Content Bridges Health Care to Patients
For nearly 20 years, Kelly Crumrin has been honing her writing and editing chops in a variety of industries: travel, security software and health care. Press releases, editorial processes, publications, news articles, technical documentations. Creating content runs through her veins.
But she became bored with writing and editing and felt a need to change careers and move into nursing.
“I spent two years taking prerequisites at junior colleges, including classes on anatomy, physiology and microbiology,” Kelly recalls. “I didn't get into a nursing program when I first applied, but at that point I was rethinking becoming a science and medical writer instead as a way to use my valuable writing and editing skill set along with my new knowledge base. I wondered how I could go farther in science given my B.A.”
Given your writing background, how does biosciences fit into this career pivot?
I'm drawn equally by the endless puzzles to solve and new knowledge to gain, and by the urge to help people living with chronic health conditions. I'm never bored and I'm always learning. And I've had many comments from readers that articles I've worked on have helped them better understand and manage their health, and have better conversations with their doctors.
Doctors have so little time with patients and many people have their symptoms dismissed or discounted, making it difficult to even get a diagnosis or start proper treatment. Any content I can create that helps bridge those gaps makes the world a better place.
So to bring in more science knowledge to augment—and ultimately get promoted into a senior editor role at MyHealthTeam—you started our Advanced Biosciences Program.
It all started because I wanted to take a Pathophysiology class. Because it's the study of disease, it was precisely what I wanted to learn about. UC Berkeley Extension offered this class, so I asked my employer if they'd pay for the course—they agreed.
I loved it, and it was instrumental in helping me kick off content at my company. I then asked my employer if they'd pay for the Immunology course, and I also mentioned the Advanced Biosciences Program as a personal goal I might consider undertaking. Instead, my employer pledged to fund the entire program for me!
Kelly’s Science Journey
That’s fantastic that not only were you so committed to your professional development, but your company was, as well! How were you bringing the science content of your classes into your work?
Nearly everything I learned in the Advanced Biosciences Program has been highly applicable to my current work. While I'm not a medical professional, I'm extremely conversant about medical topics from how diseases arise to the diagnostic process to treatment options and quality of life issues. I'm confident in my understanding, and thanks to the knowledge base the program provided, I continue to read and improve my knowledge every day.
Tell me about your work at MyHealthTeam.
I'm a senior editor and have been with the organization for 10 years. We build social support networks for people with chronic conditions and their loved ones. We support more than 60 communities, including MyMSTeam, MyPsoriasisTeam, myRAteam and MyCrohnsAndColitisTeam. Each network is a free membership community where people can find others with the same diagnosis, share their challenges and offer each other tips and support. Information is kept strictly private and never sold.
The developmental editors split up the conditions so each of us is a "captain" over the conditions we are most familiar with. I'm captain of MS and most of the cancers we support, including leukemia, lymphoma, breast, bladder, kidney, lung and melanoma. I'm the go-to cancer expert for the company.
My duties include ideating and planning what topics we'll cover, assigning articles to writers, editing articles and researching new conditions we can build social networks for. It's a fantastic place to work, and I feel lucky every day.
The program has helped me achieve and maintain my position as a respected authority on disease in my company. It helped me secure a promotion to senior editor, and I'm especially proud to be the captain of our cancer conditions
What does earning the Award of Completion mean to you?
Personally, I was very proud of earning the award. It's definitely bolstered my confidence in my academic ability and, specifically, my science chops.
Professionally, the program has helped me achieve and maintain my position as a respected authority on disease in my company. It helped me secure a promotion to senior editor, and I'm especially proud to be the captain of our cancer conditions. I see the program as seminal in my being able to better support people with chronic conditions, helping them see around corners and have better outcomes and quality of life. It's made me a better medical science editor, and I'd recommend it to anyone in that field who doesn't already have science credentials.
What advice would you give to a student who is starting the program?
Don't wait until things are due to start. Keep ahead of the game. Take the student discussions seriously. And always, always be curious.
Where can we find you in five to 10 years from now?
I hope to still be creating content for people living with chronic health conditions, either at the company I'm with now or as a freelance writer and editor.