83 episodes

Write Medicine is a weekly podcast that explores best practices in creating content that connects with and educates health professionals. I use my expertise in education and health care to guide rich, honest discussions about the practice of creating CME/CPD content with intention and to teach medical writers how to create CME/CPD content with confidence.

Write Medicine is here to offer you guidance and strategies as you navigate all phases of CME/CPD. Come and join our thoughtful, provocative, and valuable conversations about adult learning, teaching platforms, content creation techniques, effective formats, and trends in healthcare that influence the type of content we create. 

Wherever you are in the content creation process, if your work involves planning, designing, delivering, or evaluating education for health professionals, this podcast is for you.

Write Medicine Alexandra Howson PhD

    • Health & Fitness
    • 4.7 • 15 Ratings

Write Medicine is a weekly podcast that explores best practices in creating content that connects with and educates health professionals. I use my expertise in education and health care to guide rich, honest discussions about the practice of creating CME/CPD content with intention and to teach medical writers how to create CME/CPD content with confidence.

Write Medicine is here to offer you guidance and strategies as you navigate all phases of CME/CPD. Come and join our thoughtful, provocative, and valuable conversations about adult learning, teaching platforms, content creation techniques, effective formats, and trends in healthcare that influence the type of content we create. 

Wherever you are in the content creation process, if your work involves planning, designing, delivering, or evaluating education for health professionals, this podcast is for you.

    Prompts, Personas, and Process: Practical Strategies for Using Generative AI in CME/CPD

    Prompts, Personas, and Process: Practical Strategies for Using Generative AI in CME/CPD

    Show Notes
    What privacy concerns do you have related to generative AI tools like ChatGPT? Do you worry about the internet scraping that comes with gen-AI territory? Are you searching for practical advice on how to effectively use generative AI for creating continuing education content for health professionals?
    These questions and more are the focus of today’s episode of Write Medicine. My guest is medical writer and generative AI expert Nuria Negrao and we’re talking about how AI models like ChatGPT are trained and why we should care about this as well as the ethical implications of AI scraping information from various sources. Nuria also shares practical advice on effectively using generative AI for needs assessments and other types of CME/CPD content by paying attention to prompts, personas, and process. And we have a question from listener Natalie Turner about good prompts to aid in the development of a needs assessment.

    Time Stamps:
    (02:36) - Núria’s thoughts on using Generative AI as a thought partner for reflecting the full richness of cultural, ethnic, and gendered text and communication
    (03:51) - The Reddit lawsuit against ChatGPT over access to private conversations
    (06:27) - Listener Question: What are some good prompts to aid the development of a needs assessment?
    (11:57) - What generative AI can help with
    (15:15) - Using the process as a starting point

    Click Here for the Transcript

    Resources
    API = application programming interface

    About Guest
    Núria is a medical writer in the continuing education field. Núria brings her scientific training as well as her vast experience in teaching effective science and medical communication to every project, helping craft engaging and effective educational experiences that support, inspire, and motivate learners.

    Connect with Núria
    LinkedIn

    Grab Your ChatGPT Cheatsheet

    About Write Medicine
    Hosted by Alexandra Howson PhD, CHCP
    Produced by Golden Goose Creative
    📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
    📰 Want more tips and tools from Alex and podcast guests? Subscribe to the newsletter. Twice a month from me to you. Biweekly Newsletter
    ➡️ Grab your WriteCME Roadmap! Get access to this complimentary ebook, designed to help you break into CME, find clients, and hone your craft.
    ➡️ Ready for skills, scaffolding, and support? Join WriteCME Pro
    🎙️ Know someone who would love this podcast? Share the podcast
    ☕ Want to say thanks? Buy me a Coffee

    • 18 min
    Pawsitive Penmanship: How Veterinarians Can Thrive in the World of Medical Writing

    Pawsitive Penmanship: How Veterinarians Can Thrive in the World of Medical Writing

