Medical and Science Writing: No Post-doc Required Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism The American Physiological Society Medical and Science Writing: No Post-doc Required Andrea R. Gwosdow, PhD President Gwosdow Associates Science Consultants, LLC Presented on April 6, 2016 At EB 2016 San Diego, CA April 2016

Now Hiring PhDs: Post Doc Not Required The American Physiological Society This presentation is part of 2016 Trainee Symposium on Now Hiring PhDs: Post Doc Not Required Organized by the APS Trainee Advisory Committee For more information and to listen to other presentations: the-aps.org/hiring © 2016 The American Physiological Society (education@the-aps.org) Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/)

Career Path Education Postdoc First job B.S. Biology/Environmental Science, Antioch College M.S. Physiology, University of Florida Ph.D. Physiology/Endocrinology, University of Florida Postdoc John B. Pierce Foundation and Yale University First job Research Scientist, Shriners Burns Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Career Path First grant Transition 1 Transition 2 Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Transition 1 Research and Co-Director, Massachusetts General Hospital/Timilty Partnership Transition 2 Gwosdow Associates Science Consultants

Importance of Communicating Our Work Scientists understand the science Scientists can accurately explain the relevance and significance of our work to others Educates and builds public support for science Promotes public understanding of science Encourages informed decision making for policy and funding

Scope of Medical Writing Non-Regulatory Regulatory Scientific -FDA Clinical -EMA Educational Consumer

Scientific Writing Scientific Target Companies Abstracts Manuscripts Review articles Grants Meeting summaries Meeting coverage Proposals Posters Presentations Target Companies Medical communication agencies Medical education providers Pharmaceutical/biotech/medical device firms Universities, research scientists Journal publishers Medical Associations

Clinical Writing Clinical Clinical Studies Meeting coverage Target Companies Communication companies Pharmaceutical/biotech/medical device firms Clinical research organizations Government agencies Medical Associations

Educational Writing Audience Materials Target companies Health professionals (physicians, pharmacists, nurses) Salespeople Consumers (patients, public, students) Target companies Communications groups Universities CME companies Medical advocacy groups Government Hospitals Materials Continuing professional education Manuscripts Review articles Training materials Pamphlets Press releases “Disease” materials Slide kits Posters Curriculum Web content Newsletters/e-newsletters

Consumer/Science Writing Magazine articles Press releases Brochures Pamphlets Web materials Advertising Patient education Newsletters/eNewsletters Target Companies Healthcare communication companies PR firms, medical ad agencies, online media groups Consumer magazines and newspapers Hospitals/doctors offices Health plans

Regulatory Writing Regulatory New drug applications Clinical study reports Protocols Documentation Target Companies Pharmaceutical/biotech firms Medical device manufacturers Clinical research organizations

Transferable Skills: Science Communication Skills Oral Teaching Presenting ideas Public speaking Writing and Editing Computer skills Bench/Clinical Skills Graphs/Charts Reading Drawing Dealing with data Data Collection and management Analyzing data Interpreting data Know research skills Understand medical vocabulary Scientific method Problem solver Self-motivated Writing Manuscripts Abstracts Posters

Transferable Skills: Science Organizational Skills Setting priorities Time management Project Planning/Management Leading teams Developing work plan Tracking Results Reporting Planning Developing processes Assigning tasks Administrative duties Creating/monitoring budgets

Transferable Skills: Interpersonal Leadership/Management Skills Motivating Mentoring, coaching, training Delegating Assessing/monitoring performance Interpersonal Skills Managing conflict Mediating, negotiating Listening Interviewing, hiring, firing

Building a Writing Portfolio Assess everything you have written; choose the best pieces Portfolio may vary/be changed based on your target company Prepare to explain how you met your organization’s goals with each piece Point out how you could adapt the piece for a different audience Join scientific organizations and volunteer to do meeting write-ups Take courses Use homework assignments as samples Offer to take on a small assignment pro bono to gain the experience

To Learn More American Medical Writers Association www.amwa.org National Science Writers Association www.nasw.org

Andrea Gwosdow, PhD andrea@gwosdow.com The American Physiological Society Andrea Gwosdow, PhD andrea@gwosdow.com Dr. Andrea Gwosdow is President of Gwosdow Associates Science Consultants, a science and medical communications firm that provides medical and science writing services, works with schools on science education, interprets science for non-scientists and provides professional development. She maintains her appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and a Senior Scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital through her involvement in medical education. Andrea is an effective medical writer who has received the top awards from the New England Chapter of the American Medical Writers Association and 2nd place in the 2014 R & D Pharmaceutical Awards for Clinical Writing. Andrea has worked around the world with a variety of organizations to improve their communication and writing skills through hands-on workshops, seminars and presentations.

For more information, to listen to other presentations, The American Physiological Society For more information, to listen to other presentations, and for the PowerPoints with active links and/or other resources the-aps.org/hiring For further information, contact APS Education Office education@the-aps.org