Capstones to Careers: Patrycja Wojcik

Patrycja Wojcik is a recent graduate of the M.H.Sc in Medical Genomics Program who is currently working as a Medical Writer at IC Axon. Patrycja completed her Practicum as a Genome Analyst in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University, but chose to follow her passions and pursue a career in science communication.

During her capstone practicum, Patrycja was tasked with developing filters to aid in variant calling for a new gene panel for neurodevelopmental disorders, and additionally interpreting hereditary and somatic cancer variants in the lab.  Patrycja also was involved with writing clinical reports, conducting a literature review on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines for use within the lab, and creating graphics for use in a conference presentation. Patrycja explained that she utilized the practicum as an opportunity to test out variant interpretation as a potential career direction. However, while she generally likes variant interpretation, Patrycja found that the aspects of the practicum she enjoyed the most involved communication. Her practicum experience effectively confirmed that she wanted to begin a career in science communication.

Patrycja currently works as Medical Writer for IC Axon, a Montreal-based company that creates learning modules covering a variety of topics, including oncology, physiology, disease diagnosis and management, and clinical data. Patrycja and her colleagues work with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to create e-learning and training materials, and finds that the environment fosters her creativity and artistry. She is excited to find engaging and enjoyable ways to present scientific information to IC Axon’s clients, citing how her colleagues recently developed interactive games and VR simulations as part of their teaching modules.

Patrycja is excited to continue her career in science communication, and sees herself in her role at IC Axon for the next few years. In her words, “I’ve always loved art, and this role is a perfect blend of my hobby and academic background, I’m happy I get to merge my love of science and art”. Patrycja explains that she uses her strong science background to research, interpret, and understand the complex topics she’s tasked with presenting to clients. She then uses her creativity to adjust the information to the audience and create captivating visual representations of the material.

Reflecting back on her time in the MedGen Program, Patrycja explains how the Interview Project in MMY3001Y: Advanced Human Genetics set her on the path towards a career in communications: “It’s an important skill to be able to sit down in front of someone, effectively capture their story and put it into a written piece”, noting how the project helped her understand how to read a piece from the client’s perspective in order to best tailor the project to their vision.

Patrycja encourages current and incoming students to treat the practicum as a learning opportunity: “It’s a low stakes environment, if you don’t like the position, you can still come out of the practicum with transferable skills and a strong network”. She explains how she chose a variant interpretation placement to decide if she wanted to pursue it as a career direction, but found herself drawn to science communication instead. In her words, “Use the practicum to solidify which direction you want to go, but don’t feel like you need a destination”.

We are excited to see what you do next, Patrycja!

Image provided by Patrycja Wojcik