Back in my 20s, just a year or so out of school, I found that I already needed a break from my job as a science writer. While I didn’t have the option of taking a real break – as in, quitting my job – I was able to take a mental one by doing…
In support of World Hypoparathyroidism Awareness Day 2020, I worked with a biopharmaceutical client and the HypoPARAthyroidism Association (HPA), a US-based non-profit organization, to develop and launch a campaign to raise awareness of this rare disease. World Hypoparathyroidism Awareness Day World Hypoparathyroidism Awareness Day falls on June 1 every year. It is a day dedicated…
When I first started working in the biopharmaceutical industry, I recall one executive proclaim, “We’re going to have to scour the world to find enough patients for this trial!” Recruiting patients into clinical trials has always been challenging. Some diseases under study were rare, so there were few patients to recruit. Some patients were skeptical…
Below is just a little story about my Bachan’s (grandmother’s) “famous-in-our-family” super secret teriyaki sauce recipe. One sunny autumn day in LA, in a nursing home room brightened by fluorescent lights, an elderly Japanese woman with short silvery hair sat up in her bed, the kind that lifted up into a sitting position at the…
Years ago, when I worked on a communications campaign for a cardiovascular product, I advised the team to include a few points about the company to support the product-specific messages. The team pushed back, saying they wanted to focus on the product brand, and did not see the value of diluting their efforts with corporate…
The biopharma industry suffers from an image problem. Exorbitant drug prices, out-of-control healthcare costs, and the opioid crisis paint the industry as greedy and valuing profit over patients. Even the rapid development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 only provided a short-lived boost. One way biopharma companies are working to improve public perception of the industry…
Clinical trials, especially for patients with rare diseases like neuroendocrine tumor (NET) cancer, play a critical role in expanding access to innovative treatments beyond limited standard-of-care options. Medicines that have not yet been approved by Health Authorities such as the US FDA are tested in clinical trials. But it can be difficult for patients to…
I love looking at old photos, and this is one I’ve seen many times. It remains in my grandmother’s photo album – the one with the blue and green geometric pattern on the cover – because despite my best efforts, it refuses to release from the adhesive-coated page. It’s strange because the other old photos…
NET cancer — or neuroendocrine tumor cancer — isn’t well known. It isn’t branded by the color pink and it doesn’t have a month dedicated to raising awareness. It isn’t associated with a controversial habit such as smoking that ignites passion on both sides of the conversation. When Steve Jobs and Aretha Franklin passed away…
Medical writers in the biopharmaceutical industry write and edit regulatory documents that support the development and approval of new medicines. These documents strictly adhere to the regulations of different health authorities around the world, so there’s no room for creative writing! But good medical writers need skills beyond good grammar, punctuation, and style. Write Clear, Concise,…
For this article, I had the honor of interviewing two distinguished women scientists whose innovative ideas, tenacity, and vision transformed the field of diabetes research. Their scientific work advanced our understanding of diabetes and the development of new treatments. But these successes came at a time when there were very few women scientists. The unique…