As a member of CCRM’s Communications team, I am always keen to learn about the different ways that communication can bridge the knowledge gap between various stakeholders and complex scientific work and discoveries in regenerative medicine. Known as scientific communication (scicomm), this field provides rewarding careers for people with life sciences degrees.
The Careers Beyond Academia session, held on October 16, 2024, was focused on careers in science communication, so I was happy to join the audience. Hosted by Medicine by Design and Stem Cell Network, Careers Beyond Academia is a virtual career seminar series that profiles a wide variety of careers available to trainees who hold a degree in the life sciences. As the name states, the series provides an understanding of the different careers available outside of academia, the skills required for certain positions, and some of the daily functions of those positions.
I was all ears as the two science communication professionals discussed their educational backgrounds, career paths, roles and day-to-day responsibilities and challenges. The speakers were:
- Kristel Bermejo, Freelance Medical Writer at MKB MedSolutions; and,
- Jenny Crick, Editorial Outreach Specialist at Canadian Science Publishing.
Kristel Bermejo completed her MSc and PhD in pharmacology with a focus on neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. In her current role as a senior medical writer, Dr. Bermejo applies her scientific expertise to develop communication tactics that support a product’s lifecycle. She translates research papers and technical documents into medical education materials that health care professionals can apply to their practices, such as disease education and promotional speaker presentations, scientific platforms, advisory board content, interactive symposia and digital offerings like podcasts, videos and e-learning modules.
Jenny Crick has a master’s degree in plant genetics. Crick worked as a plant researcher at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, in the Niagara Region, before coming to scientific publishing. Crick now works on the Integrity and Ethics team at Canadian Science Publishing, where she uses her research background to investigate cases of scientific misconduct or fraud, ensuring that the research being published is real and robust. She also writes about science on the side and has had her non-fiction published in The Globe and Mail.
Key takeaways to help launch a scicomm career
If you have a life sciences degree and either of the speakers’ career paths sound like something you’d like to pursue, yet you’re wondering where to start, Bermejo and Crick shared some practical tips. Their advice included:
- Spark your passion for writing: Hone your ability to translate complex scientific concepts into clear, accessible language for different target audiences, including the public, health care professionals, journalists, etc. Start a blog, contribute to science magazines, or write lay summaries for research articles.
- Network: Do online research to learn who is working in a science communication role that you’re interested in. Connect on LinkedIn, introduce yourself, and consider inviting them to an in-person or virtual coffee chat to ask questions and “pick their brain.” Dr. Bermejo reports that it is common for professionals in the science writing field to get support from their networks when starting out in their careers, and they would be open to paying it forward.
- Gain experience with different experiments: Shedding light on what has made her successful in her current role, Crick suggested that the audience attempt to conduct experiments poorly and then figure out how to do them right. People can also ask to sit in on techniques they’ve never done themselves.
- Consider an Early Career Editor position: Review papers or join a journal as an Early Career Editor or Researcher to help determine if you like the science publishing side of science communication. A 2021 Nature article provides some tips for getting a position.
If you’d like to learn more, check out Ben McLeod’s Signals post called Science communication: The skillset our field desperately needs, which shares tips for explaining complex science in a simplified, engaging way.
Watch the recording of this Careers Beyond Academia session below, courtesy of SCN’s YouTube channel.
Laine Bodnar
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