Shows
Write MedicineYou Don't Have a Workflow. You Have a Habit. AI in CME: Moving from Experimenting to ImplementingMost people in CME and medical writing are using AI. Fewer have an actual workflow — something documented, repeatable, and defensible enough to explain to a client or compliance reviewer. This episode explores why that gap matters, what a staged workflow looks like in practice, and why this is becoming a professional differentiator right now.In this episode:Why "I try things and sometimes it works" is a ceiling, not a processThe difference between using AI and having an AI workflowWhat the 2026 MedComms Freelancing Barometer tells us about where the field is right nowWhy documentation and traceability ar...
2026-02-2509 min
Write MedicineFrom Unseen to Unstoppable: How Medical Writers Grow Beyond CME Task Work to Creative PartnershipWhat if the work that feels invisible is the very thing building your expertise?For many CME writers, the hours spent researching, editing, and shaping educational content happen behind the scenes — valuable, but unseen. Over time, that invisibility can blur your sense of value and readiness.In this Write Medicine hot-seat coaching session, Gina Castiblanco PhD shares what it’s really like to navigate that in-between space — leaving behind a visible academic identity and learning to trust her voice as a CME writer and business owner.Together, we unpack how professional visibility starts with s...
2025-10-2241 min
Write MedicineFrom Curiosity to Confidence: A Freelance Medical Writer’s Guide to Breaking into CME WritingCurious about continuing medical education (CME) writing but not sure how to begin? In this episode, you’ll learn how to turn your medical, academic, or scientific experience into a meaningful, flexible writing career. Discover the five milestones that help you break into CME writing, the key skills every CME writer needs, and real-world insights from the field.🎧 Tune in now to gain clarity, confidence, and your next steps toward becoming a successful CME writer.LinksWriteCME Pro – Join the CPD-certified professional development program for medical writers specializing in CME.Chart Your CME Writing Path –...
2025-10-1624 min
Write MedicineHow to Overcome Academic Trauma and Build Confidence as a Freelance Medical WriterWhat if leaving academia—or another tightly defined professional path—felt less like failure and more like freedom?For many academics, clinicians, and researchers, stepping into freelance medical writing isn’t just a career change—it’s a profound identity shift. Too often, this transition carries grief, shame, or the lingering sense of “not enough.” In this episode, we explore how those feelings show up, why they matter, and how to reframe them as fuel for your writing career.By listening, you’ll discover:Why the transition from academia or clinical practice can feel like trauma—and...
2025-09-2435 min
Write MedicineCraft to Confidence: What's Coming Up in Season 11What does it take to move from order-taker to trusted partner in CME writing?That’s the single question driving this new season of Write Medicine.In this 15-minute teaser episode, Alex introduces the season theme—Craft to Confidence: A CME Writer’s Season of Growth—and gives you a preview of what’s ahead. You’ll hear how guest interviews and solo tactical episodes will work together to help you build your skills, expand your visibility, and strengthen your confidence as a CME writer.Whether you’re transitioning from academia, clin...
2025-09-1108 min
Write MedicineUncensored: Fearless CME Writer Questions, Breakthrough Solutions
Are you turning down lucrative CME writing opportunities because you're unsure how to handle client conversations about pricing, research access, or expanding your services?As a CME writer, you know the challenge of building a sustainable business isn't just about writing skills - it's about making smart decisions about which projects to take, how to access resources, and when to specialize. From negotiating research access fees to breaking free from the needs assessment cycle, every decision impacts your growth potential. In this episode, I take you inside a real CME writers' strategy session where we tackle these...
2024-10-3015 min
Write MedicineFreelance Like a Pro: Niching, Marketing, and SOPs with Alejandra Viviescas
Are you a freelance medical writer struggling to streamline your workflow and grow your business? Do you find yourself overwhelmed by client management, marketing, and the constant need to prove your value?If you're looking to transform your freelance medical writing career from chaotic to confident, especially in the field of Continuing Medical Education, this episode is for you.Today Alejandra Viviescas PhD joins me to explore practical strategies that can transform your approach to client relationships, help you overcome self-doubt, and build a thriving business.By listening to this episode, you will:
2024-10-1629 min
Write MedicineThe Write Posture: Sustain Your Spine and Boost CreativityAre you unknowingly sabotaging your spine health every time you sit down to write?As a medical writer, you pour your mental energy into crafting high-quality documents. But while you're focused on engaging your mind, your body may suffer silently. Poor posture, repetitive movements, and prolonged periods of sitting can lead to neck strain, back pain, and other musculoskeletal problems that impact your physical well-being and ability to think clearly and creatively.In this episode of Monday Mentor, chiropractor, researcher and medical writer Peter Stein PhD, DC shares some of his insights about s...
2024-04-0129 min
Write MedicineSpotting Plagiarism in CME Content: Tools and Strategies for Prevention
Are you aware that plagiarism is not just about copying text word for word? Listen in to uncover the different forms of plagiarism and how to spot them. Plagiarism can have significant consequences in CME content development, affecting the credibility of education materials and the reputation of education providers. By understanding the different types of plagiarism and how to detect them, you can ensure the integrity and originality of your CME content.
Discover the various forms of plagiarism beyond direct word-for-word copying.
Learn practical techniques for detecting and avoiding plagiarism in your CME content development.
Understand the drivers...
