We would appreciate a few moments of your time to complete our short annual customer survey. This will assist us in evaluating the current level of service you are receiving from ApotheCom ScopeMedical and further enhance our 2012 performance. To this end, we have sent a brief questionnaire to all our current clients. Please contact emma.fancourt@apothecomscopemedical.com if you would like to receive a copy. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Please respond by 29 February 2012.
It’s all baby talk here at the moment with the arrival of two beautiful boys into the world. Congratulations to Eleanor/Pete and Toby/Liz on the birth of their sons.
Eleanor and Pete’s son William Jack arrived on the 31st of October 2011 at 14.04, weighing in at 9 lbs 3 oz. More recently, Toby and Liz’s son Alexander James made an appearance at 3.34 on the 15th of January 2012. Respective mothers, fathers and sons in tow are said to be doing well, if not a little tired!
Let’s hope the young lads make a visit to the office in the very near future; we are all dying to see them!
We would like to offer a very warm reception to Medical Writer Paul, who joins us from Pfizer after an 18-year spell. Graduating from the University of Nottingham in 1993 with a BSc in chemistry, Paul joined Pfizer straight out of the gate. Having held the position of Senior Principal Scientist and Medicinal Chemistry Team Leader, Paul has vast experience in many therapy areas, most recently focusing on the allergy and respiratory therapy areas, contributing to the discovery of potential new treatments for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Paul’s pharma experience, attention to detail and scientific creativity will be an invaluable asset. Paul is quite the sportsman; in his spare time he coaches an under-9s football team, plays seven-a-side football, has recently started getting back into golf, and is a regular gym user to keep in shape, in his words, “…to justify going to nice restaurants”. Having such a keen sportsman will certainly keep everyone’s skills frosty at our Monday night football!
Last month Louise and crew headed a phenomenally successful meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with an attendance of over 200 delegates from as far as Peru and Venezuela. It is great to be working in this emerging market, where meetings of this size are less common. Taking advantage of the brilliant location, the team also took in Rio for a spot of sightseeing. Walking along Copacabana beach, and admiring the unmistakable Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado mountain; it doesn’t get much better than this! Well done Louise et al!
This year for the infamous annual Christmas party we all decanted to The Woodman at Ide Hill. Scrumptious food and drink were devoured culminating in many a full belly and loosened belt. The omnipresent secret Santa worked his magic, presenting a variety of wacky items including tattoo sleeves, turkey hats and a rather fetching Christmas tree costume. Moves were busted in our Christmas dance off, with Ian putting everyone to shame with his precise feet and unshakeable rhythm. Riffs were shredded on Guitar Hero; Frances rocking up a score even Jimi Hendricks would be proud of. A fantastic festive frolic was enjoyed by all; a stellar example of Emma’s flawless organisation skills and ingenious party ideas. A massive thank you for everyone’s efforts in making this such a memorable event!
We currently have the following vacancies at our office in Sevenoaks, Kent, UK, and are eager to talk to enthusiastic and talented people who would like to join the team:
Director, Client Services
Senior Account Director
Should you be interested in either role, we'd love to hear from you. Please send your CV or any requests for further information to Emma at enquiries@apothecomscopemedical.com.
This year we raised £140 in the name of the iconic Pudsey Bear for Children in Need. Everybody donned slippers for the duration of the day with the prize-winning pair belonging to Frances and her ‘cuddly lambs’. The bakers crafted a delicious selection of cookies, cakes, cupcakes, savoury snacks, and even those of us not accustomed to baking had a go, despite receiving mixed reviews! Congratulations to team ‘Maidchester’ (Tony, Maidstone and Sarah, Rochester) for winning the highly coveted ApoSM Fußball Tournament trophy and also to Tiffany for correctly guessing which cake Pudsey baked, walking away with a fabulous Pudsey mug. Last, but by no means least, well done to Jenny for correctly picking Pudsey’s lottery bonus ball, bagging the £20 prize which she selflessly donated to the very worthy cause. A massive thank you to all who participated and made this another cracking fundraiser.
After a month of looking like 1970’s detectives, cowboys and suave 1950’s movie stars (Errol Flynn springs to mind!), Movember has sadly come to a close. Admiringly reminiscing on a month of strange looks, double takes and the inevitable awkward question, “are you growing a moustache?”, it has been all worthwhile with a grand total of £690 raised for charity, smashing last Movember’s figure. Congratulations to all who bravely took part in the face of adversity, and thank you to everyone who generously donated and for all the support from fellow mo-bros and mo-sistas everywhere. Until next year!
Adrian (Director of Client Services) and Andy (Financial Controller) both joined the privileged and exclusive 5-year Club this month. During his time here Adrian has been an invaluable asset and fearless leader within our Client Services department with an enthusiasm for everything he partakes in that cannot help but bolster everyone around him. Helming the Finance department, Andy has gone from strength to strength in recent years; a rock for all to depend on regarding financial matters and a top dancer at every social event! In their honour a lavish pizza lunch and refreshments were quaffed by all. Here’s to another fantastic 5 years. Cheers!
Last week our fresh-faced digital developer Ian reached the grand old age of 21; a massive milestone, taking the step into the American-defined realm of adulthood! For a surprise birthday gift everyone here chipped together for a rather fetching custom England shirt sporting ID-21. The shirt is modelled here by none other than the birthday boy himself, who is, I quote, “chuffed to bits with it”. On the big day, cake and a cheeky trip to ‘the local’ were enjoyed by all.
From everyone here, Happy 21st Birthday Ian.
The time is upon us again… when a select bunch of brave men volunteer to banish their razors from gracing their top lips for the month of Movember, opting to cultivate a glorious moustache. But, this is mo joke, all for the fantastic cause of raising awareness and money for the top two male-specific cancers, prostate and testicular cancer. Watch this space for our mo-gress and total amount raised!
