“So… what exactly do you do?”
My nieces, Madeleine and Evelyn, asked me this recently over coffee. One’s studying Mathematics at the University of Durham, the other’s tackling A-levels – both at that exciting (and slightly terrifying) crossroads where you’re expected to have your entire life figured out.
I get it. At their age, I had no clue either.
The Career Path I’d Planned Didn’t Quite Fit
Here’s what I thought my life would look like: white coat, pipettes, groundbreaking discoveries in a laboratory. I studied biology at Imperial College London and even spent a year in Paris working on gene cloning. Don’t get me wrong – I loved the science. But the endless experiments, the crushing disappointments when results didn’t pan out, starting over from scratch with a new hypothesis… it was like following a recipe where the dish fails 80% of the time. Not my jam.
Finding My “Thing”
Strategic communications in healthcare was like opening a door I didn’t know existed.
Suddenly, I could use my scientific brain without being fixed to a lab bench. The breadth of this career is what hooked me – and what keeps me energized 25 years later.
What Does a “Normal Day” Actually Look Like?
Spoiler: there isn’t one.
Monday: I’m strategizing which journalists to approach about a client’s major acquisition.
Tuesday: Drafting a press release for Phase 2 clinical trial results that just dropped (the good kind of dropped).
Wednesday: Writing website copy for a startup with a first-in-class preclinical program targeting a rare disease.
You’re constantly switching gears – thinking scientifically, writing persuasively, strategizing commercially. You need to understand your clients’ science inside-out AND know when to speak up versus when silence is golden.
The Best Part? The People
Working with small biotech companies means direct access to CEOs and founders – the visionaries who are genuinely trying to change patients’ lives. When you help them tell their story effectively and it gains traction; that’s incredibly rewarding.
At ICR Healthcare, I’m surrounded by one of the largest transatlantic healthcare communications teams in the industry. Even after 25 years, I learn something new from my colleagues regularly – whether it’s about corporate communications, investor relations, capital markets, digital strategy, or how to leverage AI with accuracy while staying authentic.
Considering This Path?
If you’re a student or early-career professional curious about healthcare communications, I’d genuinely love to chat. This blog barely scratches the surface of what the role entails.
Connect with me on LinkedIn. I’m happy to share the unvarnished truth about this career, answer your questions, and maybe help you avoid spending a year in a lab if that’s not your thing (like it wasn’t mine).
Who knows? You might discover your “thing” too.
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