2024-02-1914 min
Write MedicineEnvisioning the Next Era of CME/CPD: A Workshop Preview
A decade ago, Curtis Olson PhD, then editor of the Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, made 20 predictions about the future of Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Professional Development. Those predictions included a shift from the individual to the team as the primary unit of learning, a greater focus on interprofessional learning, more frequent use of evaluation models that tell us not only what works, but also under what conditions and why, and less reliability on the psychology of learning and more emphasis on the sociology of behavior change. Have you been wondering how t...
2024-01-3054 min
Write MedicineMedical Writing, Mentoring, and CMEWelcome to Monday Mentor, a Write Medicine series. I’m your host Alex Howson and today Helen Folsam is back to share insights on CME medical writing. Helen Fosam is a seasoned medical writer with over 20 years shaping her career, beginning in academia in the UK then moving to the US where she discovered medical writing working at companies like Ince, WebMD, and small remote startups. She launched her own medical writing consulting business, The Edge Medical Writing, through which she founded the Milo initiative to provide continuing education to improve health outcomes in Africa.In this ep...
2024-01-1937 min
Write MedicineDigital Declutter: A Guide to Eco-Conscious CME Content Creation
Are you overlooking a major yet often overlooked contributor to climate change through your digital content creation and strategies? Are you unintentionally contributing to the planet's digital carbon footprint?As CME/CE content creators and strategists, we likely don't consider the climate impacts of our websites, documents, videos, and other digital materials. However, all that data requires substantial energy to power the creation, storage, and transfer of bytes, which generates carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.In this eye-opening episode, Alisa Bonsignore, a content strategy and sustainable content expert, reveals the surprising truth about...
2024-01-1042 min
Write MedicineWhat's Write Medicine About?
Transform your CME/CE content with Write Medicine!Struggling with how to create continuing medical education content for health professionals (CME/CE)? Write Medicine is your definitive guide to mastering the craft of high-quality CME/CE content creation that lifts learning and changes behaviors.Write Medicine is hosted by Alexandra Howson PhD, CHCP, FACEhp, a seasoned writer and researcher with decades of experience in healthcare, education, and CME/CE. Tune in every Wednesday for our feature episodes and start your week right with Monday Mentor sessions, where we focus on practical techniques to...
2024-01-1003 min
Write MedicineAre you on the MedComms Path? Fascinating Freelance versus In-House Insights
Have you ever wondered how academics or researchers transition into a successful career in medical communications (or medcomms)? With academia becoming increasingly challenging, many PhDs, scientists, and researchers are considering new careers that allow them to apply their expertise.Maybe you are too. As part of our First Friday Features, episode 87 of Write Medicine brings you an exclusive conversation with Vicky Sherwood, a seasoned medical writer with a rich background in academia and medcomms. In this episode, we explore Vicky's unique journey from academia into her thriving career as a medical communicator. Key tak...
2024-01-0543 min
Write MedicineMedical Writing in the Age of AI: Threat or Opportunity?
Are you curious about how artificial intelligence (AI) can augment medical writing? Or are you wondering how AI could change the way we approach continuing education for health professionals?Listen in as Núria Negrão PhD shares tangible strategies for content creation.As advances in AI lead to fears about human jobs being replaced, medical writers and CME/CE professionals are wondering how to adapt. Núria explains key opportunities to enhance your skills and stay ahead of the curve. We take a deeper look at the practical applications and limitations of generative AI in...
2024-01-0325 min
Write MedicineStanding Still and Looking Forward: Season 6 Highlights and 2024 Teasers
Winter Solstice is a time of stillness that we can harness to reflect on our past year's journey. It's an opportunity to celebrate growth and anticipate what's coming next. So join me to reflect on memorable moments from the podcast this season and sneak a peek into the future of Write Medicine in 2024.Season Highlights
The power of reflection to realign "why"
Innovations like AI for ideation and adult learning principles
How education can build gender equity in health professions
The potential and limitations of generative-AI
Insights from our listener survey
First Friday fe...
2023-12-1323 min
Write MedicinePrompts, Personas, and Process: Practical Strategies for Using Generative AI in CME/CPD
Show NotesWhat privacy concerns do you have related to generative AI tools like ChatGPT? Do you worry about the internet scraping that comes with gen-AI territory? Are you searching for practical advice on how to effectively use generative AI for creating continuing education content for health professionals?These questions and more are the focus of today’s episode of Write Medicine. My guest is medical writer and generative AI expert Nuria Negrao and we’re talking about how AI models like ChatGPT are trained and why we should care about this as well as the...
2023-12-0619 min
Write MedicinePawsitive Penmanship: How Veterinarians Can Thrive in the World of Medical Writing
Show NotesWhat existing skills and competencies do you know you have for sure? How can you put those skills to use to find new professional opportunities? Understanding and acknowledging your skills is crucial for building confidence and pursuing new professional opportunities. My guest today is JoAnna Pendergrass DVM, a veterinarian turned medical writer who has built a successful solo business creating content focused on pet health and educating pet parents. If you have participated in the freelance panel offered by the University of Chicago Professional Certificate Program in Medical Writing, you’ll recognize JoAnna. Today she sh...
2023-12-0245 min
Write MedicineThe AI Revolution: How Generative Models are Transforming CME/CPD Content Creation
Show NotesAre you angsting over the potential impact of generative AI on your work? Are you hyper-dialed into ethical considerations around the potential for copyright infringement, data ownership, and authorship when using generative AI tools like ChatGPT? Whatever your questions or concerns are about generative AI, this technology is poised to transform how we create continuing education content for health professionals. Today’s episode is the first in a 2-part series of episodes that focus on writing, reasoning, and the ethical considerations surrounding generative AI. My guest is Núria Negrao PhD, a medical write...
