Melis Lydston (née Patnode)

I'm a bit of an “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” when it comes to research. While first authorship isn't my cup of tea, I love supporting researchers in their work, in any capacity. This assistance has run the gamut; I've helped everyone from ninth graders working on their first papers to MD-PhDs writing for high-profile journals.The past 16 years of my life have been spent in libraries, starting with shelving books in Lexington as a high schooler and ending with seven years at Massachusetts General Hospital. At the latter, I joined systematic reviews as a co-author and offered assistance at each step of the publication lifecycle. I provided advice on how to craft a protocol, comply with funder mandates, mitigate article processing charges, survive peer review, and more.Now I've pivoted into a role as a science writer at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Ophthalmology. My title has changed, but my duties still involve supporting academics and promoting their research. Additionally, I get to oversee the nominating process to highlight great work across Harvard-affiliated hospitals.Papers I've co-authored have appeared in such high-impact journals as The Lancet Rheumatology, The BMJ, The American Journal of Psychiatry, Gastroenterology, and Circulation. I've also created educational content for Mass General Brigham through "tiny talks" and other works.This site contains some of my instructional materials and projects I've contributed to. Feel free to peruse and reuse them (just be sure to cite me)! If you'd like to connect, LinkedIn is the best way to reach me.