On the Job

Jennifer Brumbaugh, MA

When the Department of Surgery hired new Webmaster Jennifer Brumbaugh in March, they gained a professional who bridges traditional academic training and modern technological savvy. In 1999, Jennifer received a master's degree in medical illustration from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1 of only 4 accredited programs in the U.S.

At Hopkins Jennifer met now-Jefferson Chair of Surgery, Charles Yeo, MD, while working on her master's thesis project, a Website for pancreatic cancer patients and their families. Upon graduating, she was hired by Johns Hopkins University and spent the next 7 years anticipating and translating patient needs into user-friendly online resources. Dr. Yeo was so pleased with her efforts that, upon his arrival in fall 2005, he asked her to manage the Department of Surgery's online presence.

Jennifer's current role draws upon not only her artistic skills (honed at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts), but also her ability to develop interactive content of interest to patients, physicians, and recruits. "My experience at Hopkins really opened my eyes to the Web as a patient education resource and subsequently a fund-raising tool," she says, as grateful donors (many whose only connection to the hospital is the Website) continue to donate several hundred thousand dollars each year for pancreatic cancer research at Hopkins.

"Patients today are so savvy that many want access to doctors' most recent published articles and their research endeavors," Jennifer observes, "We're striving to create online resources that address a wide spectrum of needs."

Keep an eye on www.jeffersonhospital.org/surgery to see the results.