2023-11-3036 min
Write MedicineThe Power of Reinforcement in CME/CE: Understanding Knowledge Competence and Self-efficacy in Learning
Show NotesAre you running correlation analysis in your education activity and program evaluation? Are you having conversations with your colleagues, as listener Natalie Goldberg is, about how access to practice data is potentially redefining how we think about Moores outcomes at levels 5, 6, and 7?In part 1 of this 2-part series of conversations with Katie Lucero Ph.D., Vice President, Audience, Analytics, Outcomes & Insights at Medscape we began to open up the black box that houses the relationship between self-efficacy, commitment to change, and intent to change.In part 2, we focus on how access...
2023-11-2326 min
Write MedicineSelf-Efficacy and Confidence in Behavior-Driven CME/CE Outcomes
Show NotesIf you’re a continuing medical education provider, do you ever feel as though your approach to outcomes measures could use some spice? Do you wonder what are we missing when we don't include process measures in outcomes evaluation? Or when you are working on outcomes measurement, analysis, and crucially, writing that outcomes report, do you find yourself wondering how to use confidence as an indicator of behavior change, or where self-efficacy fits into the outcomes mix?That’s our focus today with Katie Lucero PhD, Vice President, Audience, Analytics, Outcomes & Insights at Meds...
2023-11-1627 min
Write MedicineFrom Inspiration to Innovation: Mary Lasker and the Birth of the American Cancer Society
If you work in CME, especially in oncology, then sooner or later you’re going to consult American Cancer Society resources. But how much do you know about the history of this organization? And how much do you know about Mary Lasker and her contributions to cancer research?Hello, hello, and welcome back to Write Medicine, the podcast that explores best practices in creating continuing education content for health professionals. I'm your host, Alex Howson, and in today's episode, we explore a story that shaped the field of medicine and cancer research in particular. My guest is Ju...
2023-11-0945 min
Write MedicineThe Art of Serendipity: Luck, Preparation, and Career Transitions for PhDs
If you are a Write Medicine listener and are tuning into our First Friday Feature, you are likely a medical writer who is curious about medical writing in the specialized world of CME and I think you'll enjoy this conversation with Dr. David Mendes, who shares insights from his journey transitioning out of academia and into a career in medical writing. David completed his PhD in neuroscience at McGill University in Montreal. During his graduate studies, he realized that landing a professorship was unlikely, so he started exploring alternative careers. After finishing his PhD, he secured his f...
2023-11-0352 min
Write MedicineThe Checklist Revolution: Streamlining Healthcare Content for Better Understanding
Plain language is a communication style that aims to simplify complex information and make it more accessible to a wider audience. It involves using clear, concise, and jargon-free language to convey information in a way that is easily understood by the intended audience. The goal of plain language is to eliminate confusion, improve comprehension, and enhance communication between the sender and receiver.In this episode, I speak with Ahava Leibtag, an expert in plain language and digital content strategy. Ahava is a 2020 inductee into the Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame as an Innovative Individual and has 20+ years of...
2023-11-0141 min
Write MedicineAudience-Centric Content: How to Boost Engagement and Impact
As we know, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many in-person events to go virtual. While platforms like Zoom made the transition possible, “Zoom fatigue” quickly set in. Audiences have tuned out of long presentations and passive learning formats that are also typical of in-person conferences. To combat Zoom fatigue, virtual event organizers need to completely rethink their approach. So to get some ideas on how to do this, I spoke with Chris Elmitt, an expert facilitator and CEO of the virtual event platform Livve, to get his tips on engaging audiences in the virtual environment.As Chris...
2023-10-2638 min
Beyond the Thesis With Papa PhDA Career in Continuing Medical Education with Alexandra HowsonWelcome to another episode of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD!
This week, I'm talking medical writing, specifically continuing medical education, with my guest, Alexandra Howson. With Alex, we look back on her career journey after her PhD and we explore her expertise in making the PhD to CME career transition.
Get your pen and paper out! You'll be wanting to take notes!
Alexandra Howson is a medical writer, educator, and podcaster. A former trauma operating room nurse, Alex was faculty at the universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh in Scotland for a decade, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses...
2023-10-191h 03
Write MedicineEscape the Ordinary: Unlocking Engagement with Escape Rooms
In today’s episode, I speak with nurse educator Martha Johnson MSN, RN, CEN, otherwise known as Breakout RN, about using active learning strategies to engage nursing students for whom it is also often challenging to connect theory to bedside practice, especially in the context of unique patient scenarios. As a new educator, Martha's first theory course was PowerPoint-heavy with a scripted lecture. She started BreakoutRN to develop a learner-centered model and saw firsthand the improvements in student engagement and their ability to apply what they were learning to a clinical scenario. She encourages all nurse educators to embrace act...
2023-10-1943 min
Write MedicineCreating Value in CME/CE Content with Generative-AI
In this episode, I spoke with Sean Sodha, founder of medical content platform Grafi AI, about the promise and pitfalls of generative AI for healthcare content creators. Sean shared his unique perspective on navigating this emerging technology. We take a comprehensive look at the role of generative AI in medical content creation and explore its promise for augmenting human skills and improving productivity in the medical writing space.Key Takeaways
Generative AI can greatly accelerate drafting and ideation, but always requires human review. Gen-AI creates a first draft, not a final product.
