AMWA Indiana Chapter Conference: June 10-11, 2016

Her parents used to tease her that her first words were "want horse." 

Kathy Spiegel, PhD, loves to ride her 19-year-old quarter horse Zips Chip - the son of the late Zips Chocolate Chip, legendary American Quarter Horse Association World Champion and Leading Sire. 

Kathy's heart belongs to Zips Chip.

But she will leave him for a couple days to join us in Indianapolis for our AMWA Indiana Chapter Conference, June 10-11, 2016.  The senior manager of regulatory writing at Amgen and AMWA secretary will teach this year's credit workshops:

1. Clinical Study Report Writing - From Tables, Listings, and Graphs to Text
2. Ethics in Communicating Science and Medicine

If you could sit down and talk with Kathy about CSRs, she'd tell you that context is everything.

Identify key messages by digging through the data. Think about the context of what type of study it was and the patient population. That will tell you what to write about and what is best left in tables, listings and graphs at the back of the report.

Regulatory writers who are just starting their careers unfortunately have a tendency to put everything in their reports. But the real job of a regulatory writer is to make the reviewer's job easy.

And ethics? Kathy would tell you to really understand what you're getting into before you commit to a project.

Make sure what they are really asking you to do or expecting you to do is ethical.

If you're writing CME materials, the copy has to be educational and evidence-based, not promotional. And learn if the project scope has realistic timelines. 

This year's conference offers networking opportunities at The Rathskeller on Friday, June 10. Then on Saturday at The Columbia Club, you can take credit workshops or attend open sessions:

1. Managing the Agony and the Ecstasy of Freelancing: The Challenges of Freelance Writing ~ Eric Metcalf, MPH, Owner, HealthWrite, Inc.
2. A Perspective on Manuscript Writing ~ Joseph Giaconia, MS, Medical Writing Manager, INC Research
3. How to Be a Successful Contract Writer for the Medical Device Industry: An Industry Perspective ~ Christa Goode, MPH, Scientific and Technical Manager/Medical Affairs, Depuy-Synthes
4. Biologics in Orthopedics ~ William King, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Zimmer-Biomet; Adjunct Professor, Clemson University
5. Documenting and Reporting Adaptive Clinical Trials ~ Brenda L. Gaydos, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Eli Lilly and Company
6. Good Publication Practices (GPP3) for Company-Sponsored Research: A General Overview ~ Carol Sanes-Miller, MS, ISMPP CMPP, Senior Manager of Global Medical Communications, Baxalta US, Inc.
7. Personalized Healthcare: The Evolution of Medicine ~ Jingzi Sherman, MS, Senior Scientific Affairs Manager, Roche Diagnostics Corporation

Tweet lessons learned, May 16-June 12. Remember to include the Twitter handle @AmMedWriters and hashtag #amwain for a chance to win a $30 Amazon gift card in a random drawing.

Register for this year's conference by May 1 and save $25 - or as late as June 3 at the regular price. And if you're ready to take the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS) certification exam, register by May 20.

Come prepared to learn from passionate instructors who are leaving their loved ones on a weekend to be with you.