From Academia to Building Medical Writing Partnerships: Jessica Murdock’s MMS Story  

After working in academic research, Jessica Murdock, PhD, transitioned into a technical role in medical writing and is now a principal medical writer at MMS. Her excellent leadership and strong communication skills drive collaboration and progress at MMS. 

What drives you every day? What is your why? 

I love helping my clients get from point A to point B. I enjoy the challenge of it. Sometimes, it’s not as simple as just writing a document. Sometimes, it’s hands-on, involving many discussions and navigating various processes. 

What do you do on a typical day-to-day basis? What does a medical and regulatory writer do and how do you navigate your day? 

The first thing I do every day is triage my emails: what needs attention right now, what can wait, and what timelines I need to monitor. I review my project timelines, tasks, and necessary conversations. In addition to working on project-specific writing, I also work on trainings and initiatives at MMS. It’s a blend of improving MMS processes, mentoring junior writers, working on projects and interacting with clients. 

What does it take to succeed in this role? For someone new to MMS, what advice would you give? 

For junior writers, it’s very important to ask questions, be proactive, and discuss things internally. Request a mentor. Find someone you can go to; there are many senior writers, but they won’t know you need help unless you ask. You must be comfortable being vulnerable and figuring things out. We don’t want to be figuring something out live with the client. Asking questions early, before something becomes client-facing, is critical. Also, ask thoughtful questions. Don’t just say, “Tell me what to do.” Do your own research, explore, and then bring it forward. That applies to client interactions, too. You never want to ask, “What do you want here? What should I put in this section?” You need to come up with a proposal. The same is true internally: learn from colleagues, seek support, but also contribute your own thinking. 

What do you enjoy about MMS? What are the best aspects of your role? 

I enjoy supporting different clients. We get that opportunity because we cover many therapeutic areas and document types. You gain exposure in strategy and therapeutic expertise. Another significant aspect is that MMS has extensive resources in-house including biometrics, strategy, publishing, QC, and dedicated departments and we collaborate across functions on many documents. 

What does collaboration look like, and how do you approach working with clients? 

An important aspect of collaboration is ensuring internal alignment. How do we present a unified front? The sponsor doesn’t want different answers from QC, publishing, and medical writing. They want the answer. They don’t want to be part of our internal discussion. A unified, streamlined approach is one of the values we bring. 

What are some challenges you’ve faced in this role, and how did you overcome them? 

MMS’s values are built upon the mentorship we have embedded into the organization. I learned by watching senior writers work with sponsors how to be proactive, pay attention to detail, think ahead, and mitigate risks. That’s part of the process that helps me get through any and every scenario. Every day, I assess risks, stay proactive with sponsors, and look for ways to help them. The challenges keep it exciting for me. Working on something new, such as first-in-patient drugs or first-in-class submissions, can be challenging but rewarding. You have to dig into regulatory guidelines, but the exposure is invaluable. 

How do you think AI and automation are reshaping this field? 

AI is very interesting. There’s a lot of potential, but it’s still exploratory. One thing I appreciate about MMS is that we are both proactive and methodical with technology. We don’t just adopt something because it is trending; we test it, explore it, and confirm it adds value. 

What are your interests outside of work? 

I do a lot of sewing, quilting, knitting, and fiber work. I share this hobby with many medical writers here at MMS. There’s an element of visual presentation in writing, too, making sure a table or document looks right. There’s a connection there. I’m working on a quilt with free-motion quilting, including feathers, which are challenging to execute. Many people send that to a long-arm quilter, but I’m doing it on my domestic machine. It’s an older quilt, but I’m excited about it. 

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