    Show Notes
    What existing skills and competencies do you know you have for sure? How can you put those skills to use to find new professional opportunities? Understanding and acknowledging your skills is crucial for building confidence and pursuing new professional opportunities. My guest today is JoAnna Pendergrass DVM, a veterinarian turned medical writer who has built a successful solo business creating content focused on pet health and educating pet parents. If you have participated in the freelance panel offered by the University of Chicago Professional Certificate Program in Medical Writing, you’ll recognize JoAnna. Today she shares the catalysts that triggered her transition from veterinary practice to medical writing, the challenges she faced in making this shift, and how she found solutions to those challenges.
    If you are a vet thinking of medical writing as a side hustle or alternative career, you’re going to want to listen to this episode. It’s jam-packed with tips and resources to support your medical writing journey. We talk about the importance of doing the internal work to clarify what brings you joy and to identify your current skills and competencies, how to build your business in a way that works for your life, and the importance of finding other vets who have made the shift into medical writing—people who speak your language.

    Time Stamps:
    (03:39) - Introducing JoAnna
    (07:40) - Her next steps and the challenges she navigated in shifting into medical writing
    (12:22) - JoAnna’s perspective on the field itself as she moved from a postdoc context into medical writing
    (14:02) - Her experience with agency work
    (17:29) - How JoAnna faced challenges
    (22:34) - How she found community with other veterinary medical writers
    (24:18) The impact of finding a community who spoke her language
    (24:50) The skills she brought from veterinary training to medical writing
    (27:59) What has surprised her about medical writing
    (31:50) JoAnna’s advice for vets thinking about shifting into medical writing
    (37:52) Her final thoughts on building a successful and effective business that works for your life

    Click Here for the Transcript

    Resources
    SCORE

    About JoAnna
    JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM, is a veterinarian and freelance medical writer. She has been a medical writer for over 10 years and started her freelance medical communication company, JPen Communications, in 2016. JoAnna is passionate about pet owner education. Through her writing, she seeks to fill in the gap between what the veterinarian says and what the pet parent understands.

    Connect with JoAnna
    LinkedIn
    JPen Communications

    About Write Medicine
    Hosted by Alexandra Howson PhD, CHCP
    Produced by Golden Goose Creative
    📰 Want more tips and tools from Alex and podcast guests? Subscribe to the newsletter. Twice a month from me to you. Biweekly Newsletter
    📍 Grab your WriteCME Roadmap! Get access to this complimentary ebook, designed to help you break into CME, find clients, and hone your craft.
    ➡️ Ready for skills, scaffolding, and support? Join WriteCME Pro
    🎙️ Know someone who would love this podcast? Share the podcast
    ☕ Want to say thanks? Buy me a Coffee

    • 43 min
    The AI Revolution: How Generative Models are Transforming CME/CPD Content Creation

    The AI Revolution: How Generative Models are Transforming CME/CPD Content Creation

    Show Notes
    Are you angsting over the potential impact of generative AI on your work? Are you hyper-dialed into ethical considerations around the potential for copyright infringement, data ownership, and authorship when using generative AI tools like ChatGPT? Whatever your questions or concerns are about generative AI, this technology is poised to transform how we create continuing education content for health professionals. 
    Today’s episode is the first in a 2-part series of episodes that focus on writing, reasoning, and the ethical considerations surrounding generative AI. My guest is Núria Negrao PhD, a medical writer specializing in CME/CPD and a generative AI enthusiast who's been playing with ChatGPT since it burst onto the horizon in 2022.
    We review different ways to use gen-AI tools like Bing and Bard for tasks like summarization and identifying key points, and touch on copyright issues, using OpenAI's API, and how to use gen-AI to create formulas that support scientific writing. And we also explore the value of bringing a human perspective and cultural knowledge into the writing and content creation process and the potential benefits and legal challenges of using AI tools, like ChatGPT. 

