Current Agency
Real Science
My qualifications
BSc, MS, PhD
My career path
Imperial College London, Research Assistant and Associate
King’s College London, Research Associate
Freelance Medical Editor
dna Communications, Junior Medical Writer, Medical Writer and Account Manager
Real Science, Account Manager, Senior Account Manager, Account Director
My first healthcare communications Agency role
I started as Junior Medical Writer at dna Communications. After leaving Academia, I talked to a few friends who mentioned med comms may be a good fit for me. I then contacted a couple of excellent recruiters who helped me along the way and I haven’t looked back!
My typical week
That’s difficult; there isn’t a ‘typical’ week. There are usually several meetings in the diary, some with clients over the phone, others internally face-to-face to discuss specific projects. There are also meetings focused on discussing team resources. I then need to keep an eye on the account financial status too, so some of my desk work is dedicated to that. I also get to review scientific materials and the best part is when we get to travel to scientific conferences and hear the latest research and data in the field.
What advice would you give someone looking to join a healthcare comms Agency
Do your research about the agency; what type of work they do and the clients they work with. During the interview ask plenty of questions and see if you can meet with peers – you can ask more direct questions and understand more about the agency culture.
My proudest moment
Preparing content for a standalone meeting for hepatitis patient associations. The team spent a lot of hours working on this, but seeing the engagement from delegates, hearing their feedback on the content, and reading the evaluation forms post-event…well, it was worth every second of hard work!
My greatest challenge or frustration
Sometimes there are long hours involved, especially before a big event. However, the joy of having a great team means you get to enjoy some of these moments too.
What 3 skills do you think are most important in your role?
Communication
Organisation
Team spirit
Where do you want to be in 5 years’ time?
I’d like to still work in a med comms agency, at a more senior level, delivering creative solutions to clients. With technology advancing so fast it will be interesting to see how meetings are run in 5 years’ time!