MedSciCommsNet Networking Event – Event Highlights

16 December 2025 | Manchester Metropolitan University

On the 16th December 2025, we had the pleasure of organising the MedSciCommsNet (MedComms) Event at Manchester Metropolitan University with Tim Hardman and Steven Walker. We welcomed 45 delegates in person — including freelancers, agency medical writers, and recent graduates — alongside many more who joined us online.

Speaker highlights

We were delighted to hear from our fantastic speakers:

Martin Delahunty

Director, Inspiring Stem Academic Publishing & President of EMWA

Martin shared insights on the current state of publishing, highlighting three converging forces shaping how research is created, evaluated, and disseminated:

1. research integrity

2. measuring impact beyond citations through real-world evidence

3. navigating the opportunities and risks of AI-assisted writing

Corinne Swainger

Freelance Medical Copywriter

Corinne explored emerging AI opportunities for medical writers and editors, emphasising the importance of collaborating with AI rather than competing with it, and the need to continue adapting skills beyond AI.

Steph Carter & Vicki Evans

Freelance Writers

Steph and Vicki presented findings from the Freelance Medical Writer and Editor Survey, including insights into pay rates. As expected, more experienced writers tend to charge higher rates, with a median rate of £75 per hour. Interestingly, rates were lower for those working inside IR35 compared with outside IR35, although the sample size was too small to draw firm conclusions.

Caroline Halford & Leah Bundy

Independent Medical Education, Springer Health

Caroline and Leah discussed adapting medical education for diverse audiences, tailoring resources by regionality, specialty, and patient needs. Their patient resources achieved target learner numbers within just three months of launch, which was particularly impressive.

Alice Choi

President, Envision Medical Communications

Alice reflected on the past, present, and future of medical communications, predicting more inclusive and representative communications ahead, and sharing optimism that AI could help address systemic bias and underrepresentation in healthcare.

Key reflections

It was reassuring to hear that AI is not replacing medical communications professionals at this stage, and that clients continue to value human insight and judgement. At the same time, there was clear consensus on the importance of learning how to leverage AI to work more efficiently.

Closing and thanks

The session concluded with a festive Christmas Prize Quiz, rounding off an engaging afternoon of discussion and networking.

A huge thank you to our speakers for their inspiring contributions, and to everyone who joined us in person and online. We hope you found the discussions and networking valuable. Special thanks to Adam Pearce, who managed the AV and streaming perfectly, and Cadence Ong for filming support.

We are planning to organise another Networking Event in April (likely in Birmingham), so stay tuned!

Best wishes,

Tim & Steven