About
A brief introduction
I am an independent medical writer specializing in sales training, patient engagement and communications, and conference coverage. I am a former President of the American Medical Writers Association’s Greater Chicago Area Chapter and recipient of a CASE media fellowship to UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. I am also a Poe Award nominee.
In 13 years of medical writing I have covered 35 conferences, many several times. This has given me an intimate acquaintance with a wide array of medical specialties, diseases and therapies. It has required that I present complex science in a clear and concise way.
Along with AMWA, I hold memberships in the National Association of Science Writers and the Association of Health Care Journalists. I received an Advanced Certificate in Medical Writing and Editing from the University of Chicago’s Graham School. I hold a BA cum laude in English Literature from NYU. I began my career as a news cameraman in New York while still a student, and this gave me an enduring appreciation of visual storytelling.
My clients include pharmaceutical companies, medical communications firms, research institutions, the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the New York City Department of Health.
My resume follows, including a list of conferences covered:
Richard Hyer
Independent Medical Writer
Resume
In brief:
For the past 13 years I have reported medical news from 35 different scientific conferences. This has given me an intimate look at an array of medical specialties, diseases and therapies. It has required the ability to grasp material quickly, and to present complex science with clarity and brevity, in a manner that is agreeable to clinicians.
I have applied these skills to other areas of medical writing as well, including pharmaceutical sales training, where my current interests include the application of game mechanics to learning design. I have also produced a substantial amount of consumer and patient communication. Effective patient engagement begins with the writer’s ability to draw the reader into a narrative.
I am past President of the American Medical Writers Association, Greater Chicago Area Chapter, and hold memberships in AMWA, the National Association of Science Writers and the Association of Health Care Journalists. I received an advanced certificate in medical writing from the University of Chicago, and did non-degree graduate study in molecular biology at IIT. I was awarded a CASE media fellowship to the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. I am a published fiction author and Poe Award nominee. I began my career as a news cameraman in New York while I was still at NYU, and this taught invaluable lessons in visual storytelling.
My clients include pharmaceutical companies, learning design and medical communications firms, research institutions, the American Medical Association, the Centers for Diseas
e Control and Prevention, and the New York City Department of Health.
Journalism and Conference Coverage
I have reported medical news for diverse publications and websites including American Association of Family Physicians News, American College of Emergency Physicians News, American Heart Association News, Cancer Discovery, Internal Medicine News, Medscape Medical News, NewsRX (a supplier to Dow Jones Factiva), Oncology, ASCO’s Journal of Oncology Practice, Oncology Times, Oncology World Report (Japan), the American Journal of Oncology Review, Optometry Times, Caring 4 Cancer, Rheumatology News, and Surgery News, to name a few. I have also covered conferenc
es for organizations such as the American Medical Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Conferences Covered
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (now AAGL)
American Academy of Neurology
American Academy of Orthoped
ic Surgeons
American Association of Pediatrics
American College of Chest Physicians
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Physicians – Internal Medicine
American College of Rheumatology
American College of Surgeons
American Diabetes Association
American Gastroenterological Association (Digestive Disease Week)
American Headache Society
American Heart Association
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
American Society for Microbiology / Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American Society of Nephrology (Kidney Week)
American Thoracic Society
American Urological Association
Central Surgical Association
European Society of Cardiology (Vienna)
International Diabetes Federation (Paris)
Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium
North American Menopause Society
Radiological Society of North America
Society of Critical Care Medicine
Society of Gynecologic Oncology
Society of Hospital Medicine
Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
U.S. Government First National
Conference on Public Health Readiness
Windy City Shoot-Out on Early Stage Prostate Cancer
Training
In the area of pharmaceutical sales training, I have written disease and drug primers, Leader’s Guides, and an array of educational devices including home study modules, physician scenarios (including opening, bridging, and closing), branded and unbranded dialogue, mini-tests, glossaries, and role plays involving
a doctor, rep and coach.
Special Projects
Following is a representative sample of other writing projects I’ve done which are not related to instructional design or coverage:
Populating a new website on multiple cancers, including causes, risk factors, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, staging, treatment, complications and recurrences.
Researching the latest science and rewriting large sections of a book on Alzheimer’s disease for the teaching hospital of a major research university in Massachusetts.
Writing an informational series for the American Medical Association, encouraging physicians to lead healthy lives in the areas of: alcohol consumption, weight control, exercise, and smoking.
Abstracting key sections of the First
National Conference on Public Health Readiness for the American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Editing and in some cases rewriting sections of the New York City Department of Health’s Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan.
Co-authoring a white paper on tolerance to a specific anticonvulsant, for a pharmaceutical company.
Writing an abstract for a neuroscien
ce foundation on haptoglobin type and the development of symptomatic cerebral artery vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Interviewing medical specialists for a historical analysis of a contested package insert.
Writing a grant for a pediatric hospital dedicated to chronic care.
Writing all of the content for a pharmaceutical company’s new international magazine, for two years.
Education
Illinois Institute of Technology, non-degree graduate study in molecular biology
University of Chicago, Advanced Certificate in Medical Writing and Editing
New York University, BA cum laude, English Literature.
Foreign language: French
AMWA continuing education in cancer biology, reporting statistics, regulatory writing for the medical device industry, and educating sales representatives about science and medicine.
Fellowship
UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, CASE Media Fellowship
Professional Affiliations
American Medical Writer’s Association past President, Greater Chicago Area Chapter
Association of Health Care Journalists, member
Chicago Science Writers, member
National Association of Science Writers, member
Hyer Medical, LLC • (773) 505-6128 • hyer@hyermedical.com • www.hyermedical.com