Beyond Academia: Building a Career in MedComms
In this personal reflection, Samantha Booth shares her transition from academia to MedComms, highlighting key milestones, lessons learned, and insights into life as a medical writer.
Like many others in MedComms, my journey began in academia. I spent years immersed in research—reading journal articles, attending lab meetings, and presenting at conferences. I loved the science, but the path ahead in academia felt uncertain. The moment of clarity came when I realised it wasn’t the lab work that excited me—it was communicating the science.
Here’s a look at my path from researcher to medical writer, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Milestone 1: Making the leap from academia
Dr Samantha Booth
My academic background was rooted in psychology (BSc), neuroimaging (MSc), and cognitive neuroscience (PhD). I had published papers, spoken at conferences, and built a foundation of scientific rigour. Yet, by the end of my PhD, I knew I didn’t want to pursue a long-term academic career. I wanted to take the skills I enjoyed—writing, critical thinking, and communicating complex ideas—and apply them in a new context.
That’s when I discovered MedComms.
After attending several career workshops, I came across a webinar discussing Aspirations, a scheme run by Aspire Scientific, offering paid, real-life experience in MedComms. It was a lightbulb moment. Here was an opportunity to see if medical writing was right for me.
My first Aspirations project was a news article for The Publication Plan. Writing in a ‘newsy’ yet scientifically credible style was a fresh challenge. I went on to work on client projects, including clinical trial manuscripts and a Plain Language Summary of Publication, each introducing me to different therapy areas. The scheme gave me not just exposure to the MedComms landscape, but also valuable feedback and reassurance that my academic skills were transferable.
Before the end of my PhD, I was offered a full-time medical writer role at Aspire Scientific. I started in May 2023, just after submitting my thesis. Shortly after joining, I took part in an Aspirations webinar—this time from the other side—sharing my experience with others exploring MedComms.
Milestone 2: Learning to write like a communicator, not a researcher
One of my first experiences at Aspire Scientific was joining the Inspirations training programme, tailored to support new writers. From crafting compelling abstracts to designing impactful visuals, the training broadened my understanding of what it means to communicate science.
I quickly learned that MedComms writing isn’t just about accuracy—it’s about purpose, clarity, and strategy. How do you structure information for a busy healthcare professional? How do you highlight key takeaways in a dense dataset? How do you craft narratives that resonate with patients?
Unlike in academia, where feedback was sporadic and usually tied to papers or thesis chapters, feedback here was continuous and constructive. It became a tool for growth, not a hurdle to overcome.
Milestone 3: Finding my groove at Aspire Scientific
When I joined Aspire Scientific, I started on a publications-focused account, where I mainly worked on clinical trial manuscripts and supported the development of congress abstracts, posters, and internal scientific training platforms. While writing was a core part of the role, I quickly realised that being a medical writer involves much more than that—from project management and meeting deadlines, to building strong client relationships and working closely with academic authors.
Aspire Scientific team at ISMPP EU 2025
I attended ISMPP EU in 2024 and 2025—two fantastic opportunities to immerse myself in industry trends, network with peers, and absorb the latest thinking in scientific publications. I also joined Aspire Scientific at a MedComms careers event at the University of Manchester, where we chatted to attendees about the Aspirations scheme and what it’s really like to take those first steps into the industry.
At Aspire Scientific, I became involved in the social workstream, a group focused on fostering a connected and inclusive culture for our team, who are free to work in our offices or at home. Organising virtual and in-person social events, and helping to welcome new colleagues, not only helps me feel part of the wider team, but also gives me a meaningful way to contribute beyond project work.
Milestone 4: From lone researcher to team player
One of the biggest adjustments from academia was moving from solo work to collaboration. During my PhD, I was a one-person project manager, analyst, and author. Now, I’m part of a multidisciplinary team that includes editors, designers, and account managers.
Seeing how many hands contribute to each deliverable—and learning from each of them—has been eye opening. It’s a reminder that great work doesn’t happen in isolation.
Milestone 5: Finding my feet on a new team
Most recently, I transitioned from a publications account to a medical affairs team, which brought a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. It meant learning a new therapy area and adapting to a broader mix of deliverables—training decks, question banks, flyers, publication mailers, pharmacist presentations, white papers, literature reviews, and more. I also find myself on client calls more frequently, which has helped me build strong working relationships and deepen my understanding of client needs. Along the way, I’ve even had the opportunity to get to grips with AI tools.
Closing reflection
Reflecting on my journey, each step—from leaving academia to learning the ropes in MedComms—has shaped my identity as a medical writer. Looking back, I’m glad I took that first step. Looking forward, I’m excited to see where it leads next.
