Educational Event in Nashville April 2018

An educational seminar was given Tuesday, April 3 at Richland Library in Nashville, TN.

Dr. Yasmine Ali gave a presentation on evaluating the legitimacy and transparency of research studies titled, “Lies, More Lies, and Statistics.”

Following the presentation and Q&A session, food was provided and the attendees continued networking.

A total of 8 members and 1 non-member attended the seminar. The discussion was lively, and members discussed future events and presentation topics of interest.

Educational Event in Atlanta March 2018

An AMWA-Southeast event was held on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at the Buckhead Public Library and Fado Irish Pub in Atlanta, GA.

For the educational portion of the event, Stephen MacDonald, PhD, MBA gave a presentation on freelance medical writing entitled “Starting Out, and Even After: Feasibility, Considerations, and That Constant Evaluation.”

Following the presentation and Q&A, attendees were invited to continue networking at Fado.

A total of 15 members and 4 non-members attended the event. Several attendees remarked that they had a great time and are looking forward to the next chapter meeting in Atlanta.

Bring networking events to your local area!

Are you looking to meet medical communicators in your local area? Local networking is one of the best things about AMWA, and a great opportunity to connect, share and learn. It’s easy to organize a local event, and the chapter board can help make your event a success. Here’s how:

  1. Choose a date and time, allowing at least 3 weeks for planning;
    • Weekdays after work usually allow for more members to attend and make it easier to find a location that is conducive to conversation.
  2. Choose a location
    • Suggestions: Breweries or brewpubs with areas to accommodate large groups; restaurants with private dining areas
      • Many restaurants with private dining areas will charge a deposit to use the room, but will subtract bar purchases from the deposits.
  3. Send invitations at least 2 weeks before event
    • Provide information to chapter secretary about the event to have an invite sent to the entire membership
    • Send personalized invitations to AMWA members in local area (list available from chapter secretary upon request) AND/OR local non-AMWA member contacts at area universities or companies
  4. Host event
    • Provide sign-in sheet (available from chapter secretary) to collect names and membership status of attendees.
    • Purchase appetizers (and non-alcoholic beverages, at your discretion) for attendees. Attendees must purchase their own alcoholic beverage. Save your receipt for reimbursement!
  5. Submit information to SE-AMWA leadership
    • Provide a copy of the event sign-in to the president-elect
    • Provide a copy of the refreshment receipt to the treasurer. Please also provide an address for mailing your reimbursement check.

Roundtable Discussion in Atlanta – September 2017

On September 27,  17 attendees (6 current AMWA members, 11 prospective members) met at the Georgia Public Library in Sandy Springs. Several of the attendees were graduate students who are interested in medical writing as a career.

The group had engaging discussions on several topics, including:

  • Tips for medical writing success
  • Benefits of AMWA membership
  • Building a freelance medical writing business
  • Necessity of certification
  • Ways to engage and network with Atlanta-based medical writers

The attendees generally had positive feedback about the meeting and are looking forward to having more meetings and social events. In fact, several of them agreed to work on planning an event for early November.

Book Club Meet Up – September 2017

Three AMWA members met in Nashville to discuss the current book club selection: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Discussion topics included racial disparities in health care, informed consent, how medical writers can tell patient stories, and the responsibilities of scientists to balance the “common good” with individual rights.

Additional discussion is planned for the book club google group.

Networking in Nashville – August 2017

On August 25, nine AMWA members (including one new member who traveled from Mississippi!) met at Fat Bottom Brewing in Nashville. Discussion items included transitioning to medical writing, regulatory writing opportunities, and self-promotion best practices (business cards, LinkedIn, etc). It was a lovely night to enjoy the patio space!

Educational Presentation – Statistical Concepts for Medical Writers

Emily J. Woodward, PhD Clinical Development Scientist and Regulatory Writer at Synchrogenix, presented about the fundamentals of statistics for medical writers. Email invitations were sent to all members with information on how to attend in person or online. The presentation was live-streamed on Periscope and archived for later viewing by members unavailable to attend the in-person presentation.

A replay of this event is available on Periscope.

Due to technical difficulties, the video replay is in two parts:

Part 1

Part 2