Prompt engineering could become l...
2023-10-1248 min
Write MedicineMastering the Self-Edit: Tips and Tricks from Michelle Rizzo
In today's episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Michelle Rizzo, a trained journalist who turned her curiosity and life-long interest in medicine into a thriving career as a CME writer. Michelle currently works as an associate medical director and senior writer at a boutique CME content company, where she often finds herself writing and researching about rare diseases. She was kind enough to give us a glimpse into her writing process and share some actionable tips for getting into the field without a clinical background. Here are three key takeaways from the episode.
Lead w...
2023-10-0739 min
Write MedicineAccelerating Change: A Call to Action on Gender Equity in Medicine
If you are at all interested in the status of women in medicine and the role of education in addressing gender inequities in the health professions, then you’re going to love today’s episode. I’m speaking with Rebecca Ortega about improving gender equity in cardiology. Rebecca is the Founding and executive director of Women as One, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting talent in medicine by offering professional opportunities to women cardiologists through several different programs. 1. Rapid Evolution in Cardiology: Rebecca discusses her experience at SCAI, where she was in charge of education. 2. The Art...
2023-10-0543 min
Write MedicineBreaking Up the Lecture: The Power of Active Learning
I’m really excited to have today’s conversation with Dr. Barbie Honeycutt, a faculty development consultant and host of the podcast Lecture Breakers. Barbi is an expert in the field of active learning and is known for her work on creating engaging and effective learning experiences for students. She is the founder of FLIP It® and Interactive Lectures, two popular strategies for incorporating active learning in the classroom.Here’s what you’ll learn in today’s episode. 1. Start with the learner's experience and where they are in their learning journey. Note their preferences for engaging w...
2023-09-2851 min
Write MedicineHuman-Centered Instructional Design: A Catalyst for Effective Learning in CME/CE
Instructional design for online courses is a crucial aspect of modern CME/CE. And as online learning has grown over the last 15 years or so, especially so since 2020, instructional designers play a vital role in creating effective and engaging CME/CE content for learners.In today’s podcast episode, I’m speaking with Mark Hagerty, an expert in effective instructional design in the context of CME/CE with a passion for behavioral and life sciences. 🩺💡Mark shares insights from his three-decade-long career in education and his background in psychology, biology, and organizational behavior.Key highli...
2023-09-2139 min
Write MedicineAn Anesthesiologist's Wisdom on Life, Death, and Empathy
Even those of us who’ve had surgery probably haven’t given much thought to the person who put us under and carefully monitored us while the surgeon did their work. I’m here today with anesthesiologist, author, and test pilot Dr. David Alfery to discuss his book, Saving Grace: What Patients Teach Their Doctors About Life, Death, and the Balance in Between, which was published by Wipf and Stock earlier in 2023. David was a cardiac anesthesiologist for over 30 years, taking patients to the brink of death and back during surgery.A cardiac anesthesiologist, Dr. Alfery reveals to rea...
2023-09-1441 min
Write MedicineBreakthrough CME/CE: Transform Online Learning with the Art of Facilitation
If you are an education provider tasked with designing virtual education, or you work with providers involved in online group learning and experiences, today's episode is a must-listen. Gwyn Wansbrough is a facilitator who designs and leads interactive online sessions. Gwyn shares how to run effective and engaging live online sessions and guide a group to achieve a specific outcome. The more we talked, the more I realized that the preparation process for facilitation is akin to conducting a needs assessment and designing an education activity. We need to get to know our audience of...
2023-09-0755 min
Write MedicineGrab Your Green Pen: Medical Writing Insights From Sarah Nelson
Sarah Nelson PhD is a medical writer and founder of Green Pen Solutions Ltd. She is a leading mentor and trainer for medical writers all over the world. Her mission is to encourage more medical writers into Medcomms and help them create a sustainable career path that builds on their personal strengths.Sarah's wide-ranging knowledge comes from over 17 years as a medical writer, her experience leading large editorial teams, and from mentoring writers in over 20 agencies across the medcomms industry.In today’s episode, we focus on the importance of training for medical writers, medical wr...
2023-09-0246 min
Write MedicineLearning in/from Libraries: The Power of Experience in CME/CE
Welcome back to the Write Medicine podcast! Before we get into today’s topic on the power of experience in learning, I wanted to share with you a message from Mallory Kane. Mallory is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Connecticut who is creating an anthology of essays based on testimonies from people whose lives have been impacted by cancer. Whether you are a patient or survivor, a family member or caretaker, she wants to hear from you. She is using this anthology to highlight the experience of living with this disease.Mallory’s looking for...
2023-08-3124 min
Write MedicineSeason 5 Finale: 3 Steps to Boost Your Foundational CME Knowledge
Welcome to the season finale of the Write Medicine podcast!Today's episode was supposed to be live on LinkedIn, but we encountered some tech hiccups linking Riverside.fm to LinkedIn Live. Fret not! We recorded the episode for you, and it's available right here and on your favorite podcast platforms. We're looking forward to our first live episode, which we've rescheduled for the opening of Season 6 on August 30.Launched 2 1/2 years ago, Write Medicine has evolved into the go-to podcast for professionals in the continuing medical education/continuing education for health professionals (CME/CE) field, packed...
