Translating Treatment

This essential discipline now helps bridge the gap between complex medical research and its practical application, ensuring that important information reaches healthcare professionals, patients, and policymakers in clear, usable forms. 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 health outcomes across the healthcare field.

Barbara Gastel, MD, MPH, the 2024 recipient of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) President's Award, has been a pioneer in the field since its early years. Her influential work and teaching at Texas A&M University, where she has been a faculty member since 1989 and taught in the master’s degree program in science and technology journalism since its inception in the 1990s, have not only cemented her status as a leading expert in the field but have gone far to making the field what it is today. She has also been an adjunct instructor for the Medical Writing and Editing certificate at University of Chicago Professional Education (UCPE) since 2016.

“When I got out of college there really wasn’t a straight career path into the field,” says Gastel. Although AMWA was founded in 1940, most medical writing until the 1970s was performed by physicians and researchers, often as a secondary part of their primary roles.

“I sort of joke and say that I took the easy way out and went to medical school,” she says. “I went in with a completely open mind about going down a clinical path, or into research, or into medical communications. Everybody told me that once I’d get to the clinical part I’d forget about these other things.”

She continues, “But even when I got to the clinical part, it was the communication that I enjoyed most. I loved explaining things to patients and giving presentations. While in medical school I worked as a student assistant editor at a medical journal and really liked that.”

In the late 1970s, as Gastel began her career, the field of medical writing and editing was just starting to formalize. As AMWA expanded its focus beyond physician–writers to include professional medical communicators, the rise of continuing medical education (CME) programs created new opportunities for medical writers to develop educational materials for healthcare professionals.

During this time, Gastel had wide-ranging medical writing and communication roles, including in government, that exemplified the fluid boundaries of a burgeoning field.

“I found myself doing a whole range of things,” she says. “At NIH, for instance, I was writing pieces for the public as well as speeches for the director. I would also research and draft articles assigned to the director. We'd discuss the content together and serve as co-authors.”

Some of this writing, she adds, was done using a manual typewriter. At Newsweek, where she had a fellowship through the American Association for the Advancement of Science, manuscripts were typed. Photos were sent to journals as glossy prints with cardboard around them. But all this was about to start changing.

The 1980s heralded a paradigm shift driven by the confluence of technological innovation and regulatory expansion. The advent of personal computing revolutionized document creation and management, while the increasing complexity of regulatory frameworks, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector, necessitated the emergence of regulatory writing as a distinct specialty.

As the demand for clarity in complex fields grew, specialized training programs began to emerge, reflecting the increasing professionalization of science and technical writing during this era. Gastel was hired to teach science writing at MIT in 1981 and published her first book, Presenting Science to the Public, in 1983. The decade would also find her teaching technical communication in China before returning to academia in the United States.

The 1990s saw the rise of evidence-based medicine and the increasing demand for skilled professionals capable of translating complex scientific data into actionable clinical guidance. The internet also started reshaping the landscape of medical communication, as did the growing emphasis on patient-centered care, which spurred the need for clear, accessible patient education materials. This broadened the scope of medical writing beyond its traditional academic and clinical confines.

In 1998, Gastel published the Health Writer’s Handbook, a reference guide and textbook for health writers looking to deepen their study of medical journalism. In 2005, a revised and expanded edition was released, incorporating a more comprehensive focus on the evolving role of the internet in health journalism.

As this history progressed, the development of degree and certificate programs began to play an increasingly critical role in the professionalization of medical writers and editors. Gastel notes how, unlike the early days, where learning often happened through trial and error or informal mentorship, these programs now offer the sort of structured training that enhances both efficiency and credibility.

“When these opportunities started to arise, they grounded the discipline in a broad spectrum of expert information in a way that hadn’t been done in such a comprehensive way before,” Gastel says. “This compilation is now what allows individuals to learn the necessary skills as they get an overview of available opportunities in the field.” 

She also emphasizes that formal education offers important networking opportunities, internships, and job placements. “I’ll sometimes get calls saying, ‘Our medical writer or editor is leaving. Do you have anyone graduating this semester?’” Gastel remarks, illustrating how these programs can directly connect students with job opportunities in the industry.

With nearly five decades of experience in the field, Gastel has not only witnessed but actively shaped its evolution. Her unique perspective makes her exceptionally qualified to identify what makes medical writing and editing a fulfilling career choice. She highlights four key aspects:

1. Combining interests

“A lot of people who go into this field are like me and really interested in the subject matter of science while also being interested in the craft of writing and editing. It’s very exciting to find a way to combine these interests.”

2. Producing something tangible

“Another part that makes medical writing and editing fulfilling is that it’s something that results in a tangible product. Whether it’s a piece of writing or an article you’ve edited and made better, your concrete contribution instills a sense of professional pride.”

3. Learning continuously

“I think perhaps most of all it’s a field that rewards continuous learning. You’re constantly stimulated intellectually and working with very interesting people.”

4. Contributing to a helping profession

“One of the overriding factors is that it’s a helping profession. Although you’re not directly treating patients, if you’re writing for the public, you’re helping people maintain or increase their health; if you’re writing for biomedical scientists or healthcare providers, you're helping them to provide good healthcare or to advance medical knowledge.” 

Gastel is set to share her wealth of knowledge and experience in an upcoming book with University of Chicago Press. Provisionally titled Medical Editing: Craft and Career, it is the first book-length guide to the unique aspects of medical editing and to careers in the field, bringing together the insights she's gathered throughout her distinguished career in health communication and editorial work.
 

For those drawn to this fusion of science and communication, the UChicago Professional Education’s online Medical Writing and Editing certificate program offers a foundational gateway into this thriving field. In just nine months to a year of part-time study, you can gain the essential skills needed to thrive in medical communication. The program’s interactive curriculum, led by industry experts like Barbara Gastel, covers writing, editing, data reporting, and analysis, while also providing networking opportunities and career support.

As part of a stackable healthcare certificate portfolio, this program not only equips you with immediate skills but also lays the groundwork for continued professional growth in the broader healthcare communication landscape.