Career Paths for
Medical Writing
ASPET Diversity Mentoring Breakfast
April 27, 2014
Victoria A. Love, PhD

www.linkedin.com/in/valovephd/

Today’s Agenda
 Present a brief introduction
 Define medical communications and medical writing
 Describe the scope of work encompassed by the field
 Provide information pertaining to how to establish a career in the field
 Discuss my professional journey
 Offer information about resources
 Give an overview of tests developed by medical communications employers  Answer any questions

Current Professional Bio
 Scientific Operations; Section Manager of Documentation and
Archiving; Drug Safety Evaluation (DSE)- Allergan, Irvine, CA

 Non-clinical sections for global drug applications
 Non-clinical study related protocols & reports
 Toxicology, Pharmacokinetics, Bioanalytical and Immunology reports (> 600 annually)

 Support information platforms that support transfer and storage of electronic documents used by DSE
>20 submissions scheduled for 2014

Current Professional Bio
 Scientific Operations; Section Manager of Documentation and
Archiving; Drug Safety Evaluation (DSE)- Allergan, Irvine, CA

 Facilitates archival of all study and submission related documents
 Manages training curricula for > 200 employees
 Oversee the regulation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and controlled form documents for DSE

 Supports electronic platforms that support transfer and storage of documents used by DSE

 Coordinates inspections and audits

Life After Academia
Career Options for Scientists

 Patent Law
 Science Research Analyst

 Scientific Consulting

postdoc

 Medical Science Liaison
 Other

Alternative Careers in Science: Leaving the Ivory Tower by Cynthia Robins-Roth

What Do Medical Writers Do All Day?

Medical Communications
 Encompasses the development and production of materials that deal specifically with medicine or healthcare
 Write, edit, or develop materials about medicine or healthcare

Medical Writing
 is the activity of writing scientific documentation by someone who is a specialized writer (a medical writer) and is generally not one of the scientists or doctors whose research it was

Medical Communications:
General Categories
 Materials prepared by medical communicators, collaborating with others or working independently, include the following:

 Patient education brochures, news articles, Web content, and books for the general public

 Journal articles and continuing education monographs for health care professionals

 Regulatory documents for government agencies
 Grant proposals for research scientists and institutions

 Sales training and marketing materials for the pharmaceutical industry

Medical Writing: Specific Examples
 Journal articles
 Original research
 Review articles
 Editorials, case reports, etc.

 Abstracts
 Publication in journals
 Submission to medical meetings

 Posters
 Presentation at medical meetings Medical Writing: Specific Examples
 Slide presentations
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Original research
Symposia
Roundtables
Advisory boards

 Medical education materials
 Monographs
 Training materials for physicians, other medical professional & laypeople  eLearning content
 Prescribing information

Medical Writing: Specific Examples
 Regulatory documents
 Clinical Trial Reports (CTR)
 New Drug Applications (NDA)
 Investigational New Drug Application (IND)

 Marketing materials
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Advertisements
Public relations materials
Internet documents
Patient education

Required Skills for
Medical Writing
 Attention to detail
 Excellent writing skills
 Interpersonal skills
 Organizational skills

 Scientific skills
 Ability to work quickly and multi-task

Characteristics of Good
Medical Writing

 Scientific accuracy
 Sufficient references and documentation  Clear and succint writing
 Ethical standards and practices

Who Are the Medical Writers?
Education by Degree
Science
English
Journalism
Pharmacy
Medicine