Laura Beil is an independent journalist specializing in medicine, health policy and science. She writes frequently for the New York Times (including two front page features), Science News and Cure. Her work has appeared in Reader’s Digest, Self and Newsweek, and she has upcoming features in Ladies Home Journal and Parenting. She also wrote about a gun-toting liberal Democrat in the July, 2009, issue of D Magazine. She began freelancing in 2007 after working as medical writer for the Dallas Morning News from 1992-2006. From 2006-2007 she was a media fellow with the Kaiser Family Foundation. She won numerous reporting awards during her career at the Morning News, including recognition for career achievement in reporting on cardiovascular disease from the American Heart Association and numerous awards for her coverage — both narrative journalism and spot news — of the separation of twins joined at the head in 2003.