A Substantial Journey to Medical Writing
I often get asked about my “story”, so here’s a little snippet into my journey to medical writing. I finished undergrad in California, and a month later, I got an unexpected call from my mentor at Stanford to work for a biotech company in Cambridge, MA in their neuroscience research department. I flew out to interview, and immediately fell in love with the architecture and the Charles River, and accepted the offer a day after I interviewed. Done and dusted.
After 14 years of working on neurodegenerative diseases in Cambridge, traveling to over 35 countries, and befriending some of the best people I’ve ever met, it was time to evolve. I went to business school, moved back to San Francisco to be closer to my family, and launched a food and design company, Substantial Living. My goal was to inspire people to live and eat with substance and style, a concept that has always been weaved into my core beliefs. I created and manufactured a natural probiotic food product that was sold at local San Francisco stores and corporate retailers such as West Elm, Williams-Sonoma, and got featured in Pottery Barn blog and other lifestyle platforms. This endeavor, as successful and fun as it was, ultimately wasn’t as fulfilling as science. As I thought about going back into the science sector, I realized that working in a lab was no longer appealing, nor would it utilize my new skills and interests. As I interviewed for non-research positions, I realized that working with people was more important to me than before.
From a colleague I learned about medical writing and a Boston-area company called Acumen. The team and career path had everything I was looking for: high-caliber scientific engagement, which included learning about novel technologies, as well as connecting with and guiding scientists and drug developers to deliver high-quality submissions to the FDA. As someone who worked on an Alzheimer’s drug meticulously for 7 years at Biogen, I know how important it is to transition that amount of work into the clinic. Within Acumen, I work with a highly experienced team, creating new systems and processes, including state-of-the-art medical writing software, with which I am writing this blog!
I find my inspiration through science, and weave this into different aspects of my life. At Acumen, I find medical writing meaningfully grounds me to science, people, and therapeutics.
If my story resonates and sparks interest in medical writing, please check out our job openings at Acumen Careers or email me at: marastu@acumenmedcom.com.
Nonclinical Lead Medical Writer
Acumen Medical Communications
