In conversation with Catherine Silk

We're taking some time to learn more about the #MedComms journey of the Radical Departures team. In this new articles series titled 'My role at Radical Departures', we will explore how each team member initially got involved in the industry and what their current role entails.

First up is Catherine Silk , interviewed by our Medical Writer Natasha Leese !

What is your current role at Radical Departures?

I am the ‘Director – Projects & Client Services’.

How did you get involved in medical communications?

I studied Biology at University and applied for an NHS role when I graduated. I was working as a healthcare assistant in the operating theatres which was absolutely fascinating. I loved watching the operations and being able to support the nurses and surgeons. Although I found it interesting, I didn’t want to follow the career path to become an operating department practitioner, and, if I’m honest, I missed seeing daylight! So, I kept a look out for graduate life sciences jobs and saw the role at Radical Departures advertised. I don’t think I totally knew what medical communications was at the time, but I really enjoyed the recruitment exercises and I got a great impression of the team from my interview. Luckily they felt the same, so in 2010 I started here as a Researcher. At the time, we were a team of four so I felt like I was really valuable right from the start, and I was exposed to lots of different projects and clients from my first day.

Favourite aspect of your role?

Working in Med Comms puts us in a really cool position to be aware of incredible advancements in pharmaceutical therapies. I really love it when we get to work on a new product launch, especially when the data show that this therapy will be transformative for the patients living with a condition. Pharma as an industry is so patient-focused now, a difference I have seen very clearly in the 13 years I’ve been working in the industry, so to see testimonials from patients before and after they begin a new treatment is very powerful. In these moments, it really feels like we are an important part of the team, alongside the researchers, medics and brand teams. I also find our non-Pharma work hugely rewarding. It has a really different feel to it, as often our role is developing training for healthcare professionals and we regularly work with patients and clinicians to develop the content. Some of my favourite memories at Radical Departures have been filming days for these projects. For example, shadowing two older people with visual impairment for a day as they navigate the world, or interviewing children and adults with learning disabilities about their surrounding eye tests.

Most challenging aspect of your role?

Balancing conflicting priorities is the toughest part for me, but I think a lot of people in client services might feel that way. My natural preference is to compartmentalise and work on one task at a time, so when there are emails, Microsoft Teams messages, phone calls and office conversations which all need my attention, in addition to the ‘To Do’ list I had planned for the day, I can get a bit dazed. Fortunately, I’ve been doing it for long enough that I know I can’t do everything at once and I have strategies to make it work for me. There’s also nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of the phone call to tell you the product’s marketing authorisation has been brought forward, or the prescribing information needs to change across all items, or we’ve been invited to a pitch that’s only a week away!

Favourite part of working at Radical Departures?

I have a suspicion everyone might say the same, but the people are the highlight for me! We are lucky that we don’t have much staff turnover, so I have colleagues who have been alongside me for some very important moments in my life, and vice versa. That makes us a strong team; we can trust each other but also be honest with each other. This spills over into the interest and support we give to each other in terms of our passions outside of work. The company attitude is that work-life balance is essential, and people’s hobbies and home lives are valued. I don’t think I could work somewhere where it was all about the work, and not about the people.