Our allegro. alumni

I joined the allegro.WRITE programme at Inizio Medical as an Associate Medical Writer in January 2023. Following two months of training with my fellow new writers in the Manchester office, I was placed onto my first rotation which focused on publications in oncology. Here, I was introduced to the world of med comms by working on posters and abstracts for various scientific congresses, and even drafted my first manuscript! It was a brilliant, hands-on experience, and the five months flew by.

My second rotation was drug-induced movement disorders in a medical affairs account, and I worked on a variety of projects, including post-congress reports, video storyboards, and materials for an advisory board. This was a fantastic opportunity to develop relationships with the client, as I worked closely with them to create meeting materials that supported their strategic goals. I was delighted to be able to travel to Italy to attend the advisory board and see all of our hard work come together. It was really rewarding to see the external experts discussing the slides I had created, and to gather their invaluable insights on the topics presented. Moving forward, I will utilise everything I learnt during the allegro.WRITE programme to approach new projects with confidence and experience as a newly-promoted Medical Writer.

Overall, the allegro.WRITE programme has taught me countless skills that are needed to thrive as a Medical Writer, as well as providing me with a variety of opportunities to work closely with exciting medical developments and the world-renowned experts who are at the forefront of improving patient outcomes. I look forward to continuing working with my wonderful team and to expanding my skillset further!

My journey with med comms started with the ‘Introduction to Medical Communications’ elective at the University of Glasgow, delivered by the allegro. team at Inizio Medical. I had never actually heard of med comms as an industry until that point, which I’ve come to realise is quite common. As I completed the course at Glasgow, I felt that med comms seemed like the perfect fit for me. I was more interested in the allegro.DRIVE programme; I just felt the client services role would be a better fit for me rather than medical writing. paragraph), could we please change to: While my background is in research science, I’ve never really connected with what the day-to-day of a research science job would be (namely, lab work). I’ve always liked the biotechnology/pharmaceuticals sector though and had been looking at jobs therein for when I graduated.

The application process for the allegro.DRIVE programme was quite enjoyable, which I wasn’t used to from other applications. It encompassed some online tests and a full day assessment centre in Macclesfield, which was a great experience. Everyone there was very supportive and helpful and were keen to offer advice on what to be prepared for throughout the day, and what working for the different branches of Inizio Medical is like. The initial training with the allegro. team was a great introduction to the role and the company – while intense at times, it was a genuinely fun experience. It allowed myself and the others on my cohort to learn about the allegro.DRIVE programme and the support networks in place for us throughout Inizio Medical. It was also key for preparing us for our time in our individual account teams and familiarising ourselves with the day-to-day of what we would be doing.

My experience with the allegro.DRIVE programme has been phenomenal so far; I’ve had a genuinely fun time and have learned, and continue to learn, new skills every day. I’ve also met a host of great people who continue to be friendly and helpful at every turn. Looking forward, I’m keen to gain more experience on the myriad processes and projects within the med comms industry and within my specific account team. In particular, I’m excited to be able to take ownership over projects myself and deliver them alongside my team.

I thought that I had struck gold when I stumbled across an advertisement for the allegro.DRIVE programme at Inizio Medical, a scheme that proposed to combine my passion for medical science with a desire to work in the fast-paced environment of Client Services.

The 6-month programme was a deep dive into the day-to-day roles and responsibilities of an account executive. Initially, the allegro. team provided extensive training on project management, financial acumen, and effective client engagement skills via a hybrid of face-to-face and virtual sessions. These sessions were supplemented with multiple independent and team assignments which allowed us to learn from our experiences before putting them into action within our agency teams. We were always encouraged to speak up and ask questions, which dramatically improved my confidence and solidified valuable relationships with colleagues that remain to this day. As well as the allegro. training team, mentors and buddies, my Client Services account team provided unwavering support that did not end when I completed the programme. Within my first 3 months, I supported our clients at onsite events such as advisory boards, symposia and booth displays across both America and Europe. This is not something that I would have had the confidence or skill set to do without the learnings from the allegro.DRIVE training and the support from my agency team.

Almost a year on, I still refer to the advice and mentorship that I received during the allegro.DRIVE programme. The skills and experience that I gained gave me an excellent kick-start in the exciting world of med comms that I feel very lucky to have had.