Meet Pat, our friendly neighborhood Principal Medical Writer!
Interview of Pat Wong by the Creative Content Team September 30, 2021
You celebrated 10 years at Remedica recently. How has your career developed in that time?
I have been lucky enough to progress at Remedica and am now a Principal Medical Writer, with a wide remit, which allows me to work over several projects and disease states.
10 years is a long time – what have been your highlights?
I have travelled extensively, so I haven’t been chained to my desk. One of the wildest times was during an advisory board in Moscow. At the evening meal with the advisory board members, the Russian physicians insisted that the clients joined them in after-dinner vodkas. Needless to say, the morning session the following day was rather muted!
How has The AS&K Group changed and grown over the past 10 years?
When I joined The AS&K Group, it still had a publishing arm. During my time here, I have seen us grow both as a company and in terms of expertise. We were early innovators in iPad sales aids, and we continue to innovate in the medical education space.
What attracted you to Med Comms in the first place, and what do you like most about it?
I started out as a lab scientist, then left academia to become a pharma market analyst, but quickly realized that I wanted to do more than read a lot of annual reports and sales data. Part of my job as an analyst was to assess early phase products, and moving to Med Comms, and especially Medical Education, has allowed me to indulge in research across some exciting scientific/medical advances, and come up with ways to communicate these innovations.
What area of science are you most passionate about (and why)?
I started in renal physiology focusing on hypertension and conducted pre-clinical studies on a drug that went on to become a blockbuster, so my first love is cardiovascular disease. However, I am currently working in inflammatory autoimmune diseases which is a fascinating area. Generally, any new field of science raises my passions; I just love to learn about new things. Unsurprisingly, my family and friends think I’m a nerd, and I bet my colleagues think that too.
What attracted you to The AS&K Group?
It was a small company with potential to grow, and I liked the idea that I could be a part of the team that helped the company along that journey.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Every day begins with coffee, then a quick catch-up with emails/messages, followed by a team meeting that sets me up for the day; work varies depending on the projects I am working on – I may be developing slides, or writing executive summaries, or HCP/Patient leaflets – generally with a lot of reading.
Can you sum up your role in 3 words?
Friendly neighborhood writer!
If your role was an animal, what animal would it be?
A cat – a lot of sitting down interspersed with mad bouts of frenetic activity.
How do you relax outside of work?
I coach an U17/18 rugby team and play football; pre-pandemic I liked to go to gigs, and went to my first festival post-lockdown recently, but avoided the mosh pit!
The office has opened but not many people are currently using it. Have you been in?
Not yet, I have set up a 3-screen working space, and it might be difficult to replicate that in the office.
What do you most miss about the office?
The people, and the cycle to work.
What don't you miss?
The people (only joking); and the cycle home from work at rush hour.
What are you most looking forward to when the pandemic is really finally over (if of course it ever is)?
Travel, both for work and leisure. My wife and I had to cancel our 20th wedding anniversary trip to Jordan last year, and we are still waiting to see if we can rebook to visit the Star Wars desert, and the temple where Indiana Jones found the Holy Grail.
If you think you have what it takes to be part of our medical content team, take a look at our current opportunities or just drop our Talent Acquisition Partner, Amy Bremner an email at Amy.Bremner@asandk.com
