The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) is a

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and t ...

for medical communicators, with more than 4,000 members in the United States, Canada, and 30 other countries. AMWA is governed by a board of directors composed of the elected officers, 6–8 at-large directors, and the chapter advisory council chair. AMWA has regional chapters and provides local networking opportunities throughout the United States and Canada. The association was founded in 1940 by physicians interested in improving the quality of

medical writing A medical writer, also referred to as medical communicator, is a person who applies the principles of clinical research in developing clinical trial documents that effectively and clearly describe research results, product use, and other medical i ...

and editing. The current president is Gail Flores, PhD. AMWA includes a variety of medical communicators, including administrators, advertisers, authors' editors, college and university professors, journal editors, pharmaceutical writers (and those involved in

pharmaceutical publication planning Pharmaceutical publication planning is the activity of planning the dissemination of scientific and clinical data on a drug to healthcare professionals at scientific congresses and medical society meetings and in peer reviewed medical journals. ...

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...

specialists, publishers,

reporters A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

researchers Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...

, statisticians, and translators. Many members are

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance ...

writers and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

s. Membership in AMWA is open to anyone interested in any aspect of medical communication. AMWA's headquarters are located in

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...

, United States.

History

On the evening of September 25, 1940, in the Mississippi River town of Rock Island, Illinois, Drs. Harold Swanberg, George B. Lake, N. C. Barwasser, Norman Zolla, Florence Johnson, and James Dunn organized the Mississippi Valley Medical Editors' Association (MVMEA). The MVMEA was absorbed by the new AMWA, which was formed at Springfield, Ill., September 29, 1948, during the meeting of the Mississippi Valley Medical Society in that city. At this time The Mississippi Valley Medical Journal was made the official publication of AMWA. During the 1948 meeting,

Morris Fishbein Morris Fishbein M.D. (July 22, 1889 – September 27, 1976) was an American physician and editor of the '' Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') from 1924 to 1950. Ira Rutkow's ''Seeking the Cure: A History of Medicine in ...

, M.D., then editor of

The Journal of the American Medical Association ''The Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of bio ...

, gave a two-hour course on medical writing at the meeting. Dr. Fishbein was president of AMWA, 1958–1959. Up until 1951, the constitution of AMWA was written so that only physicians could be members. The constitution adopted for 1951–1956 allowed, besides physicians, "medical librarians and health educators," and, importantly, "personnel of hospitals, foundations, technical companies and allied organizations, educational institutions, publishing and who are concerned with medical writing or publishing..." In 1976 the first president was elected who did not have a doctoral degree (Gerald McKee); in 1977 the first woman president, Virginia T. Eicholtz, was elected.

Code of ethics

The AMWA Code of Ethics sets forth the principles that "take into account the important role of medical communicators in writing, editing, and developing materials in various media and the potential of the products of their efforts to inform, educate, and influence audiences." The original Code of Ethics was published by Eric W. Martin, PhD, in 1973. The third revision was published in June 2008.

Membership

Membership is open to anyone interested in medical communications. Professional and student memberships are available. AMWA members receive benefits including free resources and learning opportunities. Members can also create a listing in the Freelance Directory, search the Jobs Online platform, and have access to Engage, AMWA's online member community. In addition, members receive reduced prices on AMWA and affiliate products, events, and services.

Education program and certificates

AMWA offers an extensive

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. ...

program for professionals in the medical and allied scientific communication fields. More than 90 educational sessions are offered during AMWA's annual conference, including intensive learning workshops that can be applied toward AMWA's certificate program. Earning the AMWA Essential Skills Certificate is considered an important part of a career path in the field. The program requires 8 credits of Essential Skills courses, which may be earned through completion of self-study workbook quizzes and/or by participation at in-person workshops. Access to on-demand resources is available through AMWA Online Learning, which includes videos, articles, tutorials, and interactive activities on a variety of topics. Most resources are available to both members and nonmembers, however members can access them at a reduced price. AMWA also offers live online webinars, networking and learning events, and onsite training programs for medical writing professionals.

