Boo Baker-Munton recently joined Mtech Access as an Editor in our Cambridge office. In this interview, we learn about her career to date, what inspired her to join Mtech Access, and some of her experiences since joining the team.
What led you to pursue a career in market access?
Before Mtech Access, I was offering freelance tutoring and editing services to help students with their dissertations. It quickly snowballed into extensive reviews of PhD theses on topics such as medicine, economics, and technology.
As it was only freelance, I also worked part-time at a Patent law firm. The firm specialised in copyright and trademark services for Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, and engineering developments.
Both of these roles gave me a good insight into the life sciences industry. So, I knew it was an area that I wanted to continue working in.
Very soon after deciding to pursue freelancing full time, Mtech Access reached out to me on LinkedIn. That’s when I learnt about market access. As I studied Psychology and my background was in life sciences, I jumped at the opportunity to apply my editing skills to a range of deliverables, in a field that I already found fascinating!
What motivated you to join Mtech Access?
From the outset, Mtech Access’ talent acquisition manager, Chris Costello, was clear about the role and keen to chat with me to see what my goals and interests were. Throughout the interview process, both the team and Chris checked in to see if the role still aligned with my career interests and whether I felt like I would fit in with the culture. The ‘it goes both ways’ attitude was a refreshing approach to a normally daunting interview process. After all, interviews can often feel one-sided!
I also read their Articles to make sure that, if I joined, I would be making a positive difference. Their insights from the NHS Transformation Symposium and incredible webinars with guest speakers like Shefali Shah showed me that Mtech Access were at the forefront of important changes in industry. At that point, I knew I wanted to be part of the team and contribute to the amazing work they were doing!
How will this move help you advance your career goals?
From the start, it was clear that this role involved working on a variety of deliverables. Everything from 100-word LinkedIn posts to 400-page systematic literature reviews. The opportunity to work on such a wide range of materials meant that my skills would improve, as different pieces of work require distinct approaches.
Hopefully, with time, the Editorial Team will expand further. Being a part of this growth will hopefully give me a good insight into how our team can provide more in-depth reviews. It will also give me an insight into the process for creating editorial guidelines across different deliverables.
What have you got involved with in your first few weeks with Mtech Access?
As is pretty typical for a new role, I had inductions for my first few weeks. This gave me a good idea of all the different services that Mtech Access offer. It also showed me how my role in a cross-functional team will allow me to collaborate with almost all of the other teams.
It was jam-packed, but most inductions were interspersed with tea breaks. So, that gave me a chance to get to know the medical writers a bit better!
I also went to my first social in the Cambridge office. We had a picnic and did some needle-felting (I made a fox!).
In terms of the projects I’ve worked on, I’ve already had the opportunity to work on a range of deliverables. These have included systematic literature reviews, proposals, ISPOR posters, LinkedIn posts, newsletters and market outreach, technical reports, and a digital budget impact tool. These have also spanned quite a few disease areas, including epilepsy, nephrology, oncology, and mental health.
What have you learnt from your first interactions with the team?
That the culture is phenomenal. Everyone I’ve worked with so far has been keen to collaborate and share insights to improve the piece of work. You’re actively encouraged to ask lots of questions, get involved in projects you find interesting, and contribute to the improvement of your service and team.
The Medical Writing and Editing Team hold a huddle every week where people can talk about what they’re working on and those who may have time can offer to help others. The team also hold a Medical Writing Club each month. Here, members of the team share insights from recent projects, tips for improving writing/editing skills, and shortcuts for different functions in Word and PowerPoint.
What has most surprised you about Mtech Access?
What’s surprised me most is how true everything is to what was said at the first interview. Also, how everyone’s attitude aligns with the company’s values. Every person I’ve met has been so positive and collaborative. You can sense that people are passionate about what they do each day!
I was also surprised at how transparent Mtech Access are. In one of our earliest inductions they encouraged us to give them an honest review on GlassDoor and to submit ideas for social media posts, if people wanted to contribute.
If you could swap your expertise and role with a colleague from another team, who would you swap with?
Hands-down the Digital Team! Their iPad tools are really impressive. Although I know I would be terrible at the coding/Excel part of things, the outputs would be very satisfying!
I think I would also find the Design Team’s work fascinating. As part of Editorial, we get to collaborate with the Design Team on certain projects. So it would be interesting to switch the focus from words to visuals.
When you are not at work, what do you like to do?
I have quite a few hobbies, mostly around crafts and music. I enjoy making and tailoring my own clothes. I also love writing pieces for the piano and handpan (a Swiss percussion instrument) and drawing graphic designs in my spare time.
When I actually find time to get out-and-about, I usually go to galleries in London. A few good ones I’ve been to recently are the Evelyn Hofer exhibition in The Photographers Gallery and Sophie Tea’s Carnaby Gallery. Equally, I love activity bars with friends, playing darts, shuffleboard, or, most recently, axe throwing.
To learn more about how our editorial team contribute to the quality of the work delivered across Mtech Access, please email info@mtechaccess.co.uk.
If you are interested in joining our team at Mtech Access, please visit our careers page for details of our current vacancies.
