Write Medicine – Details, episodes & analysis

What 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 how to reframe it as strength.
• Four entrepreneurial habits that can help you thrive as a freelance medical writer while avoiding their shadow sides.
• Simple, practical practices—like free writing and mindful self-awareness—that help you claim permission, rebuild confidence, and cultivate a sustainable business mindset.

Press play now to learn how to navigate identity loss, tap into your natural strengths, and take small steps toward building a medical writing business that feels truly your own.

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Practice Lab

Build a Practical, Safe, Repeatable AI-assisted Workflow in Just 4 Weeks. March 9 - April 2 Move beyond experimenting with AI. In this 4-week practice lab, work hands-on with Núria Negrão to build a documented, repeatable AI workflow for research, drafting, and quality control—one you can confidently explain to clients and teams.

Write Medicine Mentor

Write Medicine Mentor is your private companion podcast designed exclusively for medical writers who want deeper support as they grow in continuing medical education (CME). Each month, you'll receive exclusive content from me to support your business and income growth as well as templates/checklists/swipe files you can use and apply to client projects. In addition to immediate access to a CME writing starter pack, each month you’ll get: * A bonus episode that takes you behind the mic for advanced insights into the craft and business of CME writing. * A ready-to-use template, checklist, or swipe file to make your projects smoother and more effective. * An Ask Me Anything episode, where Alexandra Howson, PhD, answers your questions about writing, clients, CME strategy, and sustainable freelance life. Think of this podcast as your personal, earbud-friendly mentor—practical, honest, and always focused on helping you sharpen your skills, expand your opportunities, and thrive as a CME writer.

What if the CME you design could do more than deliver knowledge—what if it could actually change clinician behavior and improve patient care?

As a CME writer or education professional, you’ve likely felt the frustration of producing content that looks strong on paper but doesn’t translate into meaningful practice change. This episode explores how learning science, human-centered design, and patient co-creation can help you bridge the gap between information and impact.

By listening, you will discover:

• Learning science principles, like Mayer’s multimedia principles, that make education stick.
• The difference between learning change and behavior change, and why both matter in CME.
• How aligning clinician and patient education fosters shared decision-making and better healthcare outcomes.

Press play now to learn practical strategies you can use to design CME that transforms knowledge into real-world change.

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Practice Lab

Build a Practical, Safe, Repeatable AI-assisted Workflow in Just 4 Weeks. March 9 - April 2 Move beyond experimenting with AI. In this 4-week practice lab, work hands-on with Núria Negrão to build a documented, repeatable AI workflow for research, drafting, and quality control—one you can confidently explain to clients and teams.

Do you ever feel like you're navigating your career in CME alone, unsure of where you fit in or how to grow without burning out?

Many CME professionals work independently or remotely, which can be both rewarding and isolating. Beyond professional networks, building a true community can provide the support, engagement, and inspiration needed to thrive in this field. In this episode, we explore why community matters in CME, how it enhances career growth and well-being, and practical steps you can take to create meaningful connections.

• Discover how a strong professional community can boost your career and well-being.
• Understand the key elements that define a thriving professional community.
• Learn practical ways to engage in and build a community that supports your growth in CME.

Listen now to uncover the power of community in CME and learn how to cultivate meaningful professional connections that will support your long-term success.

00:00 Introduction: Navigating the CME Field Alone

00:48 The Importance of Community in CME

01:50 Defining Community and Its Elements

02:38 Personal Experiences of Belonging

03:50 Shared Values and Mutual Support in CME

05:08 Networks vs. Communities

06:29 Benefits of Community for CME Professionals

10:19 Practical Steps to Engage in Community

11:01 Conclusion and Next Steps

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Practice Lab

Build a Practical, Safe, Repeatable AI-assisted Workflow in Just 4 Weeks. March 9 - April 2 Move beyond experimenting with AI. In this 4-week practice lab, work hands-on with Núria Negrão to build a documented, repeatable AI workflow for research, drafting, and quality control—one you can confidently explain to clients and teams.

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 fostered connections and honed her skills by being open to feedback from experienced colleagues. 

