Illuminate MedComms – a question and answer panel

On MedComms Day 2022, AMICULUM, Langland and Oxford PharmaGenesis hosted a virtual event where attendees could network with medcomms professionals, seek careers advice from agency HR/recruitment teams, discuss hot topics, and learn more about the industry as a whole. The event included a question and answer session hosted by Maureen Reid (Oxford PharmaGenesis). On the panel were Annette Keith (Langland), Ben Church (Oxford PharmaGenesis) and Yumiko Abeynayake (Mudskipper, part of AMICULUM).

Recorded 22 June 2022, by AMICULUM and is included here with their permission.

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Ask Me Anything: Career Opportunities in Regulatory and Medical Writing

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a Regulatory or Medical Writer in the pharmaceutical industry? In this recording, Regulatory and Medical writing experts from Certara discuss their career paths and what you can do to best position yourself to be competitive in the regulatory and medical writing industry!

Certara accelerates medicines to patients using proprietary biosimulation software and technology to transform traditional drug discovery and development. Its clients include 1,600 global biopharmaceutical companies, leading academic institutions, and key regulatory agencies across 60 countries.

Recorded as a live webinar, 8 June 2022, by Certara and is included here with their permission.

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What is Market Access?

In this webinar, Pin Lu, Manca Povsic and Claire Woon from AMICULUM Access will provide an introduction to market access and health economics. Our panel discusses the role of market access within the healthcare industry, highlighting key similarities and differences from other areas of medical communications. And we answer questions from the audience.

It should be of interest to anyone who is looking for insights in to MedComms as a career and how to maximise their chances of gaining an entry level job.

Recorded 15 June 2022 as a MedComms Networking webinar. Produced by NetworkPharma.tv

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I work in HEOR/market access…

Screenshot 2022-06-10 at 07.44.27

Whilst preparing the new issue of our latest careers guide, Evidence generation and communication: a guide to getting started in HEOR/market access medical writing (published June 2022)  we invited people working in HEOR/market access to tell us why they are doing so….

“I work in HEOR/market access as it allows me to combine my passions for scientific research and creative thinking and apply them in a way that may significantly impact patient care. As a medical writer, I work on a variety of projects and disease indications, so every day is different and full of interesting new challenges. The role offers a continuous flow of learning and the ability to gain a diverse range of new skills.”
Jen Ferris, Medical Writer at Source Health Economics

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Careers guide – HEOR and market access medical writing

heor_guide_cover_369x522Evidence generation and communication: a guide to getting started in HEOR/market access medical writing

By Linda Harrison, published June 2022 [Download your copy]

This guide focuses on medical writing roles in the HEOR/market access arenas, but will be of interest to anyone who wants to understand more about the business of ensuring access to new medicines and devices for patients. If you have an interest in the commercial aspects of healthcare delivery and in helping deliver value to patients, a passion for writing and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, then working in HEOR/market access might be for you. This guide will provide you with an in-depth introduction to this specialist area.

This issue includes ten personal profiles written by current specialists in leading HEOR/market access companies, describing their personal journeys and the day-to-day work they now do.

This careers guide about HEOR and market access medical writing is freely available here, published by NetworkPharma Ltd in June 2022.

[DOWNLOAD THE CAREERS GUIDE HERE] Continue reading

What is Medical Communications (MedComms)?

MedComms is all about the development of materials that communicate the science behind a medicine/treatment for stakeholders in healthcare.

MedComms employs Medical Writers to develop, write, and edit these materials.

If you’re considering a career as a Medical/Scientific Writer in MedComms, you’ve probably got lots of questions about who the employers are, what MedComms writers do, how you can learn more, and what MedComms actually involves?

In this MedComms explainer video, Vicky Sherwood aka Biomed Badass answers all these questions.

Be sure to watch to the end for some top tips on slide development in MedComms…

Recorded 03 May 2022, by Biomed Badass and is included here with their permission.

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In conversation with the medical writers

In this webinar, we’re joined by Ewa Kilinska (Fishawack Health), Alicia Lledo Lara (Oxford PharmaGenesis), Lauren Oswald (Helios Medical Communications), Lucinda Sinclair (Ashfield MedComms) and Helen Speedy (AMICULUM) to talk about their own journeys into MedComms and their current roles, the day-to-day working life of medical writers, training opportunities and career prospects. The panellists have all been profiled in the new issue of our FirstMedCommsJob careers guide, From academic to medical writer: a guide to getting started in medical communications, published in March 2022. And we answer questions from the audience.

It should be of interest to anyone who is looking for insights in to MedComms as a career and how to maximise their chances of gaining an entry level job.

Recorded 06 April 2022 as a MedComms Networking webinar. Produced by NetworkPharma.tv

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Careers guide – a guide to being a freelance writer in MedComms

freelancers_cover_369x523Making it my own business: a guide to being a freelance writer in MedComms

By Dr Kathryn White, published April 2022 [Download your copy]

Freelancing in MedComms offers a great way of making a living for medical writers. Reasons for becoming a freelancer are many and varied: redundancy, a long daily commute to the office or changing family commitments. Some people leave employment because of bad experiences with their employers. Others feel they’re moving further away from the work they love as their careers progress and line management responsibilities take precedence. Within organisations, a medical writer’s role may be quite narrow, focusing on one specific type of writing or document or
a particular therapeutic area. Continue reading

I work in MedComms…

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Whilst preparing the new issue of our latest careers guide, From academic to medical writer: a guide to getting started in medical communications (published March 2022)  we invited people working in medical writing and editing positions in MedComms to tell us why they are doing so….

“I work in MedComms because I feel like I am really making a difference to patients’ lives while also being able to ‘geek out’ on the most up-to-date scientific knowledge.”
Maria Allen-Davies, Medical Writer at Helios Medical Communications

“I work in MedComms so I can feel engaged with ground-breaking new medical treatments that benefit patients today and in the future.”
Marc Astick, Senior Medical Writer I at Langland

“I work in MedComms because I like writing and reading up on new research – and I love not doing any lab work. I feel very lucky to work with such a great team and client, and to have a secure job I enjoy!”
Victoria Atess, Scientific Content Director at Ashfield MedComms

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Careers guide – medical writing

careersguidecover_369x522From academic to medical writer: a guide to getting started in medical communications

By Dr Annick Moon, published March 2022 [Download your copy]

This guide focuses on medical writing careers in medical communications, in particular in MedComms agencies. The MedComms industry provides consultancy services to pharmaceutical companies, and the role of the medical writer is to use science and language to deliver these services successfully, while working to the highest ethical standards and adhering to industry regulations and guidelines.

The aim of this guide is to give you the information you need to decide if you are suited to the role of medical writer, and to provide the insider knowledge you need to excel at interview.

This issue includes nine personal profiles written by current medical writing specialists in leading MedComms agencies, describing their personal journeys in to MedComms and the day-to-day work they now do as well as an updated directory of agency contacts. Continue reading