Any support is greatly appreciated. If you wish to donate, please get in touch. Thank you.
Internship opportunities! Bridget has recently joined us, partaking in our internship scheme. Looking to gain a first-hand insight into the medical communications business, Bridget has come to the right place. She's working on a vital client project with us and getting invaluable experience of our working environment. Enticed by the insights of internships? Please do not hesitate to send in your CV or any requests for further information to Emma at enquiries@apothecomscopemedical.com.
Our new site has been developed to give a brighter, lighter and simpler overview of our company’s core offerings and capabilities. The site is delivered in an easy to navigate and eye-catching way, giving all users a clear idea of who we are and what we do. The major benefits of this new site include: simplicity, how it highlights our extensive experience, our integrated services with Huntsworth Health, and how we are dedicated to providing the best possible solutions for our clients’ communications needs. The site has new sections describing the company’s mission, experience and services, whilst enhancing the popular news section of the old website. This reincarnation also has a distinct digital element to it, showcasing the company’s expanding capabilities through a variety of new media. Daniel, Digital Manager led the development of the project. He commented: “Our new website is much cleaner and will run on mobile devices such as the iPad. I am proud that we have a solid platform we can build upon, and look forward to adding some exciting materials in the coming months.”
We should like to welcome another terrific new medical writer, Shilpa. After holding the position of research associate across the pond at both Thomas Jefferson University and Duke University Medical Center in the areas of biochemistry, molecular biology and neuroscience, Shilpa is swapping a pipette for a pen. Prior to her foray in the USA, Shilpa gained a PhD from Newcastle University and a master’s from the University of Bath, both in the biochemistry field. Outside of work Shilpa is a self-confessed tennis obsessive both on and off the court and luckily for us is a keen badminton player eager to put the rest of us through the paces – let the games begin!
Elizabeth, affectionately known as Beth, joins our expanding team as a medical writer. Leaving her previous position, providing neuromarketing solutions to the advertising and PR industry, Beth moves back to her scientific writing roots. Post PhD, Beth was a postgraduate research assistant at the University of Liverpool (also where she completed her PhD in behavioral pharmacology), researching the neurobiology of appetite and food intake, and current trends in anti-obesity drugs. Enthusiastic, tenacious and determined, Beth puts these qualities to good use in her hobbies of home renovations, swimming and enjoying the outdoors (not always mutually exclusive!).
We offer a big welcome to new medical writer, Hannah, joining us from Pfizer, where she held the position of Senior Preclinical Research Scientist. Prior to leaving the Big Pharma giant to break into medical communications, Hannah studied at the University of Bath, gaining a Master of Pharmacology, during which she spent a year at GSK undertaking respiratory research. Having worked for two massive players in the sector, Hannah’s experience is evident and highly prized. With a love of the outdoors, her pony and two dogs, Hannah loves nothing more than to take them to the coast for a run.
With the sun bearing down on our backs we unleashed the inner ape at the picturesque Leeds Castle just outside of Maidstone, Kent for the August away day. Donning flattering harnesses and ladened with karabiners, a swinging time was had at the Go-Ape tree top adventure, traversing valleys on zip wires, shuffling from tree to tree on hairy high wires and careering into cargo nets.Touring the extensive castle grounds on hi tech Segways, with the cheekier monkeys testing sense of balance to the maximum, racing at un-nerving speeds with the tour guide unaware. The day was not all monkey business, a guided tour of the castle itself provided a relaxing break to take in the castles varied and intriguing history. A fantastic day out thoroughly enjoyed by all and gibbon the chance would do it again in a split!
A friendly welcome to our newest member of client services Cathy, joining as Account Director. Having started off her career as a qualified Pharmacist Cathy moved on to client side roles at Sanofi, including Head of Medical Services. Making the transition to medical communications and working as Account Director at Medical Action Communications. As a consequence Cathy offers an invaluable wide-ranging skill set and highly-valued experience. Returning to work from a career break to raise her family, Cathy brings fresh determination to her role at ApotheCom ScopeMedical. When time permits/children allow, Cathy likes nothing more than to wind down by practicing pilates and going to Zumba classes.
Michael joins ApotheCom ScopeMedical as Senior Editor. With a background of varied editing roles ranging from author, museum curator and 5 years of medical communications work, he brings a plethora of editing experience! Following a PhD in zoology he has written books and articles on a range of subjects from the case building behaviour of caddisflies to historical photographs and architectural history. In his spare time, Michael likes nothing more than to whip out his camera to indulge his love of photography and he is also currently composing a revised history of Monnow Bridge in Monmouth, the only surviving British medieval bridge with a gatehouse actually on the bridge.
ApotheCom ScopeMedical offers an exuberant welcome to Satinder, who joins us as an Account Executive. With a BSc in Biomedical Science from the University of Portsmouth, MSc in Neuroscience from Kings College London and awaiting her PhD viva from Middlesex University, she brings a wealth of invaluable scientific knowledge to client services. Having worked for Medikidz, where she wrote educational comics on medical topics, medical communications is no stranger to Satinder, some might say it even gets her ‘spider sense’ tingling! In her down time, Satinder is a keen reader, has recently taken up knitting and likes nothing more than honing her sitar playing skills.
ApotheCom ScopeMedical would like to welcome Naomi who joins us as a medical writer. During her 13-year career in academia she has been involved in a number of research projects in both the UK and USA, which have included antigen presentation in immune disease, immune responses in chronic kidney disease, and most recently, the impact of SNPs within osterprotegerin in Paget’s disease. In addition to being an enthusiastic Welsh rugby fan, Naomi enjoys baking, the results of which she likes to share with friends and workplace.