 We talk about the creativity, flexibility, and autonomy that creating education content for health professionals offers and discuss clinicians' specific strengths in CME/CEHP medical writing. 

📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
⭐ Review the podcast
🗞️ Biweekly Newsletter with tips and resources to enrich your CME content niche
➡️ Join WriteCME Pro for ongoing professional development
🌐 Podcast website
🎙️ Share the podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Practice Lab

Build a Practical, Safe, Repeatable AI-assisted Workflow in Just 4 Weeks. March 9 - April 2 Move beyond experimenting with AI. In this 4-week practice lab, work hands-on with Núria Negrão to build a documented, repeatable AI workflow for research, drafting, and quality control—one you can confidently explain to clients and teams.

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 healthcare team such as Schwartz rounds, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes), and simulations.

Resources
Volpone
ACCME
ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education
Joint Accreditation
American Council for Pharmacy Education
American Nurses Credentialing Center
American Academy of Physician Assistants
Council on Optometric Practitioner Education
American Dental Association
Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer

Connect with Diana
DianaJDurhamCPD@gmail.com
LinkedIn

Connect with Alex
Podcast
LinkedIn
YouTube

📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
⭐ Review the podcast
🗞️ Biweekly Newsletter with tips and resources to enrich your CME content niche
➡️ Join WriteCME Pro for ongoing professional development
🌐 Podcast website
🎙️ Share the podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Practice Lab

Build a Practical, Safe, Repeatable AI-assisted Workflow in Just 4 Weeks. March 9 - April 2 Move beyond experimenting with AI. In this 4-week practice lab, work hands-on with Núria Negrão to build a documented, repeatable AI workflow for research, drafting, and quality control—one you can confidently explain to clients and teams.

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 transparent publishing process.

Resources
The Nelson Memo: Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research

Connect with Mark
TheResearchPost
LinkedIn
Facebook: @theresearchpost

Connect with Alex
Podcast
LinkedIn
YouTube

📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
⭐ Review the podcast
🗞️ Biweekly Newsletter with tips and resources to enrich your CME content niche
➡️ Join WriteCME Pro for ongoing professional development
🌐 Podcast website
🎙️ Share the podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Practice Lab

Build a Practical, Safe, Repeatable AI-assisted Workflow in Just 4 Weeks. March 9 - April 2 Move beyond experimenting with AI. In this 4-week practice lab, work hands-on with Núria Negrão to build a documented, repeatable AI workflow for research, drafting, and quality control—one you can confidently explain to clients and teams.

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 many of her fellow desk workers were facing the same challenges, she set out to help them. Today, in addition to keeping a full-ish writing and translation schedule, she empowers people of all ages and abilities to move better, feel better and live better through targeted 1-1 sessions and affordable online group classes. 

In addition to helping people understand complex health content using plain language, Eva physically conveys her passion for health and health communication by teaching Pilates—a low-impact activity that balances strength with mobility and flexibility, so that you can move more freely and with more power. 

We discuss the following topics:

✔️ Who benefits from Pilates, and what are those benefits
✔️ Preconceptions of flexibility, mobility, and strength training
✔️ What to look for in a Pilates instructor
✔️ Pilates role in bridging the gap between physical therapy and return to regular workouts

Resources

• Is Pilates as Good as Everyone Says?
• Pilates Method Alliance 
• Pilates Anytime
• 5 Pilates Exercises for Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Connect with Eva
You can find and follow her at Sunroom Pilates.
email: info@sunroompilates.com

Message Eva and mention this podcast to try a free class!

📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
⭐ Review the podcast
🗞️ Biweekly Newsletter with tips and resources to enrich your CME content niche
➡️ Join WriteCME Pro for ongoing professional development
🌐 Podcast website
🎙️ Share the podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Practice Lab

Build a Practical, Safe, Repeatable AI-assisted Workflow in Just 4 Weeks. March 9 - April 2 Move beyond experimenting with AI. In this 4-week practice lab, work hands-on with Núria Negrão to build a documented, repeatable AI workflow for research, drafting, and quality control—one you can confidently explain to clients and teams.

