Exploring Storytelling in Science, Medicine & Public Health

Writers in the fields of science, medicine and public health explore an environment where brainpower, education, and leadership generate bold stories.

Telling those stories is a growing field for writers across many disciplines.

Freelance Science, Medicine, and Public Health Writing is Canada’s only course dedicated to immersing students in the dynamic currents that energize science, medicine and public health journalism.

Paul Webster is an award-winning journalist who has written for dozens of magazines and medical and scientific journals.

His writing has taken him from hospital wards to warzones in more than thirty countries, yielding countless experiences to share with his students.

“Paul’s extensive experience in the field was an invaluable resource,” explains Cathy Bellingham, an academic medical writer who took the course to help broaden her writing. “I gained a better understanding of the market and the key ingredients that go into a great story. Highlights for me were Paul’s constructive feedback on writing assignments and his practical approach to getting the most from a story idea.”

This course is designed with a variety of professionals in mind: scientists, physicians, nurses, students, public health professionals and interested freelance writers can benefit from Paul’s expertise.

Whether you aim to write for the mass media, specialist publications, or simply your own colleagues, this course will focus your thinking, sharpen your wits, and ignite your writing.

Testimonials:

“My knowledge of Paul’s expertise as a journalist enticed me to take the writing course, as I often have to explain medical and public health issues to the general public in media interviews. After the writing course, I feel much more confident and better equipped in navigating medical stories.”

Dr. Anna Banerji, Director, Global and Indigenous Health, Continuing Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

“Paul’s course is a must for anyone who aspires to write about science and science related issues. If you want to understand how to find and/or recognize science related stories, how to pursue them and research for them, how to explain the science in those stories to lay people, how to weave the human element into them, then this course is for you. If you want to practice, and improve, your science writing chops … this course is for you.”

Aman Ish Goyal, MRI Analyst, Center for Vision Research, York University

“For me, the course was a how-to on transforming technical writing into comprehensible, compelling stories. The opportunity to share my writing with Paul, a highly experienced journalist, and a diverse group of classmates provided a highly worthwhile learning experience.”

Karin Hohenadel, Public health epidemiologist

“Paul has years of experience in the field and he brings this experience to the classroom through engaging examples, motivating stories and extensive in class feedback on assignments. His course provided the skills and inspiration I needed to get several pieces published in online venues.”

Deborah Buehler, ecologist and writer.

Sign up for Freelance Science, Medical and Public Health Writing.