    Time Stamps:
    (03:30) - Introducing Núria
    (07:06) - The questions she was tinkering with and asking in the early phases of Generative AI
    (10:10) - Her thoughts on navigating the GenAI landscape for beginners
    (12:50) - Practical use cases of Generative AI implementation
    (17:18) - Handling the client conversation around using GenAI
    (22:50) - Listener Question: Around legal and ethical implications for submitting your own text for analysis by generative AI
    (29:11) - Exploring the dangers of using Generative AI as our collaborators 

    Click Here for the Transcript

    Resources
    API = application programming interface

    About Guest
    Núria is a medical writer in the continuing education field. Núria brings her scientific training as well as her vast experience in teaching effective science and medical communication to every project, helping craft engaging and effective educational experiences that support, inspire, and motivate learners.

    Connect with Núria
    LinkedIn

    Grab Your Gen-AI Cheatsheet

    About Write Medicine
    Hosted by Alexandra Howson PhD, CHCP
    Produced by Golden Goose Creative
    📰 Want more tips and tools from Alex and podcast guests? Subscribe to the newsletter. Twice a month from me to you. Biweekly Newsletter
    📍 Grab your WriteCME Roadmap! Get access to this complimentary ebook, designed to help you break into CME, find clients, and hone your craft.
    ➡️ Ready for skills, scaffolding, and support? Join WriteCME Pro
    🎙️ Know someone who would love this podcast? Share the podcast
    ☕ Want to say thanks? Buy me a Coffee

    • 35 min
    The Power of Reinforcement in CME/CE: Understanding Knowledge Competence and Self-efficacy in Learning

    The Power of Reinforcement in CME/CE: Understanding Knowledge Competence and Self-efficacy in Learning

    Show Notes
    Are you running correlation analysis in your education activity and program evaluation? Are you having conversations with your colleagues, as listener Natalie Goldberg is, about how access to practice data is potentially redefining how we think about Moores outcomes at levels 5, 6, and 7?
    In part 1 of this 2-part series of conversations with Katie Lucero Ph.D., Vice President, Audience, Analytics, Outcomes & Insights at Medscape we began to open up the black box that houses the relationship between self-efficacy, commitment to change, and intent to change.
    In part 2, we focus on how access to health data is evolving and what this means for measuring outcomes, the power of reinforcement and what that looks like, and tips for enhancing outcomes measures and strategies for measuring the impact of education programs.

    Time Stamps:
    (02:26) - The relationship between self-efficacy and commitment to change
    (05:37) - Unpacking the concept of commitment to change
    (10:09) - Listener Question: Are the definitions of what constitutes Moore’s Levels changing or evolving
    (12:28) - The research Katie has been doing with Don Moore
    (16:26) - Her sense of how much correlation people are doing in this field
    (18:23) - Practical steps to optimize available resources for enhanced outcome measurement in education programs
    (22:02) - What she is seeing in the future that excites her in terms of outcomes
    (23:55) - How to stay in touch with Katie and her work

    Click Here for the Transcript

    Resources
    Lucero KS, Williams B, Moore DE Jr PhD. The Emerging Role of Reinforcement in the Clinician's Path from Continuing Education to Practice. J Cont Ed Health Prof. Nov 14, 2023.
    Alliance Podcast. ‘Assessing Assessments.’ Jim Morgante, PhD
    Assessing Assessments: Are your questions any good? Alliance Annual Conference, 2023. Jason Olivieri, MPH, Jim Morgante, PhD

    About Katie
    As Vice President at Medscape, Katie leads content marketing, analytics, outcomes & insights. Katie previously was PI and lead evaluator on federal grants and local contracts, directed QI-CME and health outcomes studies, and evaluated public health programs at the CDC. Katie was named 2020 Brian P. Russell CME Professional of the Year. She earned a PhD at Auburn University in Human Development.

