You can usually find writer Diane busily working in and around her home base in the gorgeous Piedmont of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, though she does enjoy her travel as well. Her writing frequently features artists, women, nonconformists and other often overlooked gems.

Active in the writing community, Diane is a member of the Hellenic Writers Group of Washington, DC, Maryland Writers Association, and NoVA Bards. She was a judge in the Pennwriters Annual Writing Competition and is the current Treasurer of the Frederick Chapter of the Maryland Writers’ Association.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, she moved out to the nearby hamlet of Medway as a little girl. She grew up to be a woman of science and the arts, a person who cares deeply about the lives and welfare of others.

She earned her BA cum laude in Interdisciplinary Humanities at Michigan State University, studied science at McGill University in Montreal, then returned to MSU to earn her M.D. She went on to obtain her Masters in Public Health (with an emphasis on health policy and administration) from the University of Michigan.

As a physician, Diane Helentjaris was the national President of the American Medical Women’s Association. She represented the organization in multiple national health advocacy activities  including  White House and Congressional meetings and testifying to the FDA. During her service with the Virginia Department of Health as a public health administrator, her roles included directing the H1N1 Response during the 2009 Pandemic.  She taught graduate-level public health management at Virginia Commonwealth University. An accomplished  spokeswoman to the national, regional and local media, she has discussed public health, woman’s health, and health advocacy matters.

Diane writes across genres. Her short stories and poems are in multiple anthologies and has had multiple non-fiction articles published. Her historical novel, The Indenture of Ivy O’Neill, won the 2024 Maryland Writers’ Association Novel Competition in the Historical/Romance Category.  Her latest book is a biography of Wild West show star Lulu Bell Parr.

Diane Helentjaris is available for public speaking and enjoys interacting with the public.  Contact Diane directly at helentjari@aol.com.