2023-07-2524 min
Write MedicinePharmacy Unscripted: The Evolution of Pharmacist Education and Non-Clinical Careers
If you’re a pharmacist you are probably going to have thoughts about today’s episode. I’m joined by pharmacist and Director of Pharmacy at Minnesota Oncology, Kirollos Hanna Pharm.D. I first met Kirollos at the end of 2020 in the context of an end-of-year report on oncology trends for the Association of Community Cancer Centers, that included a series of focus groups with ACCC members. I was deeply impressed by Kirollos’s humanity, clarity, and pragmatism, and if you don’t know Kirollos, I think you will be too.In this episode, we talk about the challe...
2023-07-2046 min
Write MedicineEnhancing CME with ChatGPT
As an accidental educator, Andrew Crim MEd, CHCP is a seasoned expert in designing educational programs for healthcare professionals. He’s the Director of Education and Professional Development at the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists and is deeply passionate about the effect that high-quality education can have on patient outcomes. As an early adopter of Chat GPT, Andrew recognizes the potential of this technology to transform the way healthcare professionals access and engage with CME content. So in this episode, we’re exploring the potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT to revolutionize CME—from writing entire...
2023-07-1343 min
Write MedicineExploring Intersectionality and Equity in CME
"There's great potential and power in acknowledging this. It's self to self, self to others single, self to others plural, and self to others at the macro level. You begin to appreciate how beautiful it can be all around you, how much we all need help, and how very related we are in our own ways." In episode 62, Dr. Leigh Boehmer emphasizes the crucial role of self-awareness in understanding and practicing intersectionality, which goes beyond recognizing one's own complexities and involves acknowledging the unique layers of others. Leigh is the Chief Medical Officer for the A...
2023-07-0544 min
Write MedicineAwareness to Action: Integrating DEI into CME
In today's episode, I have a conversation with Sapana Panday, a medical education specialist with over two decades of experience. Sapana shares how her background in public health and evaluation research led her to work in medical education, particularly in areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).About SapanaSapana earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s in Public Health, Socio-Medical Sciences, from Columbia University. She brings a unique perspective from her upbringing in the developing nation of Nepal where education was a privilege afforded by the few, to he...
2023-06-2839 min
Write MedicineEmpowering Learners Through Productivity Metrics
Simulated case-based educational formats allow radiologists to develop their skills in a safe environment, learning from experts without the risks involved in clinical care. This is exactly what Medality specializes in offering its learners. On today’s episode, Dr. Deanna Heier, Ph.D., Head of Educational Strategy and Operations at Medality, shares how the company replicates side-by-side training through asynchronous and synchronous learning options and uses performance outcomes to enhance this approach to medical education. While the microlearning model offers asynchronous, flexible case-based learning, faculty provide personalized feedback on both clinical and communication skills via s...
2023-06-2239 min
Write MedicineBuilding Blocks for a Successful Learning Culture
✨ Focus Your Writing with Ben Riggs ✨Join Ben Riggs for a WriteCME Pro Expert Perspective session on how to focus your writing and create focused content for busy health professionals. When: June 21, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDTWhere: Live onlineHow: Buy a ticket for the event + 1 month of WriteCME Pro__________________________If content is King, learning culture must be Queen, as the latter goes a long way to determining learner outcomes. Frustrated with many years of check-box top-down broadcast learning culture, Andrew Barry founded Curious Lion and built a better way to effec...
2023-06-1539 min
Write MedicineWhy Connection Is Key In CME
Whether you are an education provider working with a distributed team or a freelance writer working with multiple clients, connecting with your colleagues, peers, and clients is key.Today I’m taking a deeper dive into connection to explore why it’s important in CME and to offer some different ways to foster connection with clients, colleagues, and content. To apply empathy to content creation, you can create content in multiple formats and provide access to that content in multiple ways. For instance, if the primary format is a podcast, including a transcript for people who p...
2023-06-0715 min
Write MedicineEmbracing Uncertainty: Connecting Creativity and Care in Medicine
Recently I read Tornado of Life: A Doctor’s Journey Through Constraints and Creativity in the ER by Jay Baruch, MD. It's a collection of linked essays, so you can dip into the book in small, snatched moments without losing momentum. If you need an introduction to the always challenging, sometimes messy, but ultimately humanizing work that clinicians do at the acute end of care, this is a great start. Jay is a physician and writer who explores how creativity in medicine supports empathy, the cornerstone of clinical care. He is a practicing emergency room physician, Professor of...
2023-05-3141 min
Write MedicineAssessing Readiness for Change in Clinical and Community Education Interventions
Transforming our own habits is notoriously challenging and changing clinical practice habits even more so. But my guest today shares strategies that CME practitioners can apply to education design and implementation based on understanding clinician readiness to change. Sara Johnson PhD is a leading expert in behavior change science. Along with Dr. Kerry Evers, she is co-President and CEO of Pro-Change Behavior Solutions, a behavior-change consulting firm and solution provider that empowers people to experience life-changing breakthroughs in health and well-being. Sara also co-edits the American Journal of Health Promotion (AJHP) and contributes to the Knowing Well...
2023-05-2435 min
Write MedicineEast Meets West: Exploring the European CME Landscape
Ready for a tour of the European Continuing Medical Education environment?Eugene Pozniak is Managing Director and CEO of Siyemi Learning, an independent medical education provider established in 2006. In fact, Siyemi Learning is the first non-US organization to be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and is uniquely also accredited on the other side of the Atlantic by the European Board for Accreditation of Continuing Education for Health Professionals (EBAC).Eugene left the promotional sector in 2000 and has since worked exclusively in CME-CPD, initially devising, and delivering e-learning for...
