna de BioNTech/Pfizer contra COVID-19 para mayores de 16 años“. Medscape en Español, December 2020.
- “The key role of antivirals in COVID-19 treatment” – European Science Media Hub by the European Parliament, November 2020. With the interviews:
- A scientist’s opinion : Interview with Prof Martijn van Hemert about covid-19 treatment.
- A scientist’s opinion : Interview with Dr Juan Pablo Horcajada about covid-19 treatment.
- “Estrategia de la Unión Europea para la vacuna contra la COVID-19 y qué vacunas están en desarrollo actualmente” Medscape en Español, July 2020.
- “La Unión Europea aprueba el uso del antiviral Veklury (remdesivir) como tratamiento contra la COVID-19” Medscape en Español, July 2020
- “Iniciativas de la Unión Europea para combatir la pandemia; inicio de 2 ensayos con vacunas en Reino Unido y Alemania” Medscape en Español, April 26th 2020.
- “Europa aprueba Nubeqa (darolutamida) contra el cáncer de próstata no metastásico” Medscape en Español, April 28th 2020.
- “Fuentes de información en Colombia y LatAm sobre el COVID-19” Fuentes y personas con información fiable y veraz sobre el coronavirus en Colombia, Latinoamérica y el mundo. March 2020.
- “La lucha contra el coronavirus: entre el diagnóstico clínico y la creación de una vacuna“. Medscape en Español, February 5th 2020.
- “La colaboración científica, el arma más efectiva contra el 2019-nCoV” Medscape en Español, January 28th 2020.
- “¿Qué sabemos hasta el momento del posible brote de nuevo coronavirus (2019-nCoV)?” Medscape en Español, January 23rd 2020.
- “España crea la red de laboratorios para la vigilancia de microorganismos resistentes” Medscape en Español, December 26th 2019.
- “España retira del mercado dos protectores solares por dudas en la veracidad del etiquetado” Medscape en Español. November 1st, 2019.
- “La colombiana que quiere ser líder en biología del desarrollo“. El Espectador, shown on the cover of September 16th 2019. PDF version here (in Spanish).
- “Estado actual de la homeopatía en el mundo” Medscape en Español, August 2019.
- “El Ministerio de Ciencia necesita tener una cara ya: el ejemplo de Chile” Opinion article for Revista Semana, May 2019.
- “Francia advierte sobre un riesgo de complicaciones infecciosas graves por antinflamatorios no esteroideos“. Medscape in Spanish, April 2019.
- “Cuatro investigadores ganan el Brain Prize 2019 de la Fundación Lundbeck por su trabajo sobre los infartos cerebrales” Medscape in Spanish, March 2019.
- “Cómo hacer funcionar el Ministerio de Ciencia” Opinion article for Revista Semana, February 2019
- “Nuevo plan del gobierno español contra las pseudociencias” Medscape in Spanish, November 2018.
- “La jerarquía y el género mandan en las relaciones del quirófano” Medscape in Spanish, July 2018.
- “Científico colombiano gana una de las becas más importantes de investigación de Estados Unidos“. Revista Semana, Oct 2017.
- Ten Tech Hubs European wireless clusters that make industry and jobs grow – Barcelona- Report for Science Business, October 2016.
- ¿Y si pensamos en la ciencia para tener la paz?. Opinion article for Revista Semana. Oct 2016.
- “Tras las pistas de los vertebrados“. El Espectador, shown on the cover of May 26th 2015. PDF version here (in Spanish).
- “El acelerador se enciende de nuevo“. El Espectador, April 2015 (in Spanish)
- “A bordo del Tara” Revista Avianca, December 2014, page 190 (in Spanish)
- “Inside the lab: research news from our partner CRG” EuroStemCell, July 2013.
- “La Gran Expedición” About the oceanographic Spanish “Expedición Malaspina 2010”. Revista Avianca March 2011 (in Spanish)
- “Latinoamérica busca alternativas frente al cambio climático“. About the carbon stock market. Revista Avianca, April 2011 (in Spanish)
- “UABDivulg@, un espacio donde los científicos de la UAB explican directamente su investigación” (et al) [UABDivulg@, a space for UAB scientists to explain their research]. At the II Congreso Iberoamericano de Comunicación Universitaria (www.ugr.es/ci), Granada, Spain, 2005.
- “Resultados del Proyecto Genoma Humano en Nature” [Results of the Human Genome Project in Nature]; Biomedia. February 2001.
Examples of Press Releases and scicomm examples from institutions:
- CRG researchers confirm that a mathematical theory first proposed by Alan Turing in 1952 can explain the formation of fingers (July 31, 2014, about a paper published in Science)
- One step closer to cell reprogramming (May 6 2014, about a paper published in Stem Cell Reports)
- A step forward in neuronal regeneration (June 20129, about a paper in Cell Reports)
- Zinc Fingers: a new tool to fight against Huntington’s Disease (October 9 2012, about a paper published in PNAS)
Examples of interaction Art-Science:
- Inexplicable Odeur (by Marc Serra, 2010). Concept of the video interview and casting of Scientists and artists). Watch the video
- WeAreWater.org (2008-2011): Project concept and development. Display of scientific data and video
- Asociación Española de Comunicación Científica – AECC
- Associació Catalana de Comunicació Científica – ACCC
In Spanish: If you are looking for truthful information about COVID-19 in Colombia and LatAm, in March 2020 I created this compilation of reputable sources for the subject. Please spread the word! https://medium.com/@juansarasua/covid19fuentescolombia-c5d0c2c0d2cd
En Español: si está buscando información veraz sobre el COVID-19 en Colombia y LatAm, en Marzo 2020 creé esta recopilación de fuentes acreditadas para el tema, por favor difunda! https://medium.com/@juansarasua/covid19fuentescolombia-c5d0c2c0d2cd
In the roles of press officer, science communicator and responsible for outreach activities, project manager, editor, journalist and translator, I have worked with:
Please see more detailed examples of my work and education in my Linkedin profile.