Amanda Strong | Montreal Medical Writing

Jobs

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The field of medical writing is a diverse landscape with many career opportunities. Services Canada Occupational Outlook (2006-2008) states that writing occupations in Quebec continue to benefit from the “strong performance posted by the information and professional, scientific and technical services industries,” including specialty information channels and the Internet. In the USA, The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics states specifically that the demand for writers with expertise in science and medicine will increase in coming years because of the “continuing expansion of scientific and technical information and the need to communicate it to others,” especially for a general audience. From my own professional experience, there is no shortage of work for medical writers. Most freelance writers I know have more than enough work and those who wish to work as an employee generally have little difficulty finding work with good pay. I am constantly being approached by business in need of medical writers, and in the past few years have found myself mentoring several writers and editors new to the field, who were then quickly ‘snapped up’ into either freelance contracts or full-time positions. Examples of Medical Writing Clinical research report writing Grant and proposal writing Internet content and web design Journal abstract and article writing Medical education Medical journalism Pharmaceutical advertising and marketing materials Physician speeches and presentations Product monographs and regulatory documents Sales training manuals Script writing for videos, CD-Roms and DVDs White papers Writing for medical journals Writing for the popular press and media Examples of Employers of Medical Writers Academic institutions Contract research organizations (CROs) Foundations and patient advocacy organizations Health Canada and government organizations Hospitals and research institutes Journals, magazines and book publishers Managed care organizations Medical education companies News media Pharmaceutical advertising agencies Pharmaceutical and biotecnology companies

Education

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Beyond the curriculum programs offered by AMWA, there aren’t very many courses or programs that relate specifically to medical writing or communications. Here are those that I know of, as well as courses and programs that may be of interest to medical writers. Please note that this list is provided for information only and inclusion is by no means an endorsement . Canadian Courses, Programs and Scholarships Concordia University Continuing Education offers two medical writing courses AMWA-Canada National Conference Seneca College Medical Transcriptionist Specialist Certificate Laurentian University - Gradute Diploma in Science Communication CIHR Graduate Science Writer Scholarships USA and Worldwide: AMWA Education Program (Curriculum) AMWA Conference (USA) University of the Sciences in Philadelphia MSc in Biomedical WritingGraduate Certificate in Medical Marketing Writing Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Affairs Writing University of Minnesota MSc in Scientific and Technical Communications University of Chicago, School of General Studies Certificate of Medical Writing and Editing MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing University of California Graduate Science Communication Program Pharmaceutical Training International ( EU - Course ) Research and Development Learning ( UK - Course ) Online Courses Concordia University’s Medical Writing II, exploring writing for the Canadian Pharmaceutical Industry, is now available online! Miscellaneous Courses The Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS) has online courses. One is an introduction to regulatory affairs and the healthcare product lifecycle, which might be useful to some medical writers. Canadian Medical Writers may be interested in registering for one of the PAAB (Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board) workshops held in Montreal and Toronto. Not only will you learn about the PAAB code, these events are also great networking opportunities. For more info, e-mail . As well, Revenue Canada offers tax courses for small business and self-employed people. This is a great way to hear straight from the horse’s mouth what you can and can not deduct as a freelance writer.

Reading

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The following books and resources may be of interest to medical writers. Please note that this list is provided for information only and does not constitute an endorsement. Books American Medical Association Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (AMA) by Annette Flanagin (9th edition; 1997) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association (5th edition; 2001) Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers by Mimi Zeiger (1999) Writing and Publishing in Medicine by Edward J. Huth (1999) Scientific English: A Guide for Scientists and Other Professionals by Robert A. Day (2nd Edition; 1995) Successful Scientific Writing: A Step-By-step Guide for Biomedical Scientists by Janice R. Matthews (2001) The Health Writer’s Handbook by Barabra Gastel, MD (2nd edition; 2004) News and Numbers: A Guide to Reporting Statistical Claims and Controversies in Health and Other Fields by Victor Cohn and Lewis Cope (2001) A Field Guide for Science Writers by Deborah Blum and Mary Knudson (1997) The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science by Scott L Mongomery (2002) Websites MDWriting.com Resources and links American College of Physicians Primer Series

