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International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Choosing a career in clinical informatics: An interview with Florence Ma, clinical informatician at Pharmaceutical Press

For International Day of Women and Girls in Science we reflect on the diverse career paths available to women within the scientific community. While laboratory research remains a cornerstone of the industry, science communication and editorial expertise are vital in ensuring the accuracy and accessibility of pharmaceutical knowledge.

Florence Ma, a clinical informatician, joined the expert editorial team at Pharmaceutical Press with a background in clinical pharmacy and health analytics. Having worked with multidisciplinary teams to solve complex informatics challenges, she now specialises in shaping practical digital solutions to promote the safe and effective use of medicines.

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What was the moment during your education or early career that made you realise pharmaceutical science was your calling?

When I was in high school, I really liked the idea of libraries and museums, places with many different items, books, or pieces of knowledge. Pharmacies are the same kind of places, and I guess that also ties in to my interest in chemistry and science in general. I wanted to study in the medical faculty, but it was not an instant decision, eventually I selected pharmacy as my first profession.

When you first entered the field, who were the women you looked up to and did their presence shape your ambitions?

It might be a bit clichéd, but Marie Curie is the first woman that comes to mind when I think about women in chemistry and science. She was definitely an idol when I entered the field or even before.

I would also say pharmacy is a field where women are quite well represented. For my undergraduate, my project supervisor was a female professor, and when I began working in a hospital, my first supervisor was also female.

There were plenty of women in pharmacy that I looked up to, who were all meticulous and professional.

Even though some of them worked in the academic field and some on the frontline in clinical practice, they had the same goal: to do their best for patients. It could be doing lab science to discover new drugs, reviewing literature, or providing clinical care. These were all really inspiring.

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How did they shape your professional motivations?

My undergraduate supervisor showed me that being a pharmacist wasn’t just about working in a community pharmacy or a hospital. For example, pharmacists can contribute by doing research, and even research doesn’t always mean being in a lab.

That is also part of the reason why I moved into data science later on. Rather than sticking to just one profession or one mode of working, I became interested in other means that we could use to improve the way we work in healthcare.

All the pharmacists I worked with taught me to be precision-focused: making clinical decisions based on evidence, performing the necessary checks, and being mindful of what the consequences can be.

Working with resources like those available from Pharmaceutical Press involves immense precision. How does it feel to know your work directly underpins the safe use of medicines?

It is really meaningful.

When I worked as a clinical pharmacist in Hong Kong, I understood that the impact of publications such as British National Formulary, Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference, or Stockley’s Drug Interactions was global. Pharmacists basically referred to them every day.

Joining Pharmaceutical Press is a full-circle moment, I am actively involved with the development of these publications. I am conscious that many health professionals are using these resources as the gold standard for drug information, and that makes me happy and more responsible at the same time.

Understanding the data side of things, I am aware that even a small change can trickle down across different systems and affect different outputs. This reinforces the importance of accuracy and care in the things we do.

What do you think makes Pharmaceutical Press a great place for women to work?

I have been here for five months now, and I think Pharmaceutical Press is an inclusive and open place for people of all genders. Specifically, I don’t feel any pressure to be a certain type of woman. I feel that we are all accepted as who we are and are free to speak what we think here, and everyone is just really friendly.

It is good to see women being represented across different levels of the organisation in different roles, and all having their own personalities shining.

Before working here, had you ever found yourself as the only woman in the room, and what did that teach you about finding your voice?

Yes, I had definitely found myself as the only woman in the room, mostly after switching to data science. While pharmacy is more female-dominated, data and computer science is more male-dominated, and that was something I had to adjust to.

The experience taught me more modes of communication, particularly the importance of speaking with confidence. I found it helpful to focus on the facts and on conveying messages in a truthful way. Sometimes it helps showing our voices when we are not thinking about the room or the vibe but sticking to the science.

What do you feel is the biggest hurdle currently stopping women from reaching senior leadership in other contexts?

I feel like a lot of times senior leadership involves moving from very technical, detail-focused work into roles that are strategic and look at the bigger picture. It can be quite a tough transition and a very conscious choice.

There are general, often unspoken, expectations of what a senior female leader should look like. There are stereotypes like ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ kind of boss, and that is not the case for male leaders.

These subconscious expectations for senior female leaders can be a hurdle for women who want to progress if they don’t or don’t want to fit into that mould.

If you could go back to the start of your career, what piece of advice would you give your younger self?

Keep an open mind to the idea that the first career choice might not be final. There are ways to work towards your goals as you find out what is your true passion. I actually decided to step away from pharmacy and pursue another degree when I was 31.

By breaking some boundaries, one can still contribute to the same profession in a different way. I have now entered pharmaceutical science publishing, which very much brings me back to pharmacy, even though now I am coming at it from a new perspective.

What is one thing you hope will be standard practice for the next generation of girls entering the lab or pharmacy?

I hope that it will be entirely normal that girls and women can be in any role, and from what I have seen in my career so far, I think it is already happening. Girls should feel confident that they belong in laboratories, pharmacies, offices, and beyond.

The standard practice should simply be that anyone can take on any role as long as they are competent and responsible.

What would you say to encourage a young girl who loves science but feels intimidated by stereotypes?

I would start by saying scientists are really cool; that’s how I’ve always felt.

Scientists don’t just mix different chemicals in a lab or work with machines; they can work in many creative ways. For example, being a pharmacist is also partly being a scientist. Reviewing literature and analysing evidence to give the best recommendation is a part of science.

As long as you follow your curiosity and work with it, there is potential to contribute to new knowledge and to create work that can be really fun and beneficial to others at the same time.

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