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 Ben
LinkedIn

Resources
Riggs B. Tell Them a Story. Using narrative nonfiction in your everyday writing. NY: Editorial Freelancers Association.  
WordRake: Writing Professionals on LinkedIn to Follow
Pepper Content:15 Freelance Writers You Should Follow on Linkedin for Inspiration
Clear Writing Q&A
Get Started on Your Writing Journey
The Importance of Powerful Storytelling in Writing

When we were talking about ideas/"leafmold," Ben mentioned an essay he wrote about walking his dog, Lewie. Here's the essay. 

Ben's recommendations for d books on writing: 

•  Elements of Style (Strunk &White)
•  Writing Tools and Help! for Writers (Roy Peter Clark)
•  On Writing Well and Writing to Learn (William Zinsser) 
•  The Reader, the Text, the Poem (Louise Rosenblatt) 

📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
⭐ Review the podcast
🗞️ Biweekly Newsletter with tips and resources to enrich your CME content niche
➡️ Join WriteCME Pro for ongoing professional development
🌐 Podcast website
🎙️ Share the podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Practice Lab

Build a Practical, Safe, Repeatable AI-assisted Workflow in Just 4 Weeks. March 9 - April 2 Move beyond experimenting with AI. In this 4-week practice lab, work hands-on with Núria Negrão to build a documented, repeatable AI workflow for research, drafting, and quality control—one you can confidently explain to clients and teams.

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 Ben
LinkedIn

Resources
Riggs B. Tell Them a Story. Using narrative nonfiction in your everyday writing. NY: Editorial Freelancers Association.  
WordRake: Writing Professionals on LinkedIn to Follow
Pepper Content:15 Freelance Writers You Should Follow on Linkedin for Inspiration
Clear Writing Q&A 
Get Started on Your Writing Journey
The Importance of Powerful Storytelling in Writing

When we were talking about ideas/"leafmold," Ben mentioned an essay he wrote about walking his dog, Lewie. Here's the essay. 

Ben's recommendations for d books on writing: 

•  Elements of Style (Strunk &White)
•  Writing Tools and Help! for Writers (Roy Peter Clark)
•  On Writing Well and Writing to Learn (William Zinsser) 
•  The Reader, the Text, the Poem (Louise Rosenblatt) 

📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
⭐ Review the podcast
🗞️ Biweekly Newsletter with tips and resources to enrich your CME content niche
➡️ Join WriteCME Pro for ongoing professional development
🌐 Podcast website
🎙️ Share the podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Practice Lab

Build a Practical, Safe, Repeatable AI-assisted Workflow in Just 4 Weeks. March 9 - April 2 Move beyond experimenting with AI. In this 4-week practice lab, work hands-on with Núria Negrão to build a documented, repeatable AI workflow for research, drafting, and quality control—one you can confidently explain to clients and teams.

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 and skills.

Designing patient cases involves a LOT of research, starting with patient advocacy websites, clinical guidelines, and recent literature. Allison emphasizes the importance of understanding the patient's voice, in addition to the disease state information, and of the power of the narrative. to engage audiences by telling a memorable and enjoyable story.

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed within the content are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Pfizer.

Resources
Episode 4 of Write Medicine focuses on writing patient cases with Scott Kober.
Allison mentioned I’m Aware That I’m Rare, a podcast on pulmonary hypertension.

Connect with Allison
LinkedIn

Connect with Alex
LinkedIn
Website

📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
⭐ Review the podcast
🗞️ Biweekly Newsletter with tips and resources to enrich your CME content niche
➡️ Join WriteCME Pro for ongoing professional development
🌐 Podcast website
🎙️ Share the podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Practice Lab

Build a Practical, Safe, Repeatable AI-assisted Workflow in Just 4 Weeks. March 9 - April 2 Move beyond experimenting with AI. In this 4-week practice lab, work hands-on with Núria Negrão to build a documented, repeatable AI workflow for research, drafting, and quality control—one you can confidently explain to clients and teams.