Associations

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The following professional associations may be of interest to medical writers in Canada. Please note that this list is provided for information only and does not constitute an endorsement of these organizations. AHCJ - Association of Healthcare Journalists AMWA - American Medical Writers’ Association AMWA-Canada - The Canadian Chapter of the American Medical Writers’ Association BCA - BioCommunications Association BELS - Board of Editors in the Life Sciences CMA - Canadian Medical Association CSE - Council of Science Editors CSWA - Canadian Science Writers’ Association EAC - Editors’ Association of Canada HeSCA - Health and Science Communications Association NAMC - National Association of Medical Communicators PAAB - Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board PWAC - Professional Writers’ Association of Canada RAPS- Regulatory Affairs Professional Society Rx&D - Pharmaceutical Research and Development Companies STC-Montreal - The Montreal Chapter of the Society for Technical Communicators

Portfolio

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Amanda has worked on a wide-range of projects, either directly or through agencies and other communications partners. Many of the projects she has completed are covered by confidentiality agreements and so they can’t be shared; however writing samples from some projects are available upon request. Please . if you’d like to set up an opportunity to view my portfolio.

Workshops and Training

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Amanda teaches Medical Writing courses through Concordia University in Montreal. She also offers personalized training for groups or individuals. Examples of available workshops include: An introduction to searching the literature Setting up a copy writing department Is it PAABable? A quick overview for new product managers and brand teams Writing for PAAB. A quick overview for copywriters Media and web literacy These workshops can be adapted and personalized for you, your team, or your company. Amanda is also available to develop custom workshops. For information about workshops, or to discuss creating a custom workshop, please .

Writing

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Amanda has a wide range of experience in medical writing, and is well-equipped to take on most medical writing projects; however, she chooses to specialise in three main areas: Multimedia content Writing for multimedia requires a different approach from writing for traditional print media. Messaging is not always linear, voice-over often accompanies animations, interactive components may be required, and writers must also be able to effectively communicate content for graphics and animations to artists and programmers. Choose a writer with experience in multimedia and who knows how to storyboard clearly. Marketing materials Whether through traditional print media or e-details, pharmaceutical marketing is a highly regulated and specialised environment, especially in Canada. Knowing how to write to the PAAB code and how to source your copy is as important as knowing what to write. It also requires a sound knowledge of marketing strategy, competitive landscapes, and copywriting skills. Choose a writer who understands both the strategic needs of the brand and the regulatory environment. Advisory board coverage Accurately taking notes from a meeting or presentation, gauging the reactions of participants to data and information, and then pulling everything together quickly into a report that the brand team can use requires someone who understands science, business and marketing. Choose an experienced writer who seamlessly combines all three to produce meeting reports tailored for your real-world needs.

About

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Amanda graduated from Concordia University with a BSc Honours degree (With Distinction) in biochemistry. Her thesis work was done through the Medical Genetics Department at McGill University. She has worked in the laboratories of Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis), Phoenix Life Science (now MDS Pharma), and the Montreal Biotechnology Research Institute. Since 1998 she has been working as a medical writer mainly within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Amanda is currently self-employed specializing in writing for physicians. She also covers medical conferences, advisory board meetings and symposia. When not writing, she offers courses and workshops on medical writing and medical information retrieval. She is a member of the Quebec Writers’ Federation, Professional Writers Association of Canada and the Canadian Science Writers Association. Until recently, she was the member-at-large for American Medical Writers’ Association Canada Chapter in Montreal, and in this capacity coordinated social and professional development activities for local medical writers, and interested others.

Contact

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Email: Phone: 514-239-2736 Skype: amanda-strong LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amandastrong