J-1 Visa Senior Medical Writer Jobs
Senior Medical Writer roles in the U.S. are accessible to international professionals through the J-1 visa under the Trainee or Research Scholar program category, depending on your career stage. A State Department-designated sponsor organization issues your DS-2019 and provides sponsorship, while the pharmaceutical company, CRO, or medical communications firm serves as your host employer.
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Department Overview:
The Teresa Zimmers and Leonidas Koniaris laboratory uses human biospecimens, cell culture models, and mouse models to interrogate and understand the physiological response to injury or illness including liver injury, kidney injury, burn injury, and cancer. We seek novel targetable mechanisms to block adipose and muscle wasting in cachexia in order to promote function, quality of life, healing, and survival. The laboratory is highly collaborative, working closely with other labs and centers at OHSU and around the world. Funding is derived from OHSU, the Brenden Colson Center, the Knight Cancer Institute, NIH, and the Veterans Administration.
The Senior Research Associate will work jointly under PI’s Zimmers and Koniaris and will execute various murine injury models, in vitro studies, and analyses of human biospecimens. The position requires expertise in mouse modeling including surgery, common cell and molecular biology techniques, including cell and tissue processing, cell culture, tissue dissociation, DNA/RNA isolation, PCR, Western blotting, ELISAs, and gel electrophoresis. The candidate must possess exceptional organizational skills and a detail-oriented management style. An ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively, and to help train and supervise entry-level staff, students, and interns is required. The SRA will lead projects and lead or contribute to manuscripts and presentations, and like all members of the laboratory, will contribute to shared laboratory chores, record keeping, ordering, compliance, etc. The SRA, like all full-time lab members, will contribute to training of rotation students and summer students and will present at laboratory meetings and other research meetings. The SRA will have the opportunity to receive professional development and mentoring, including attendance at external training opportunities and national and international conferences.
Function/Duties of Position:
- Managing junior lab members: on-boarding and introduction to essential lab functions.
- Designing and executing experiments; identifying, testing, and implementing novel experimental and organizational procedures in the lab, collecting, analyzing, and quantifying data.
- Assist with IACUC/IRB renewals, submitting amendments as needed for ongoing research in the laboratory. Ensure laboratory compliance with EHS policies.
- Co-author manuscripts for peer reviewed publication. Support grant applications for funding of the research laboratory.
- Attending and presenting research at lab meetings, seminars and conferences.
Required Qualifications:
- PhD in relevant field AND 1 year of relevant experience OR
- Master's Degree in relevant field AND 5 years of relevant experience OR
- Bachelor's Degree in relevant field AND 9 years of relevant experience
- Experience in an academic biomedical research laboratory using mouse models and advanced analyses including omics approaches.
- Demonstrated ability to lead a project with agency and independence.
- Demonstrated facility with mouse modeling, mouse genetics, colony management.
- Demonstrated ability in analysis of high dimensional data, e.g. transcriptomics, genomics, proteomics.
- Demonstrated competence in analysis of biological pathways using human and/or murine biospecimens (histology, ELISA, preparation of samples for advanced omics analysis) and complementary studies using in vitro systems including genetic manipulation of primary cells, tissues, and cell lines.
- Ability to design, execute, troubleshoot and interpret experiments.
- Ability to master OHSU specific administrative systems for laboratory functions including IACUC, IRB, IBC, ordering, compliance, etc.
- Ability to organize the laboratory records and inventory.
- Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively. Ability to work in a team environment.
- Ability to perform the job duties with or without accommodation.
Preferred Qualifications:
Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Work is generally 40 hours per week during normal working hours, however, some evening and weekend work will be necessary. Additional safety training will be required to work with cell lines/ infectious bacteria or viruses/ working with in a BSL-2 environment.
Why apply to OHSU?: We are Oregon's only public academic health center. In addition to caring for patients, we lead groundbreaking research. We also train the next generation of health care professionals. As Portland's largest employer, we give you opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington. All are welcome. OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations. We are striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply. To request reasonable accommodation, contact askhr@ohsu.edu.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship as a Senior Medical Writer
Align your credentials with SOC documentation
Medical writing roles fall under SOC 27-3042. Pull your O*NET occupation profile before applying and confirm your degree and writing portfolio map to the duties listed. Gaps between your credentials and the SOC description will surface during DS-2019 review.
Target hosts with existing J-1 training infrastructure
Pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, and academic medical centers frequently host J-1 trainees because they already maintain structured training plans. Prioritize organizations where regulatory writing, clinical documentation, or publication workflows are formalised enough to satisfy DOL training plan requirements.
Confirm the home residency requirement before accepting
If your funding comes from a government or certain exchange programs, you may carry a two-year home residency requirement under INA 212(e). Resolve this before committing to a host, because it affects your ability to change status or apply for an H-1B afterward.
Search Migrate Mate for J-1-compatible medical writing roles
Use Migrate Mate to filter for U.S. employers actively hosting international professionals in writing and regulatory roles. The platform surfaces positions at organisations where J-1 placement has occurred, saving you from cold outreach to hosts with no sponsorship infrastructure.
Get a prevailing wage check before negotiating compensation
Your designated sponsor and host employer must ensure your compensation meets applicable wage standards. Run the OFLC Wage Search using your job title and work location before salary discussions so you enter negotiations knowing the minimum defensible offer for your role and region.
Build your training plan around measurable writing milestones
The DS-7002 training plan your sponsor submits must show specific skill progression, not a general job description. Map your planned deliverables, such as IND modules, CSRs, or manuscripts, to concrete competencies you will develop, because vague plans are the leading reason DS-2019 issuance is delayed.
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Find Senior Medical Writer JobsSenior Medical Writer J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category applies to Senior Medical Writer positions?
Most Senior Medical Writer placements use the Trainee category if you have fewer than five years of post-degree experience, or the Research Scholar category if your role is based at a university, teaching hospital, or research institute. The Trainee category requires a structured DS-7002 training plan and is capped at 18 months, extendable to 24 months in certain fields. Research Scholar placements can extend to five years.
Who actually sponsors the J-1 visa for a medical writing role?
The J-1 visa sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated organization, such as CIEE, Cultural Vistas, or a university's exchange program office. That organization issues your DS-2019 form and is legally responsible for your program compliance. The pharmaceutical company, CRO, or communications agency where you work day-to-day is your host employer, not your visa sponsor. Conflating the two is a common source of confusion during the offer process.
How do I find U.S. employers willing to host a J-1 medical writer?
Migrate Mate is the recommended starting point for identifying U.S. employers in life sciences and medical communications that have hosted international professionals in writing and regulatory roles. Because J-1 hosting requires internal training infrastructure and willingness to coordinate with a designated sponsor, filtering for employers already familiar with the process significantly improves your chances of a successful placement.
Can a Senior Medical Writer on J-1 status transition to H-1B later?
Yes, but only if you are not subject to the two-year home residency requirement under INA 212(e). That requirement applies when your J-1 exchange is funded by your home country's government, the U.S. government, or involves a skill on the Exchange Visitor Skills List. If the requirement applies, you must either fulfill it or obtain a waiver before USCIS will approve an H-1B change of status on your behalf.
What documents does a host employer need to prepare for a J-1 medical writer?
The host employer must complete the DS-7002 training plan in coordination with the designated sponsor. This document outlines the specific regulatory, scientific, or publication writing competencies you will develop, the supervision structure, and your compensation. Employers also confirm that your placement does not displace a U.S. worker and that the host site meets the sponsor's vetting requirements. Strong hosts in medical communications have these processes documented from previous placements.
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