Hi, my name is Lily and I want to share with you a little something about myself so you can get to know me better. I love music, for me it’s simply the most emotive medium. As somewhat of a latecomer to Med Comms, my younger years took me across Europe and through another life in hospitality. So, I have put together a mixtape of my journey so far for you. I invite you to imagine me burning a CD and doodling carefully over a track list to tuck inside the plastic case, like I would have done for many of my friends in the mid-2000s and 2010s. Listen Along!
The School Days Track or ‘My Chemical Reaction’
This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race
Fall Out Boy
Okay, so, yes. It’s 2007, my hot pink skinny jeans are my pride and joy and I’m gleefully sing-shouting “this ain’t a scene!” at the top of my lungs. This song always makes me nostalgic for my early teens. Maybe you can relate? I think it’s important to note that up until this point I had not considered myself particularly science-y. I was music-y, and you can’t be both when you’re 13, obviously. But this year, my form classroom was in the science block. I started to hang around after my chemistry classes to ask questions, and then to bother my biology teacher during my lunch breaks. I learned that I loved it! Understanding how things worked and how we figured things out was… magical. When it came time to choose my subjects for GCSEs, I chose triple science!
The Mont Blanc Track or ‘Peaking Self Belief’
Stay the Same
Bonobo
“Seasons change, it won’t ever be the same, I’m hopin’, I won’t stay the same” this lyric sung in celestial tones by Andreya Triana hits the nail on the head for me. Craving change, I wanted to get away and learn more about the world and myself and my passions.
I left school at 16 to drive for 2 days to the Alps. Like for many people, my small home town couldn’t provide me the life experiences I wanted. This song carried me down snowy pistes and was played on little portable Bluetooth speakers as I drank short bottles of beer by bonfires. I lived in France for a couple of years, then bumbled about across Europe. This move set me up to take the long way round to find my way back to my passion for science. And I don’t think I could have done it any other way. I worked in hotels and sang in local bars and gained confidence. Uprooting my life and leaving my comfort zone in my teens, I learned that I was capable and driven and ready for the next big adventure, university.
The Uni Track or ‘A Dose of Knowledge’
From a World to Another
Polo and Pan
The ‘other worldliness’ of this song brings me back to the slightly sea sick feeling I had starting this new chapter. The sparkling synths are ethereal and dreamlike and my reality definitely changed shape completely during this time.
I decided to move back to the UK and a serendipitous google led to me to a Pharmacology access course. I then decided to go for a degree in biomedical science. I stayed working in hospitality through my studies. And I knew I was hardworking, taking on 14 hour shifts on Saturday and handing in assignments on Monday. I was accepted at King’s College London and continued to specialise in Pharmacology. When my undergraduate degree was coming to an end, a fantastic lecturer of mine suggested doing a Master’s degree and I figured, in for a penny! I am so glad I did. In 2024 I was asked to be an author on the research we undertook at St Thomas’ Hospital and have travelled abroad to congresses for events, things that I would have never have thought were possible for me back in 2007.
The Clinical Research Track or ‘Trials and Tribulations’
London Mine
Joy Crookes
Joy’s lyric “roaming around in the moment, streets that are tailored to no one, but that’s what makes London mine” invokes the feeling of belonging that marks this period of time in my life. London can be a harsh city, and thriving in it marks you a ‘Londoner’ forever.
During my Master’s studies I had the privilege of working in St Thomas’ hospital in London on human clinical trials of carbonic-anhydrase inhibitors and it really felt like I had found my place. Meeting the patients and walking them through the procedures that would be taking place solidified for me that my time behind the bar was done. I wanted to be in science.
Then the pandemic hit, the lab closed so the hospital could care for the many people affected by COVID-19. Unable to continue my lab work, this is where I found my love for writing. I wrote – and rewrote – my Master’s dissertation. I loved getting the chance to explain everything I had learned to anyone who was willing to listen – and still do. My favourite thing in these conversations is when someone else gets why I am so passionate about these tiny chemical compounds.
The Mentoring Track or ‘Space Worms’
Pools
Glass Animals
An honourable mention here to a friend I met in my early years of study, who went on to send worms to space when we studied together. She introduced me to this tune and I still love it. “We float before the sea at dusk, in heavy mist, in glitter dust” I picture stars and nebulae when I hear this and think of all the lunchtime chats we had about weird space physiology.
She invited me to work with the International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET). I met astronauts and NASA engineers and got to mentor some truly awesome young people and future scientists. We also worked together as President and Vice President of the ‘Womxn in STEM Society’. The society aimed to provide opportunities to women and non-binary people in STEM fields at the university. It’s where I learned some programming skills and helped push for policy changes.
The Where I Am Now Track or ‘The Language of Science’
Make Your Own Kind of Music
Cass Elliot
Realistically I could have picked at least 20 songs to include in this final section. But I think Cass Elliot sums up how I feel about approaching things in your own way, and getting where you want to be eventually, “you’ve gotta make your own kind of music, sing your own special song, even if nobody else sings along”.
Since graduating, I have worked in MedComms, now proudly as part of the RubyDuke team. I have built a strong foundation in Medical Affairs and Medical Education, developing memorable interactive training modules and running successful training sessions across various therapy areas online and in-person. My love of talking about science has only grown, producing award winning posters, so many abstracts and lovingly crafted slide decks that have helped share new important data for patients and HCPs. I have honed my skills in translating complex scientific data into clear communications. I have pulled from my experience in hospitality, working with people from all walks of life, collaborating with different teams and attention to detail to make my own kind of Med Comms music. This work is so rewarding, sharing scientific knowledge to new audiences and renewing their enthusiasm is just the start. I’m looking forward to whatever new challenge comes next!
Oh.. and outside of work I still slide down mountains occasionally. I love my dog and treasure all the people in my life from the bonfires, bars and hotels and now, from MedComms. I still sing too, but mostly in the shower…
