Career Corner: Alternatives to Academia
Medical Writing
By Maria Blumenkrantz
Before entering the field of medical communications, Dr. Gatchalian built a strong foundation in wet-lab research, studying mechanisms driving neural development and regeneration. Dr. Gatchalian completed her PhD in Neuroscience in Dr. Joshua Sanes’s lab at the Washington University in St. Louis, where she investigated the regulation of extracellular matrix proteins that accumulate during synaptic regeneration following denervation of rat skeletal muscle. For her postdoctoral work, Dr. Gatchalian transitioned to the world of zebrafish research. She joined Dr. Judith Eisen’s lab at the University of Oregon, where she explored motor neuron pathfinding and discovered that when transplanted outside of their normal environments, motor neurons still engaged in accurate pathfinding and selected their appropriate cell-specific pathways.
Fueled by the desire to explore new opportunities that had an immediate impact on human health, Dr. Gatchalian pursued a second postdoc, this time within a corporate environment. She moved to London and joined Esai, a pharmaceutical company operating out of University College London (UCL), where she began to explore the field of drug development as a neuronal degeneration research scientist. Dr. Gatchalian eventually became interested in scientific careers outside of the bench and transitioned into a Director of Project Management position at Ontogeny (now Curis), a company co-founded by Dr. Douglas Melton. In this multidisciplinary role, Dr. Gatchalian collaborated with consultants to successfully coordinate the advancement of a small-molecule Hedgehog pathway antagonist into Phase 1 clinical trials for basal cell carcinoma. Ontogeny was Dr. Gatchalian’s first exposure to drug development within the fast-paced environment of a small biotech startup, and she gained deep insight into the process of translating scientific discoveries from the bench to the clinic.
Dr. Gatchalian’s foray into medical writing began with freelance work after relocating to Southern California. This position consisted of writing technical and regulatory documentation, such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). After gaining experience in the field, Dr. Gatchalian joined Amgen as a Director of Global Publications. At the time, publication writing was a relatively new niche within medical writing, entailing the creation of journal articles and conference abstracts. In our conversation, Dr. Gatchalian highlighted a key difference between regulatory and publication writing: the former is more structured and data-driven, while the latter requires collaboration with physicians and a more narrative approach.
Prior to her retirement in 2025, Dr. Gatchalian held the role of Director of Scientific Communications at Amgen. Scientific Communications is a division within Medical Affairs, a specialized arm within pharmaceutical or medical device companies that serves as a bridge between the R&D and Commercial/Marketing departments. The crux of Medical Affairs is to communicate the complex science behind a new therapeutic to healthcare professionals. Dr. Gatchalian describes this process as an evolving story that starts from the bench - her role involved integrating clinical trial data with her biological expertise to craft compelling scientific narratives explaining how each drug works, highlighting its strengths and limitations, and positioning it within the broader competitive landscape. Medical Affairs encompasses several other specialized divisions, including Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs), Advocacy, and Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR). These areas all lie at the nexus of therapeutic development and commercialization, with a shared goal of understanding and improving treatment outcomes in different disease domains.
As a Director of Scientific Communications, Dr. Gatchalian led a team supporting a particular therapeutic area. Her responsibilities included meeting with physicians, attending medical congresses, and identifying innovative ways to disseminate scientific and clinical data, such as through websites, podcasts, and various digital platforms. To be successful in this role, Dr. Gatchalian emphasized the importance of active listening, leadership, and ability to give candid feedback. Given the customer-facing nature of Medical Affairs, having the interpersonal skills to work with physicians and patients is essential. Another angle of the job includes budget management: as a director, Dr. Gatchalian was responsible for allocating finances appropriately. Lastly, Dr. Gatchalian advised cultivating resilience, as corporate settings often involve shifts in research direction and unexpected changes like layoffs.
Reflecting on her early research career, Dr. Gatchalian credited it with deepening her knowledge of biology and model systems, nurturing her teamwork skills with other scientists, and fostering her ability to communicate intricate scientific concepts. She encouraged trainees to consider a postdoc, but noted there are alternate pathways into Medical Affairs, such as entry-level medical writing positions at medical communications agencies or internships with companies like Amgen. To sharpen medical writing skills, Dr. Gatchalian recommended courses from professional societies such as the American Medical Writers’ Association (AMWA), the International Society of Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP), and the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS). Advancement from medical writer to director roles, she said, requires hard work, diplomacy, and exceptional written and verbal communication skills. Directors must be confident presenters, quick thinkers, and skilled people managers - qualities that can be demonstrated through mentoring interns and working with vendors.
Looking back, Dr. Gatchalian expressed gratitude for having chosen a career in scientific communications. She appreciated Amgen’s science-first culture and highlighted the value of working for a company where she felt that her efforts contributed to positive change. Overall, Dr. Gatchalian’s favorite parts of the job included exposure to a wide range of disciplines, continual learning, and working with teams focused on improving human health. She encourages trainees interested in scientific communications to seek career opportunities through different avenues and be strategic about showcasing their strengths, all whilst having patience with themselves through the job search process. Passion and clear focus, Dr. Gatchalian affirmed, are the keys to achieving one’s career goals.