AMWA Member Spotlight - Ciara Duffy

Where can we find you online?

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciara-duffy/

 

1. Brief description of what you do

I am currently working as a Senior Medical Writer at Envision Pharma Group, which is a medical communications and technology agency. I work with global pharmaceutical clients across a broad range of therapy areas. This involves projects such as manuscripts, abstracts, graphical abstracts, posters, plain language summaries, publication planning, and lexicon development.

 

2.  What led you to become a medical writer?

I really enjoyed the process of writing up my PhD thesis and submitting my findings for publication. I have always been interested in science communication. When I came across the industry of medical writing, I realised it was a great combination of staying at the forefront of science while using many of the skills I developed during my studies.

 

3. What do you enjoy most about being a medical writer?

I really enjoy the creative aspect of medical writing, in finding the best way to convey the scientific data and message to the target audience. Most importantly, it’s about the real-world impact that these findings can have on patients’ lives.

 

4. What has been one of your career highlights as a medical writer and why?

There have been many, but one highlight was being involved in a series of advisory board meetings about a treatment for advanced cancer. The conversations were very interesting, and I enjoyed hearing first-hand the various perspectives of physicians about the clinical trial data and their experiences with treating patients.

 

5. What has been one of the greatest challenges for you as a medical writer and how have you addressed this?

Receiving critical feedback on your written work can be tough at the beginning, but you quickly learn to not take it personally. Instead, it’s about adopting the mindset that this feedback can be used as a tool to deepen your knowledge and produce better outcomes.

 

6. What advice would you give fellow writers or people considering a career in medical writing?

Don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to people who work in roles you might be interested in. I generally find that people are more than happy to share their experience.

 

7. What led you to join AMWA?

I noticed that AMWA was holding its annual conference in Sydney, where I live, and was intrigued by the sessions and speakers. I wanted to become more connected locally with people across the industry in my profession. I have now joined the executive committee of AMWA as a volunteer and am grateful to be helping organise the next annual conference.