He comes to Johns Hopkins from Stanford University News Service, where he spent the last five years writing articles featured in the university's printed news weekly for faculty and staff, as well as on its news Web site. He also held media relations responsibilities, writing press releases, working with journalists and assisting staff, faculty and administrators with external communications. Brought on as part of the Berman Institute's Rapid Response Initiative, Michael will serve as science writer and public information officer, providing timely background and news on issues in the ethics of health care, science and public health.

His scope of work will include promotion of faculty experts and scholarly work affiliated with the institute via press releases, an e-newsletter, blog and social media. Before his career at Stanford, he worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and other newspapers in the Northern California Bay Area. He is a graduate of San Francisco State University, where he studied journalism.