Q&A with Liza Laws, Discover Pharma

In our latest journalist Q&A, we caught up with Liza Laws, Editor-in-Chief at Discover Pharma to find out how she got into journalism and what led her to launch the publication.

How did you get into journalism?

I originally started off in nursing but although I loved the profession, I had always had this calling to write, so I started with a night class in journalism, which then inspired me to join a post-grad diploma in newspaper journalism. I cut my teeth on a local paper in 2004 and have worked in almost every area of journalism since. I took my first pharma B2B role with Labiotech, before becoming senior editor for two news sites at William Reed publishers - Outsourcing Pharma and BioPharma Reporter, but sadly these shut down. I then decided to take a gamble and launch Discover Pharma with a business partner.

Can you tell us more about Discover Pharma?

I loved the industry so much by the time my previous titles shut down that I needed to find a way to keep working within it. I had made solid contacts, and always had great feedback - this gave me the confidence to launch Discover Pharma. I wanted to combine the two sites I had previously worked on, rather than separate them into small and large molecule and bring the industry the best quality news I could. It is hard work but completely worth it.

What are your biggest areas of interest within the life sciences sector?

I love writing about advances in drug development, particularly having lost three nuclear family members to cancer and a rare disease called progressive supranuclear palsy. It inspires me to follow the research and to note that scientists are still taking such huge significant strides. I am also interested in psychedelics and mental health - and anything that puts the patient first.

Any advice for PRs out there that want to pitch stories to Discover Pharma?

Just make sure it's genuinely interesting news and not just a company plug. It needs to be relevant and interesting to the industry. I get a lot of emails about platforms that just describe the functions which isn't really standout material.

What is your biggest frustration within the PR community?

The overuse of company names, sometimes I count them being used more than ten times in a short press release and included in every quote "here at Brighton Pharma we...." I just take them all out or change the majority to 'the company' - I think some people still think it affects the SEO rankings but that's not true. All it does is make it look like a sales pitch!

Who would you most like to interview, and why?

Science-wise, I have always had a fascination with Louis Pasteur, he was the father of microbiology and germ theory; vaccines, pasteurisation, and rabies prevention and given that he didn't have half the tools that are around today - this makes him even more impressive. Outside of the science world, I would have to say Robin Williams. He just seemed to ooze compassion yet was clearly a tortured soul. Obviously neither of them are still with us but if time travel ever becomes a thing, I'm there.