Editorial Staff Biographies

Erin Dubnansky, Senior Director of Scholarly Publishing

Erin received her BA in psychology from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA, and began her career at the AGA in 2000. Erin oversees the editorial and financial operations of Gastroenterology, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and GI & Hepatology News. In partnership with the editors, she ensures that the publications maintain and advance their standing in the GI community and align with the AGA strategic plan. She also develops publication policies, oversees the development and implementation of new initiatives, and manages the periodicals’ marketing activities. Additionally, she serves as the managing editor for Gastroenterology and staffs the AGA Publications Committee. Erin is a board member of the International Committee of Managing and Technical Editors, serves as the chair of their training committee, and is a member of the Society for Scholarly Publishing, Council of Science Editors, and Committee on Publication Ethics.

Christopher Lowe, Assistant Managing Editor

Chris graduated from Frostburg State University with a BA in English. He began working for the AGA in 2004 as an editorial assistant for Gastroenterology. He is now the Assistant Managing Editor for the journal. In addition to managing Gastroenterology’s editorial production process, Chris directly assists the editors of the journal’s "Covering the Cover,” "Selected Summaries,” and CME sections, and he works with the Online Editor in recording and producing the monthly podcasts for both Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (CGH).

Sarah Williamson, MA, Senior Medical Illustrator

Sarah completed her undergraduate degree in biology/anthropology at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, and her MA in medical illustration at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. She has over 10 years of experience creating medical and scientific illustrations for journals, textbooks, and presentations. She has served as the medical illustrator for Gastroenterology and CGH since 2006.

Kristine Novak, PhD, Science Editor

Kristine is the science editor for Gastroenterology and CGH. She has worked as an editor at biomedical research journals and as a science writer for more than 12 years, covering advances in gastroenterology, hepatology, cancer, immunology, biotechnology, molecular genetics, and clinical trials. Kristine earned her BA in biology at The University of Chicago and a PhD in cell biology at Duke University. She has an interest in all areas of medical research.

Brook Simpson, Special Issue Managing Editor/Journals Social Media Manager

Brook received her BA in English language and literature from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2003. She began working in the publications department of the AGA in 2006 as an editorial assistant. Brook manages the solicitation, review, production and promotion for Gastroenterology’s annual 13th issue. She also solicits and guides Guest Associate Editors, and manages the "Letters to the Editor” and "Editorials” sections of the journal. Brook oversees the social media platforms used by the AGA journals, including Facebook, Twitter and "The AGA Journals Blog.” She also serves as the managing editor for GI & Hepatology News, the AGA’s official newspaper.

Lindsey Brounstein, Publications and Graphics Manager

Lindsey graduated from Colgate University in 2006 with a BA degree in English with emphasis in creative writing and classical studies. She joined the AGA’s publications department in 2007 as an editorial assistant. Today, Lindsey manages the line art redraw process, reviewing all graphs and images in Gastroenterology and CGH for quality and consistency. She also facilitates the posting of the issue highlights and web content for each new issue. In addition to her duties for the AGA journals, Lindsey supports the production of GI & Hepatology News, including managing the "Practice Management Toolbox" section. Lindsey is the Section Editor of the "Taming Technology" column for the International Society of Managing and Technical Editors's newsletter, "Editorial Office News".

Laura Claus, Senior Publications Coordinator

Laura began her studies in English at Northern Arizona University and then transferred to the University of Maryland University College where she received her BA in English. She began her career at the AGA in 2006 as an editorial assistant and then became a publications coordinator in 2008. Her work on Gastroenterology involves providing support for editors, authors, and reviewers. She prepares manuscripts for production, assists in artwork-redraw tasks, and is involved in the preparation of the journal cover. Laura manages several special sections including "Print and Digital Media Reviews,” "Clinical Challenges,” "Mini-Reviews/Perspectives,” and "Imaging and Advanced Technology”. She has also facilitated the publication of supplements to Gastroenterology. Laura is pursuing her MA in writing at Johns Hopkins University Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

Jennifer Tarr, Publications Coordinator

Jennifer graduated from Frostburg State University with a BA in English, with co-concentrations in creative and technical writing. She held various contracted editorial and research positions until she started at the AGA as an editorial assistant. She works in the publications department, managing submissions for both Gastroenterology and CGH.

Linda Busha, Editorial Assistant

Linda came to the University of Michigan’s Department of Physiology in 1987 as administrative support for the recent Chair of the Department, John Williams, and is currently executive assistant to Gastroenterology Editor-in-Chief M. Bishr Omary, MD, PhD. In recent years, Linda assisted John Williams in his role as Associate Editor for the American Journal of Physiology—Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. Before joining the physiology department, she worked in the Department of Pharmacology, as well as Obstetrics and Gynecology, assisting the former Chair, Alan Beer, with his editorial responsibilities.

Jillian Schweitzer, Editorial Assistant

Jillian graduated from Goucher College with a BA in English, with a concentration in creative writing in 2008. She joined the publications department at the AGA in 2011 as the editorial assistant for both Gastroenterology and CGH. She manages the submissions and assists authors with troubleshooting.