    Connect with Katie
    email: klucero@webmd.net
    LinkedIn

    💥 Black Friday Blowout: Details Here

    About Write Medicine
    Hosted by Alexandra Howson PhD, CHCP
    Produced by Golden Goose Creative
    📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
    📰 Want more tips and tools from Alex and podcast guests? Subscribe to the newsletter. Twice a month from me to you. Biweekly Newsletter
    ➡️ Grab your WriteCME Roadmap! Get access to this complimentary ebook, designed to help you break into CME, find clients, and hone your craft.
    ➡️ Ready for skills, scaffolding, and support? Join WriteCME Pro
    🎙️ Know someone who would love this podcast? Share the podcast
    ☕ Want to say thanks? Buy me a Coffee

    • 25 min
    Self-Efficacy and Confidence in Behavior-Driven CME/CE Outcomes

    Self-Efficacy and Confidence in Behavior-Driven CME/CE Outcomes

    Show Notes
    If you’re a continuing medical education provider, do you ever feel as though your approach to outcomes measures could use some spice? Do you wonder what are we missing when we don't include process measures in outcomes evaluation? Or when you are working on outcomes measurement, analysis, and crucially, writing that outcomes report, do you find yourself wondering how to use confidence as an indicator of behavior change, or where self-efficacy fits into the outcomes mix?
    That’s our focus today with Katie Lucero PhD, Vice President, Audience, Analytics, Outcomes & Insights at Medscape. We’re also talking about frameworks for behavior change, user experience in learning, and the meaning of confidence and self-efficacy as education outcome measures. 
    Today’s episode is the first in a 2-part series of episodes that focus on outcomes evaluation that dig into questions like the significance of self-reported confidence, competence, intent or commitment to change, the value of using claims data and digital footprint to study practice change at scale, and asking open-ended questions for qualitative data.

    Time Stamps:
    (02:44) - Introducing Katie
    (06:36) - Digging into process and outcomes evaluation in program evaluation
    (08:03) - Exploring process measures in outcomes evaluation
    (09:20) - What kind of checks and markers to be thinking about
    (11:05) - Katie’s thoughts on success metrics with pre and post-test scores
    (15:30) - Importance of user experience when thinking about outcomes
    (19:07) - Self-efficacy important for behavior change
    (23:03) - Considerations for measuring confidence

    Click Here for the Transcript

    Resources
    Lucero KS, Williams B, Moore DE Jr PhD. The Emerging Role of Reinforcement in the Clinician's Path from Continuing Education to Practice. J Cont Ed Health Prof. Nov 14, 2023.
    Alliance Podcast. ‘Assessing Assessments.’ Jim Morgante, PhD
    Assessing Assessments: Are your questions any good? Alliance Annual Conference, 2023. Jason Olivieri, MPH, Jim Morgante, PhD

    About Katie
    As Vice President at Medscape, Katie leads content marketing, analytics, outcomes & insights. Katie previously was PI and lead evaluator on federal grants and local contracts, directed QI-CME and health outcomes studies, and evaluated public health programs at the CDC. Katie was named 2020 Brian P. Russell CME Professional of the Year. She earned a PhD at Auburn University in Human Development.

    Connect with Katie
    email: klucero@webmd.net
    LinkedIn

    💥 Black Friday Blowout: Details Here

    About Write Medicine
    Hosted by Alexandra Howson PhD, CHCP
    Produced by Golden Goose Creative
    📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
    📰 Want more tips and tools from Alex and podcast guests? Subscribe to the newsletter. Twice a month from me to you. Biweekly Newsletter
    ➡️ Grab your WriteCME Roadmap! Get access to this complimentary ebook, designed to help you break into CME, find clients, and hone your craft.
    ➡️ Ready for skills, scaffolding, and support? Join WriteCME Pro
    🎙️ Know someone who would love this podcast? Share the podcast
    ☕ Want to say thanks? Buy me a Coffee

    • 26 min
    From Inspiration to Innovation: Mary Lasker and the Birth of the American Cancer Society

    From Inspiration to Innovation: Mary Lasker and the Birth of the American Cancer Society