2023-05-1749 min
Write MedicineCrafting Rich Learning Experiences to Optimize Education
Instructional designers are the architects of learning experiences. In this episode, Parker Grant PhD, the co-founder of IDLance, an instructional design freelance agency, discusses the learning process, how to use learners’ experiences to optimize education, and where instructional designers go for their story inspiration. Parker advises, “In adult learning, what's really important to know, is that all learning is experiential. What makes learning better is having a multifaceted approach, meaning you don't look at just any one mode of learning as the optimum, but the combination of many facets.”To these ends, Pa...
2023-05-1041 min
Write MedicineNavigating the World of Medical Writing
What qualities do medical writers need? This is a question I'm frequently asked. In this episode, expect to hear some robust answers—whatever your niche, specialty, or area of focus.Holly Hagan MSc, Success Coach for Medical Writers, believes that all medical writers require diplomacy, intellectualism, inquisitiveness, and resourcefulness as fundamental qualities to thrive. Authentically embodying moral and civic character lies central to her approach to medical writing. In addition, Holly maintains that personal branding goes deeper than your background banner, understanding personal brand to encompass the experience of your every interaction with co...
2023-05-0334 min
Write MedicineTurning the Tables: My Personal Journey into CME Writing
In this episode of Write Medicine, the tables are turned as I’m interviewed by guest host Holly Hagan. We talk about my own personal journey into CME writing, including how joining the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions was a turning point in my business. Being a part of this community has given me the opportunity to learn about new developments in the field and connect with education providers.We discuss how I’ve integrated my previous experience and interests into my work, some key learnings when it comes to running my own business, and I...
2023-04-2638 min
Write MedicineThe Vital Role of Integrity and Trust in CME
If you've been in the CME field for more than a hot minute, you'll know that Graham McMahon MD, MMSc is a medical educator, researcher, and practicing endocrinologist. He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) and an Adjunct Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at Northwestern University.Today, we're talking about integrity and trust in CME. We dig into the factors that prompted the publication in 2020 of ACCME's report on standards for integrity and independence in CME, especially the emergence of potential threats to content credibility. Graham e...
2023-04-2035 min
Write MedicineWriting Your Own Success Story as a Freelance Medical Writer
Clinicians, academics, or researchers transitioning into freelance medical writing—whether it's CME-focused or not—often worry about whether it’s the right move to make and whether there will be enough work to support their goals. In today’s episode, long-time freelance medical writer Jonathan Agnew PhD, MBA brings a sense of reassurance to these questions and emphasizes the potential for abundantly available work. In addition, he shares tools and techniques to facilitate the freelance process. Notably, Jonathon’s mantra is “your mindset underpins your success.” He recommends that you avoid the perfectionist mindset many clinicians and ac...
2023-04-1341 min
Write MedicinePower Up Your CME/CE Writing Strategy with the Art of Negotiation
Christine Welniak is an independent medical writer who specializes in cardiology and diabetes. She values opportunities to develop content that helps healthcare providers learn about new treatments that could improve patient outcomes. Christine contends that "content is king" and is central to producing high-quality CME/CE writing. Learning the art of the pitch in her previous life on Wall Street, Christine is well-equipped to discuss why CME/CE medical writers require skills in negotiation and strategy. Although CME/CE writers are sometimes undervalued in terms of remuneration, it's possible to achieve above-average market rates. Christine observes that w...
2023-04-0547 min
Write MedicineShould You Go Down the Rabbit Hole?
The medical and CME writers I teach often worry about how to rein in a tendency to burrow into the rabbit hole.If you're a medical writer, I'm sure you know what I mean. That tendency to get led into or follow the delicious temptations of information, data, and stories that bear a family resemblance to the project you're working on, but are not quite on track.The stories that are fascinating and feed your mind, but don't necessarily move your project any closer to a conclusion. Like you, I’m up against the...
2023-03-2917 min
Write MedicineRobust Outcomes Frameworks for Effective CME/CE
The CME/CE field has increased its focus on outcomes over the last decade. As a result, outcomes reports now involve a more bespoke process, showcasing more detailed targeted data presented in a visually appealing way. Angelique Vinther CHCP is an independent data and outcomes consultant who has specialized in IME reporting for 14 years. She focuses primarily on data collection and analysis methodologies, test question-writing best practices, and reports that communicate clear messaging and data transparency. In today’s episode of Write Medicine, we discuss best practices that education providers can use to evaluate the effe...
2023-03-2247 min
Write MedicineHow Clinicians Can Pivot to a Fulfilling Career in Medical Writing
The content creation process in continuing education for health professionals (CEHP) combines both art and science. As a result, creating content for continuing education attracts people who are synthesizers, information seekers, and creators—like academics, researchers, or health professionals looking for a career change. In EP 46 we explore taking the leap from clinical work to medical writing with Esther Langmack, MD, a medical writer and CME consultant. Esther deliberately practiced her newly acquired skills while working as a clinician and medical director of the CME unit at an academic medical center. Tapping into her natural curiosity, she fos...
