In Conversation with Maral Bodossian

In this article series titled 'My role at Radical Departures', we're exploring the #MedComms journey of all our team members. In this latest instalment we hear from our Account Director Maral Bodossian , interviewed by our Account Executive Annika Hanson !

What is your current role at Radical Departures?

I am an Account Director.

How did you get involved in medical communications?

As I sat in a migraine-inducingly bright lab, micropipetting the day away and pretending to see anything at all under the microscope during a university lab project, I thought to myself that a career in research might not be for me.

Back then I was also working part-time as a maths and science tutor; I loved the challenge of breaking down complex information and tailoring the topics at hand to a variety of age groups and skill levels. However, my favourite thing about life sciences is that the subject is constantly evolving, unlike the stagnant GCSE/A level syllabus. The idea of repeating the phrase “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell” for the next 40+ years filled me with dread and made me realise I needed to explore other options.

Having just discounted the only life sciences jobs that I was aware of, I wearily typed the word ‘biology’ into a job search engine. This is where I discovered medical communications and Radical Departures. I found the idea of getting to use my degree every day really appealing, not to mention working on medical innovations and communicating scientific concepts to different audiences. It also didn’t hurt that the Radical Departures office happened to be a 15-minute walk from where I was living!

Favourite aspect of your role?

The variety of projects and clients. One day you’re working on the launch of a product that’s about to completely change a treatment landscape; the next, you’re working with a charity on materials that help healthcare professionals to identify patients with a rare disease. Albeit indirectly, these projects make a real difference to patients’ lives and that’s an amazing thing to be a part of.

Most challenging aspect of your role?

I’m sure we’d all say tight deadlines and conflicting priorities, which can be a challenge in all industries! More specific to a role in medical communications, I’d say finding the balance between us wanting to pitch innovative projects, while simultaneously being constrained by practicalities (e.g. client budget, project aims).

Favourite part of working at Radical Departures?

While our production team is involved in all areas of a project, some of my friends that work in larger agencies seem to be boxed into what we see as just one aspect of our role. Not only is it more interesting and fulfilling to be fully immersed in a project, but I firmly believe it leads to a better finished product. We’re able to put the needs of the client at the heart of every deliverable. ?

I also love being part of a team that makes me laugh every day and is always willing to help one another! I spend more time at work than anywhere else and so having a supportive, fun working environment does so much for both my job satisfaction and overall well-being. ?