    If you work in CME, especially in oncology, then sooner or later you’re going to consult American Cancer Society resources. But how much do you know about the history of this organization? And how much do you know about Mary Lasker and her contributions to cancer research?
    Hello, hello, and welcome back to Write Medicine, the podcast that explores best practices in creating continuing education content for health professionals. I'm your host, Alex Howson, and in today's episode, we explore a story that shaped the field of medicine and cancer research in particular. My guest is Judy Pearson, an author, cancer survivor, and catalyst for change who shares her extensive research on Mary Lasker, a woman whose name may not be widely known, but whose impact on cancer research and treatment is immeasurable. 
    We explore how Mary's partnership with her husband Albert played a pivotal role in transforming the American Society for the Control of Cancer into what is now known as the American Cancer Society. Mary believed in the power of research and was determined to use her life, her money, and her social connections to make a difference and was dedicated to education, civic-mindedness, and relentlessly pursuing change, even when it meant challenging the status quo. 
    So grab your pens and notebooks, as Judy Pearson takes us on a journey through the extraordinary life of Mary Lasker, a fascinating woman who shaped the world of medicine, right here on Write Medicine.

    Time Stamps:
    (3:25) - Introducing Judy
    (6:58) - Exploring the life of Mary Lasker
    (12:21) - Where Mary and Margaret Sanger’s crossed paths
    (14:19) - The contributions of the Lasker's
    (17:03) - Mary's belief in research
    (27:34) - Judy’s writing and research process
    (32:21) - When to stop going down the rabbit hole
    (35:38) - Obstacles Mary faced and how she overcame them

    Click Here for the Transcript

    Resources
    Judy Pearson. Crusade to Heal America: The Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker. 2023. [affiliate link]
    Emma Donahue. The Pull of the Stars: A Novel. 2020 [affiliate link]

    About Judy
    Judy Pearson is a writer and cancer survivor who discovered her passion for writing at the age of twelve. Sitting in a tree in her parents' backyard, she began to express her preteen angst through words. Although she initially pursued a career as a French teacher, she later transitioned into advertising and marketing. Around 20 years ago, Judy started writing for publication, and her journey as a cancer survivor led her to explore the history of cancer treatment and health. Her latest book, Crusade to Heal America, focuses on the biography of the cancer survivorship movement, showcasing her dedication to raising awareness and understanding the heroines and heroes who have faced cancer. Writing has become Judy's favorite activity, allowing her to share her personal experiences and make a significant impact on others' lives. Her previous books include From Shadows to Life: A Biography of the Cancer Survivorship Movement (which won the 2022 Nautilus Gold Award), Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America’s Greatest Female Spy, and Belly of the Beast: A POW’s Story of Faith, Courage, and Survival Aboard a WWII Hell Ship.

    About Write Medicine
    Hosted by Alexandra Howson PhD, CHCP
    Produced by Golden Goose Creative
    📍Grab the WriteCME Roadmap
    📰 Want more tips and tools from Alex and podcast guests? Subscribe to the newsletter. Twice a month from me to you. Biweekly Newsletter
    ➡️ Grab your WriteCME Roadmap! Get access to this complimentary ebook, designed to help you break into CME, find clients, and hone your craft.
    ➡️ Ready for skills, scaffolding, and support? Join WriteCME Pro
    🎙️ Know someone who would love this podcast? Share the podcast
    ☕ Want to say thanks? Buy me a Coffee

    • 44 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
15 Ratings

15 Ratings

Iphonebulous ,

Great information on a range of relevant topics in CME/CPD

I’m so happy I stumbled upon Alexandra Howson’s podcast series. Whether you are already in the CME/CPD field, or looking to dip your toe in it, these podcasts will provide you with useful information to help you craft your content.

Jen@DW ,

Highly recommend!

I am so excited to discover this podcast! I’m especially impressed by the depth of the discussions here, and look forward to listening to all of the topics covered about medical writing and the issues we face as writers in the healthcare niche.

@Reginasih723 ,

A Wealth of Expert Knowledge and Experience

Alex is an amazing podcast host sharing her decades of expert knowledge and experience, backed by published resources. She is a trustworthy go-to professional in her field and will provide you the valuable tools and insights you need to build your career as a medical writer. This is a must listen podcast if you want to move into action and succeed.

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