2023-03-1544 min
Write MedicineJoint Accreditation: Evolving Best Practices in IPCE
Diana Durham PhD, FACEHP is an accreditation strategist who has worked in CME/CPD since the 1990s. Diana has served in many leadership roles, including for the Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We talk about the accreditation process in general and the evolution of joint accreditation in interprofessional continuing education (IPCE). And we consider how IPCE is evolving and the trends and impacts of accreditation bodies giving hospitals, healthcare systems, specialty societies, and medical schools a mechanism for joint accreditation. Diana shares her perspectives on creative methods of educating all members of the...
2023-03-0948 min
Write MedicineRapid Publishing in a Era of Transparency
Medical research has the potential for far-reaching implications for individuals and society. Peer review remains the gold standard to ensure high-quality information. However, traditional journal submission involves an extensive process that is often costly, and time-consuming process. Mark Riotto is the founder and president of The Research Post, a peer-reviewed, open-access publishing channel. Mark shares his insights on medical publishing and his campaign to promote a more visual experience for disseminating clinical data in a timely fashion. Mark considers the barriers to accessible, digestible information and we explore the advantages of the visual medium in an increasingly...
2023-03-0236 min
Write MedicineBalancing Body Maintenance for Medical Writers
Sedentary lifestyles pose significant well-being challenges to western cultures. For example, prolonged periods at a desk affect posture, mental and physical health, and stress levels. Those of us working in continuing medical education and continuing education for health professionals are no exception to these risks and we can all benefit from a proactive approach to injury prevention. Eva Stabenow, a medical writer and German translator specializing in health and wellness communication, shares her insights with us today. After years of searching Eva found relief from chronic work-related pain by re-patterning her movements with Pilates. When she realized ma...
2023-02-2342 min
Write MedicineNurture Connection: Tell Them a Story
Storytelling cultivates authentic connections and inspires curiosity in our audiences. At the same time, arousing emotions can enhance the learning experience in professional development and continuing education scenarios, like continuing medical education/continuing education in the health professions (CME/CEHP). Today with Ben Riggs, author, writing coach, and Senior Communication Specialist for Kettering Health, Write Medicine considers how to use storytelling in the health professional education field. We focus on the importance of understanding the constituent parts of the writing process and understanding audience needs by first defining who they are. Connect with...
2023-02-1645 min
Write MedicineFind Your Writing Voice: BONUS Episode
In this bonus episode of Write Medicine I talk with Ben Riggs about writing voice. Ben is Senior Communication Specialist for Kettering Health and author of Tell Them A Story. He shares insights on three components that contribute to writing voice: level of formality, syntax and use of metaphor.Connect with BenLinkedInResourcesRiggs B. Tell Them a Story. Using narrative nonfiction in your everyday writing. NY: Editorial Freelancers Association. WordRake: Writing Professionals on LinkedIn to FollowPepper Content:15 Freelance Writers You Should Follow on Linkedin for Inspiration
2023-02-1611 min
Write MedicineMultifaceted Dynamic Patient Cases in CME/CE
The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) encourages the inclusion of the patient perspective within CME activities. And patient cases are a great way to meet this recommendation.Allison Armagan, Pharm.D. a content and education director specializing in creating interactive patient cases, joins me in this episode to talk about how to create multifaceted, dynamic patient cases for education activities. She talks about how targeted patient cases provide ways for clinicians to experience a "real-life" scenario, allow them to practice their skills in a consequence-free environment, address patient needs, and identify gaps in their knowledge...
2023-02-0835 min
Write MedicineEvolving CME/CE with Outcomes Reports
Providers of accredited education for health professionals need to demonstrate that education activities have changed learner behavior and healthcare quality for the better. One of the best ways to show positive change is via outcomes reports. In episode 39 of Write Medicine, Medical Writer and Certified CME Professional Andrew Bowser ELS, CHCP talks about outcomes. Andy is the owner and lead developer with IconCME, a content development and consulting firm in Philadelphia. We discuss the format of reports, who the audiences are for outcomes reports, and how the results can help education evolve and improve. ...
2023-02-0148 min
Write MedicineFearless Freelance Marketing in CME Writing and Beyond
Are you fearless in your marketing? If not, I got good news for you. Lori De Milto, author of The fearless Freelancer is talking with me on this episode of Write Medicine. We explore effective marketing for freelance writers and others working in medical communications, the importance of cultivating a freelance mindset, and how to embody grit, resilience, and confidence in your marketing. Wherever you are on your marketing journey, Lori will reassure you that you have the power to make your freelance future brighter by building relationships through networking. If you're in a marketing sl...
2023-01-2650 min
Write MedicineDigging Deeper with Root Cause Analysis
Continuing medical education planning usually includes a needs assessment. But sometimes it’s pretty challenging to get to the root cause of clinical or professional practice gaps, because they are often multifactorial.That’s where root cause analysis comes in.In episode 37 of Write Medicine, Greg Salinas, PhD, President of CE Outcomes, discusses his unique approach to needs assessments using root cause analysis. He emphasizes that the literature tells us that practice gaps exist (the what), but that we learn more about why gaps exist through direct outreach to clinicians and other...
2023-01-1436 min
Write MedicineConscious Communication in CME Content Creation
Crystal Herron, PhD, ELS founder of Redwood Ink, is an editor, educator and coach. In this episode, she shares her insights into building relationships through supportive, mindful collaboration. Crystal explains how cultivating a gentle and informative manner for feedback promotes longevity with clients. This mindful approach is evident in her informative website resources and newsletter, which are well worth checking out. Crystal advises cultivating a communication skills mindset, with self-awareness and self-regulation at the center through the following:
Slowing down when gathering information
Allowing for curiosity
Meditation
Journaling, using the 5-minute morning and evening fee...
