Tara Parker-Pope is an author of books on health topics and a columnist for the New York Times, where she writes the Well blog.

Work

Her books include "For Better: How the Surprising Science of Happy Couples Can Help Your Marriage Succeed," "The Hormone Decision," and "Cigarettes: Anatomy of an Industry from Seed to Smoke."

Prior to joining the New York Times, Parker-Pope wrote for the Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....

.

Personal life

Parker-Pope was born in Arizona, and has lived in Japan, Taiwan, Texas and Ohio. She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her daughter and several pets.

Reception by other journalists

Other journalists, in the USA and across the world, cite Parker-Pope as a serious columnist and a valuable point of reference on the social topics on which she writes:

• Peter Gosselin, reviewing Parker-Pope's book in the New York Times, describes the book as "a useful guide to the world's most lethal legal industry, and to efforts to reduce the carnage at a time when globalization is extending opportunities for self-destruction through smoke to billions."

• The Week
  The Week
  The Week, styled as THE WEEK, is a weekly news magazine.-History:It was founded in the United Kingdom by Jolyon Connell in 1995. In April 2001, the magazine began publishing an American edition; an Australian edition followed in October 2008. Dennis Publishing publishes the U.K. and Australian...
  
   cites Parker-Pope in its discussion of the issue of teenage drinking: "After watching the latest Harry Potter movie, I have to ask, “Does Hogwarts have a drinking problem?” said Tara Parker-Pope in The New York Times. Unlike in previous Harry Potter movies, alcohol has a “starring role” in “The Half-Blood Prince.”"

• Australia
  Australia
  Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
  
  's 'ON LINE opinion' quotes Parker-Pope: "According to Tara Parker Pope writing in the New York Times, American pediatricians are recommending wider cholesterol screening for children and more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, starting as early as the age of eight, in the hope of preventing adult heart problems. This has followed guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics which also calls for children to be given low-fat milk after 12 months of age. The academy estimates that 30 to 60 per cent of children with high cholesterol are being missed under screening guidelines and that statins or cholesterol-lowering drugs, may be their best hope of lowering their risk of early heart attack."

• 'Dissident Voice' praises Parker-Pope's health reporting, writing: "As reported by The New York Times’ excellent health columnist Tara Parker-Pope, all use of cellular telephones while operating an automobile — in both “hands-free” and hands-on forms — is as dangerous as drunk driving, research announced today shows. That means many thousands of people in the USA and around the world are being killed each year by the public’s continuing toleration of this ubiquitous practice."

• The Arizona Daily Star
  Arizona Daily Star
  The Arizona Daily Star is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. The paper was purchased by Pulitzer in 1971; Lee Enterprises bought Pulitzer in 2005....
  
   cites Parker-Pope as an authority on health matters: "...and trigger a brain-chemical release that stimulates a "shopping high ," health writer Tara Parker-Pope said in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal."

• The Los Angeles Times
  Los Angeles Times
  The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
  
   reviews Parker-Pope's book on marriage with the words: "One of the perks of being a journalist is that it can give professional license to explore subjects of personal interest and to knock on doors closed to most people -- all in the course of doing your job. Author Tara Parker-Pope has made the most of that opportunity with her excellent new book, "For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage.""

For Better...

Parker-Pope's book on marriage, For Better, was enthusiastically received by reviewers.

• "For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage" from Newsweek
  Newsweek
  Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
  
  

• "Book Review: 'For Better' by Tara Parker-Pope" from Los Angeles Times
  Los Angeles Times
  The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
  
  

• "'For Better' Offers Hope, Optimism About Marriage" from The Wall Street Journal
  The Wall Street Journal
  The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
  
  

• "Scientific look at marriage" and "'For Better' takes scientific look at marriage" from Associated Press
  Associated Press
  The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
  
  

• "Editorial Review" from Publisher's Weekly

• "A Chemistry Set For 'The Science Of A Good Marriage'" from All Things Considered
  All Things Considered
  All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
  
  

• "Book review: 'For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage,' by Tara Parker-Pope" from The Washington Post
  The Washington Post
  The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
  
  

• "MIND Reviews: For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage" from Scientific American
  Scientific American
  Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
  
  

• "Book Review: For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage" from GeekDad
  GeekDad
  GeekDad is a website covering multiple topics targeting fathers who categorize themselves as a "geek." Popular post categories include Lego, Star Wars & Star Trek, video games, books, and field trips. GeekDad also publishes a regular podcast covering items of interest to the website's readers...
  
  (part of Wired
  Wired (magazine)
  Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
  
  ).