Name: Jenny Hsu (she/her)
PhD: Genetics, Stanford University, 2018
What was your main area of research?
In my graduate research, I studied the role of a transcription factor, E2F4, in embryonic stem cells, with the ultimate goal of understanding how it contributes to this cell type's unique capacity for growth and proliferation. With feedback from my mentor and wonderful labmates, and the help of some very skilled collaborators, I determined a novel role for E2F4 in cell cycle progression that is distinct from its canonical role as a repressor of cell cycle genes. I also determined that E2F4 switches to a transcriptional activator when it is no longer bound by its canonical binding partners, the RB family of proteins, and instead binds novel co-factors specific to embryonic stem cells. Given that this cell type shares a similar cell cycle with many tumor and adult stem cell types in which E2F4 is overexpressed, our hope was that any insights from this work could inform the fields of cancer biology and regenerative medicine as well.
What is your current job?
I am a Freelancer in Medical Communications in San Francisco, Bay Area, California.
I have typically worked for agencies that take on pharmaceutical clients and help them optimize their communications strategy. This would encompass publications, conference materials, and symposia presentations, as well as educational resources used by different pharma executives (eg, speakers, sales team members, MSLs) working in outreach to doctors and other stakeholders. The narratives that I help develop are designed not only to educate on the company's assets and clinical trial data, but also to communicate the unmet needs across relevant patient types and how the company might address them. I therefore spend a lot of time reading papers and learning about different disease areas and therapeutic landscapes. Pharma clients also have a need for insights from the market to be communicated to them, and thus I also work on reports that summarize findings from the literature, major conferences, and advisory boards. I ensure that these deliverables are written with an understanding of the client's plan for their brand, and that they include specific recommendations for further marketing and development of the client's products.
I have 2 favorite things: First, I've really enjoyed staying involved in science via continuing to learn about different aspects of human biology. I am sometimes asked to get up to speed very quickly on a new disease space and being able to do that is very rewarding. Second, I enjoy being able to write full-time for a living! Communications can encompass many aspects (eg, data visualization, oral presentation) and writing is my favorite. Even as I take on more directorial/managerial roles, I am a content creator at heart who loves seeing things come together!
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
I learned about medical writing from a friend of a friend who agreed to meet with me for an informational interview and pass my resume onto her company. That was how I landed my first job and the subsequent positions happened organically with folks reaching out on LinkedIn, etc.
PhD graduate ➡️ Medical Writer ➡️ Senior Medical Writer ➡️ Associate Director of Medical Communications ➡️ Director of Medical Communications
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia? Was this a difficult decision or one you felt came easily?
This decision was difficult because I had felt throughout grad school that academia was the safest, most intuitive route and that I wasn't qualified for anything else. At the same time, I honestly loved writing and presenting data much much more than designing experiments - and I didn't feel I was good at designing experiments either! Pursuing my current line of work was my way of honoring the strengths and interests that I'd had outside of science but had always been too afraid to explore.
What are three pieces of advice you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
Network; I applied at my first company on 3 separate occasions by submitting an application form online and was ignored all 3 times, but I got an interview 1 day after a person working at that company passed on the same CV I'd submitted online! Talking to someone and asking if they're willing to refer you can go a long way towards your application being seen
Don't be afraid to seek out learning opportunities; a lot of people were willing to help me gather writing experience when I asked. I took a class on communications, wrote for various organizations, and almost did an unpaid internship with my university’s magazine.
Don't be afraid to start over; my mother always told me that life is an exploration, not a ladder! Trying something new can involve a pay cut or a title cut or general feelings of insecurity and anxiety, but taking a step back in the short term can be the absolute best decision in the long run.