Hillary Hoffman is a Health Communications Fellow at the Surveillance Research Program (SRP). After receiving her B.A. in Chemistry from Amherst College in 2004, Hillary spent five years living in Prague, Czech Republic. While in Prague, Hillary completed her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Charles University. Her doctoral research focused on characterization of human serine racemase, a brain enzyme that produces a neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory. Concurrently, she worked as a freelance scientific editor, proofreading manuscripts and book chapters for Czech scientists. After defending her dissertation, Hillary decided to permanently trade in her lab coat for a laptop. She moved back to the US and enrolled at Boston University's Knight Center for Science and Medical Journalism. She received her M.S. in Science Journalism in January 2012. During her time at SRP, she looks forward to further developing her science writing and editing skills.