Meet Synterex’s 2022 Medical Writing Internship/Fellowship Recipients

Each year, Synterex is proud to welcome students and postgrads to a medical writing internship or fellowship. Our current intern, Alex, and our current fellow, Katelyn, answer some questions about the experience so far.

What is your educational background?

Alex: I am a rising senior at Clark University, currently studying for a major in Biology and a minor in Creative Writing. I am on track to graduate in 2023.

Katelyn: I got my Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Miami in 2015. I continued my graduate studies at U Miami and received my PhD in Microbiology and Immunology in 2022.

What made you interested in regulatory writing?

Alex: I’ve been writing for fun since elementary school, while at the same time having a passion for biology and human health. It wasn’t until sophomore year of college that I learned medical writing was a possible career. Since then, I’ve been trying to explore all the possible avenues of science communication to see what I enjoy the most.

Katelyn: I discovered early in my PhD training that I enjoyed writing about science and presenting my research at conferences much more than I enjoyed doing the experiments. While researching what career options are available in science communication, I came across medical writing. I hadn’t even heard of this as a career! I was immediately drawn to regulatory medical writing. It’s a career that allows you to directly help patients and their families by writing the documents needed to get new drugs and treatments approved.

How did you find out about your internship/fellowship?

Alex: I struggled for a while trying to find an internship that would be the right fit. The majority had nothing to do with writing and were unpaid. I live on my own and have bills to pay! One day, however, my school’s Biology department sent out an email about Project Onramp, a program that works with companies to offer paid internships to low-income students. I applied, qualified, and discovered Synterex’s medical writing internship while searching through the list of opportunities.

Katelyn: Once I decided I wanted to pursue a career in medical writing, I joined the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) so I could learn more about the field and connect with other medical writers. Through AMWA, I found out that Synterex was recruiting for a Regulatory Writing Fellowship geared toward new PhD graduates. I decided to apply. After several rounds of interviews, I was ecstatic to receive an offer for the position!

What do you hope to gain from your internship/fellowship?

Alex: I am hoping to gain as much professional experience as possible, since it will be my first internship. This is a great opportunity for me to get my foot in the door and secure myself a job after graduating. I am also hoping to meet lots of new people and make connections in the field!

Katelyn: I am excited about the Synterex regulatory writing fellowship. It’s one of the few training opportunities I’ve seen for people totally new to regulatory writing. My goal is to gain as much experience as I can, working with the wide variety of documents regulatory writers are responsible for preparing. And of course, to learn the skills necessary to excel in the field.

Alex and Katelyn, thank you! We are delighted to have you here.

Find out more about Synterex’s medical writing internship and fellowship opportunities.

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