Write the Future of Healthcare

The demand for skilled medical communicators is expanding rapidly. Training with leading experts at UChicago and obtaining a rigorous education in the essential principles of medical communication drives career advancement and fosters lasting job satisfaction. This comprehensive program provides flexibility, enabling individuals to progress at their own speed and adapt to the continually changing field.

Elevate medical communications

This essential discipline helps bridge the gap between complex medical research and its practical application, ensuring that important information reaches your intended audience of healthcare professionals, patients, and policymakers in clear, formatted context. From developing scientific manuscripts and regulatory documents to creating patient education materials and health campaigns, medical writers and editors facilitate the flow of medical knowledge and contribute to improved outcomes across the healthcare field.

A career in medical writing and editing offers a unique opportunity to combine a passion for science with the art of communication. As a medical writer, you’ll play a critical role in translating complex medical research into clear, accessible content that can impact patient care, advance scientific knowledge, and support healthcare innovation. With a growing demand for professionals who can effectively communicate medical information across diverse platforms—from scientific journals to patient education materials—this field provides a dynamic and rewarding career path with significant opportunities for growth and specialization.

UChicago’s comprehensive and specialized Medical Writing and Editing Training Certificate program equips you with the core principles of medical communications, best practices in writing and editing, and the ethical grounding needed to produce clear, accurate, and sophisticated medical content in a rapidly evolving field. The program emphasizes mastery of the AMA Manual of Style and hands-on work with manuscripts, publications, and data, all taught by expert medical communications professionals.

Stand Out with a Personalized UChicago Certificate

Whether you are upskilling or pivoting your career, choose your path of interest and focus your training.

Tailor your experience by:

• Choosing a writing concentration to focus your skills.
• Pursuing a microcertificate in Regulatory Writing.
• Taking additional standalone focused course work to learn more specific areas of medical communications.

Our program offers a variety of paths to get you where you want to be. 

While you receive this comprehensive training, you will benefit from outstanding networking with like-minded peers, accomplished instructors, and industry partners at an elite research university.

5 Core Courses:

1. Medical Copyediting
2. Fundamentals of Substantive Editing and Publishing Ethics
3. Fundamentals of Writing and Research Ethics
4. Preparing Tables, Graphics, and Figures
5. Interpreting and Reporting Biostatistics

Plus 1 Writing Concentration Course. Choose from:

• Introduction to Regulatory Writing
• Writing for Patient Education
• Writing for Healthcare Advertising

Regulatory Writing Microcertificate

Add a Regulatory Writing microcertificate by completing two regulatory writing courses.

• Introduction to Regulatory Writing (can be taken as a writing concentration)
• Regulatory Intelligence

Preparing for the Medical Writing and Editing Profession 

Our certificate program combines foundational courses in medical writing and editing with a selection of specialized writing concentrations. This program is designed for a diverse audience of medical communicators, including those seeking entry-level positions, career advancement, or career pivots and reboots. 

Learners will: 

• Build strong editing competencies, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and adherence to professional and ethical standards.
• Strengthen writing, research, and ethical foundations to responsibly synthesize and present scientific and medical information.
• Apply visual communication strategies to make complex data accessible across diverse audiences.
• Accurately interpret and communicate statistical findings in ways meaningful to clinicians, regulators, patients, and the broader healthcare community.

Choose a Career in Medical Writing

Build core competencies and your expertise in a growing field

For those drawn to the fusion of science and communication, our program offers a skill boost to excel in this thriving field. In as little as nine months of part-time study, you can gain the essential skills needed to thrive in medical communications. The program’s comprehensive curriculum, facilitated by industry experts like Barbara Gastel, 2024 recipient of the American Medical Writers Association President’s Award, covers technical writing, editing, data reporting, and analysis while also providing networking opportunities and career support.

Open Doors to Exciting Career Paths

Program completers from the Medical Writing and Editing Training Certificate are well positioned for various roles within the medical and scientific community. This online certificate opens doors to career opportunities such as:

• Medical Writer: Work with pharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations, or healthcare agencies to produce high-quality documents that comply with regulations.
• Scientific Writer or Editor: Collaborate with researchers to publish journal articles, white papers, and other scientific literature.
• Regulatory Affairs Specialist: Focus on the development of regulatory documents required for drug approvals and clinical trials.
• Medical Communications Specialist: Create educational content for healthcare providers, patients, and the public.
• Freelance Medical Writer: Build a flexible, independent career providing medical writing services to a range of clients in the healthcare sector.