Erin E. Spain

Communications director, media relations specialist, writer, editor, multimedia producer, working mom

United States

Erin E. Spain is the Director of Communications at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, specializing in medical research communication. She leads a talented team which includes writers, editors, social media specialists and production assistants. Erin regularly serves as a guest lecturer in both undergraduate- and graduate-level classes. Erin received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where she majored in media studies. She continued her education at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where she received a Master of Science in Communication degree.

Erin spent the early years of her career as a news reporter with TV stations in the Midwest and as a reporter/anchor for the nationally syndicated agricultural TV programs “U.S. Farm Report” and “AgDay.” She later worked for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as a web producer and writer. Erin is an experienced strategic communicator, manager, media relations specialist, writer, editor, video producer and podcaster.

Skills: Adobe Creative Suite, content management systems, social media management and content creation, managing creative teams, managing budgets, video and audio production, email marketing newsletter creation and distribution, feature and scientific writing, media relations and crisis communication.

Portfolio

Podcast

Northwestern University
Breakthroughs Podcast

Browse more than 60 episodes of the podcast, which is accredited for continuing medical education for medical professionals. This podcast is produced, engineered and edited by Erin Spain and has, on average, more than 1000 downloads per episode. The podcast has been featured in the New York Times and referenced in published text books.

Northwestern
High BMI and Pregnancy Weight Gain with Alan Peaceman, MD

More than 50 percent of women who are of childbearing age are overweight or obese, which may put them at risk for complications during pregnancy and child birth and affect their babies’ health, too. Alan Peaceman, MD, shares results of a new clinical trial, aimed to help these women safely reduce their weight gain with diet and exercise interventions.

Northwestern
COVID-19 Deaths and Racial Health Disparities with Clyde Yancy, MD

Although COVID-19 doesn't necessarily discriminate, some communities are far more susceptible to the disease. People who are black or African-American are more likely to contract the virus - and to die from it. Clyde Yancy, MD, discusses reasons for these outcomes and the need to fully address health care disparities in America.

Press Releases

Northwestern News
Accident Prone Eczema Patients

CHICAGO --- Intense itching and dry, irritable skin aren't the only problems adults with eczema face. They are at greater risk of accidental bone fractures and other injuries, a new Northwestern Medicine® study has found. This is the first study to find adult eczema is a risk factor for fractures and other injuries.

Northwestern News
Young Dads at High Risk of Depression, Too

CHICAGO --- Depression can hit young fathers hard -- with symptoms increasing dramatically during some of the most important years of their children's lives, a new Northwestern Medicine® study has found.

Northwestern News
High Debt Could Be Hazardous to Your Health

CHICAGO --- If young people are drowning in debt, their blood pressure may be on the rise and their health could suffer. A new Northwestern Medicine® study has found that high financial debt is associated with higher diastolic blood pressure and poorer self-reported general and mental health in young adults.

Feature Stories

Oprah.com
A Race Car-Driving Mama

The night before Jackie Corwin takes her race car to the track to compete, she can't sleep. She feels like a little kid about to go on a Disney World vacation. It's a feeling this 53-year-old mom and medical assistant from Vista, California, thought had ended with childhood.

Oprah.com
Q&A with Julie & Julia Author Julie Powell

In 2002, Julie Powell was just an average 30-year-old New Yorker who wanted something more than a dead-end day job. She turned to a cookbook for inspiration, but it wasn't just any cookbook.

Oprah.com
Anthropologie Style

It's not an accident that most women who shop at Anthropologie stores feel transported to a romantic, foreign land as soon as they walk through the doors. For the past 15 years, Keith Johnson, the 53-year-old buyer-at-large for the home and fashion retailer Anthropologie, has been shopping around the world, bringing back art, furniture and home accessories that help make the store a retail destination for fashionable women. "I think Anthropologie is such a touch-of-the-hand experience,"...

Branded Web Content and Email Newsletters

Northwestern
Feinberg Podcast Newsletter

Listen to candid interviews with the Northwestern physicians and scientists behind the latest high-impact medical discoveries on the Breakthroughs podcast. Stay up-to-date on COVID-19 research, claim continuing medical education credit and subscribe to the show, so you never miss an episode.

Northwestern University
Feinberg Research Office Monthly Breakthroughs Newsletters

Browse recent issues of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine's Research Office newsletter, featuring the latest biomedical research news in basic science, clinical research and translational research.

Videos

Media Relations