Creative Writing
- The Keeper of the Super Secret Teriyaki Sauce
My Obaachan’s (grandmother’s) super secret teriyaki sauce is legendary in my family. It has the perfect balance of sweet and salty and an unparalleled depth of flavor. Despite the tenacious efforts of various friends and family members over the years, she managed to keep the recipe a closely held secret. At least, I thought she… Read more: The Keeper of the Super Secret Teriyaki Sauce - The Nobel Peace Prize 2024 Shines a Light on Nuclear Taboo
This past week, the Nobel Peace Prize 2024 was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki for “its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.” These efforts strive to maintain… Read more: The Nobel Peace Prize 2024 Shines a Light on Nuclear Taboo - Writing a Novel is my Ongoing Challenge
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… Read more: Writing a Novel is my Ongoing Challenge - Finding Truth and Imagination in Old Photos
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… Read more: Finding Truth and Imagination in Old Photos
Biopharmaceutical and Science Writing
- Inspiring a New Generation of Women in Diabetes Research
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… Read more: Inspiring a New Generation of Women in Diabetes Research - New NET Cancer Therapy Reshapes Treatment Landscape
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… Read more: New NET Cancer Therapy Reshapes Treatment Landscape - Medical Writers Excel at More Than Just Writing
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,… Read more: Medical Writers Excel at More Than Just Writing - New Technology Helps Patients Find NET Cancer Clinical Trials
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… Read more: New Technology Helps Patients Find NET Cancer Clinical Trials - ESG in the Biopharma Industry: Do Well By Doing Good
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… Read more: ESG in the Biopharma Industry: Do Well By Doing Good - Focus on Corporate Reputation To Make a Difference in Biopharma
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… Read more: Focus on Corporate Reputation To Make a Difference in Biopharma - Recruiting Patients for Clinical Trials Remains a Tough Challenge
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… Read more: Recruiting Patients for Clinical Trials Remains a Tough Challenge - Hypoparathyroidism and the Patient Journey for this Rare Disease
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… Read more: Hypoparathyroidism and the Patient Journey for this Rare Disease