2023-01-1032 min
Write MedicineImproving Community Health at the Confluence of QI and CME
Community health improvement and improving healthcare quality are both Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Accreditation with Commendation criteria.In this episode of Write Medicine, Heather Clemons, MS, MBA, ATC, CHCP shared how she and her colleagues at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, Mesa, California, mobilized quality improvement (QI), a community needs assessment, and continuing medical education (CME) to improve community health and clinical care.As Heather describes, there are many facets to QI, including clinical analytics at the system level, performance improvement CME, and patient safety, which involves specialists to determine root cause analysis—which we’l...
2022-12-1239 min
Write MedicineThe Future of Learning is Sound: Podcasts in Continuing Healthcare Education
We're getting a little meta here on Write Medicine—this is a podcast episode on the value of podcasts 😉Did you know that podcasts are increasing in popularity in continuing healthcare education?As I was researching this episode, I was astounded to see the enormous growth in the number of continuing education podcasts, and the number of clinicians using podcasts as part of their formal and informal learning. As of 2019, the last year for which I could find figures, there were 200 medical podcasts available online covering 19 specialties and almost 14,000 episodes. And while many podcas...
2022-11-2938 min
Write MedicineCultivating a Visual Mindset: Infographics in Continuing Healthcare Education
Infographics offer a powerful tool in our education armamentarium. We process images much faster than we do text, so visual communication saves time and allows more effective data retention. On this episode of Write Medicine, I'm joined by Bhaval Shah PhD and Karen Roy MSc—co-founders of Infograph-Ed, a company delivering engaging visual communications in healthcare. We talk about the power of visual communications in continuing healthcare education, how to develop a visual mindset and current trends in visual communications. We also discuss the design process and how to create effective visual communication throu...
2022-11-1549 min
Write MedicineEnhance Your CME/CE Provider Portfolio with Podcasts
Podcasts continue to grow in popularity, and educational podcasts have multiplied in recent years. In addition, the trend towards mobile education and shorter, more focused activities will likely continue as millennials become the majority of the health care workforce. On this episode of Write Medicine, I talk with Lisa Townsend, a marketing and communications professional working in healthcare associations and non-profit organizations. We discuss the developing role of both accredited and non-accredited continuing education podcasts and how they fit within the education provider's content portfolio in member-driven organizations and associations. In particular, Lisa shares insights on...
2022-11-0130 min
Write MedicineBetween the Cracks: Designing Multidisciplinary Provider Education to Ensure Equitable Patient Care
Multi-disciplinary education has expanded in the last decade or so as a way to ensure that healthcare teams cooperate, coordinate care and communicate to make care more patient-centered, continuous and reliable. On this episode of Write Medicine I talk with Lorna Lucas, MSM, a healthcare education professional and advocate for equitable healthcare. We discuss the role of multidisciplinary education in improving patient outcomes, the challenges in delivering and evaluating multidisciplinary education, and interventions that emerged during the early months of the COVID 19 pandemic to provide psychosocial support for both professionals and patients. Lorna shares the ne...
2022-10-1840 min
Write MedicineMeeting the Need for Trustworthy CME/CE Needs Assessments
Ruwaida Vakil, MSc is a consultant, speaker and a medical writer with expertise in medical communications and continuing medical education (CME). Ruwaida earned her MSc in Immunology at the University of Toronto and the Ontario Cancer Institute. She moved into developing educational content over 21 years ago and is a highly experienced writer of needs assessments. She has developed an effective system for ensuring that these kinds of CME/CE deliverables are framed by fair balance, detail gaps in clinical practice, describe the likely education required to address those gaps, and foreshadow anticipated outcomes from education. On this ep...
2022-10-0437 min
Write MedicineDefining Competencies for CME/CE Writers
In this episode of Write Medicine, I'm joined by Don Harting to talk about CME writing competencies. What are the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that those writing CME/CPD content need to develop in order to create content that connects with and educates health professionals?Medical writers often ask CME writers where to find training and how to get started in CME writing. Don says that clients share with him how challenging it is to find skilled writers for CME-related work. Don and his co-investigator Haifa Kassis think the medical writing field needs a competency model as...
2022-09-1943 min
Write MedicineStraight Talk: CME/CE as an Ally for LGBTQIA+ Health
According to a 2022 Gallup poll, the percentage of adults in the US who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual has doubled in the last decade, and stands at 7.1%. 1 in 5 Gen Z adults identify as LGBT.But health disparities persist among people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, or asexual and more (LGBTQA+). And discrimination against LGBTQA+ people is a key social determinant of health that is linked with high rates of psychiatric disorders, substance abuse,and suicide. Discrimination is evident even as people in LG...
2022-09-0341 min
Write MedicineRecipes for Animating CME/CPD
Jayzona Alberto EdD, MS began her continuing healthcare education career by working on curricula for dentists and other clinicians before transitioning to the Stanford University School of Medicine, where she currently serves as Assistant Director of Continuing Medical Education. Jayzona and her team work with e-learning tools such as animations, and in this episode she walks us through the process of creating an animation from start to finish. We discuss the importance of building relationships with the faculty who inform education content, the resources for CME that an institution such as Stanford can provide, and the potential fo...
2022-06-1840 min