About me
HANNA KURLANDA-WITEK, PhD
About me
I grew up in Canada, so I first learned to read and write in English. Reading and writing have since been a big part of my life. But while I was reading above my grade level and winning Young Author awards, I was also drawn to science.
It was a tough choice but initially science won. After graduating from high school in Poland, I earned an MSc in environmental science at the University of Warsaw, specialising in microbiology. I then moved to the UK, where I spent a few years studying bacterial biofilms, and was awarded a PhD from the University of Edinburgh.
I moved back to Poland to work in an engineering consultancy. The fast-paced environment there taught me the value of client focus and creativity in solving real-world problems. More and more often, I was asked to write a newsletter or proofread a technical report, and this eventually led to a new and unexpected career: science and medical writing.
What I really love about my job is its versatility—every project is an opportunity to learn something new. My main focus is to make a written piece of work as clear as it can be, tailored to the particular audience. Whatever the project I’m working on, whether it’s a blog post about climate change, or a white paper on lung cancer, I keep the reader in mind, and always (always!) fact-check. When proofreading, I have a laser eye for typos and long unwieldy sentences. There’s never a dull moment!
In 2021 I became a member of the European Medical Writers Association (EMWA) and have volunteered to contribute to the EMWA journal, Medical Writing. In May 2023, I was awarded the Geoff Hall Memorial Scholarship for winning an essay competition.