Publications

The '' AMWA Journal'' is the official publication of AMWA. A quarterly publication, it "aims to be an authoritative, comprehensive source of information about the knowledge, skills, and opportunities in the field of medical communication worldwide." The Essential Skills workbooks are published by AMWA and designed for self-study. They include examples and exercises, as well as a quiz. Successful completion of the quiz awards credit towards earning the AMWA Essential Skills Certificate.

Annual conference, networking, and job opportunities

As the world's largest professional association of medical communicators, AMWA offers unique educational and networking opportunities for those new to the profession, mid-career, and advanced career professionals. Jobs Online is an online service for announcing employment or freelance opportunities to medical communicators interested in finding new employers or clients. The AMWA Freelance Directory is an open-access online tool that allows individuals or companies to find a professional freelance medical communicator for any scientific, medical, or health care related project. AMWA holds the Medical Writing & Communication Conference annually. The 2018 conference was held November 1–3, 2018 in Washington, D.C. and the 2019 conference was held November 7–9, 2019 in

San Diego, CA San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. The conference is open to all medical communicators, regardless of membership.

Awards

AMWA's award program recognizes exceptional achievements and contributions to the field of medical communication. * The John P. McGovern Award is presented to a member or nonmember of AMWA to honor a preeminent contribution to any of the various modes of medical communication. * The

Walter C. Alvarez Walter Clement Alvarez (July 22, 1884June 18, 1978) was an American medical doctor of Spanish descent. He authored several dozen books on medicine, and wrote introductions and forewords for many others. Biography He was born in San Francisco and ...

Award is presented to a member or nonmember of AMWA to honor excellence in communicating health care developments and concepts to the public. * The Harold Swanberg Distinguished Service Award is presented to any active member of AMWA who has made distinguished contributions to medical communication or rendered unusual and distinguished services to the medical profession. * The President's Award is given by the AMWA president to a member of AMWA for distinctive contributions to the association at the chapter or national level). * The Golden Apple Award is awarded to workshop leaders who have demonstrated excellence in teaching in the AMWA education program. * The Fellowship program recognizes members who have made significant contributions to the goals and activities of AMWA in addition to other professional accomplishments.

Chapters and local networking

AMWA has 15 regional chapters and local networking opportunities throughout the United States and Canada. Chapters organize meetings and conferences in their region. *Carolinas Chapter *Delaware Valley Chapter *Empire State-Metropolitan New York Chapter *Florida Chapter *Greater Chicago Area Chapter *Indiana Chapter *Mid-America Chapter *Mid-Atlantic Chapter *New England Chapter *North Central Chapter *Northern California Chapter *Ohio Valley Chapter *Rocky Mountain Chapter *Southeast Chapter *Southwest Chapter

Medical Writer Certified (MWC)

The Medical Writing Certification Commission (MWCC), in collaboration with AMWA, developed the Medical Writer Certified (MWC) credential that defines the scope of medical writing practice and distinguishes individuals in the field. The MWC program is an exam-based certification designed for professional medical writers holding a bachelor or advanced degree and with at least two years of paid medical writing experience. Professionals who hold this credential have demonstrated their understanding of medical writing core competencies.

The role of professional medical writers

In 2017, AMWA collaborated with the European Medical Writers Association (EMWA) and the International Society of Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP), to create the AMWA-EMWA-ISMPP Joint Position Statement. In summary, the statement asserts that, "professional medical writing support helps authors and sponsors to disclose their research in peer-review journals and scientific congresses in an ethical, accurate, and timely manner, with the ultimate aim of advancing patient care." The statement describes the appropriate role of professional medical writers in the development of medical and scientific publications, including: * Articles and supplementary content (e.g., video abstracts) for publication in peer-reviewed journals * Abstracts, posters, and oral presentations for dissemination at scientific congresses"AMWA‒EMWA‒ISMPP Joint Position Statement on the Role of Professional Medical Writers" (Jan 2017). ''American Medical Writers Association''. http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.amwa.org/resource/resmgr/about_amwa/JointPositionStatement.Profe.pdf Previously, AMWA published a position statement on the contributions of medical writers to scientific publications in the 2003 '' AMWA Journal.'' This article explained the work of the AMWA 2002 Task Force on the Contributions of Medical Writers to Scientific Publications as it prepared, adopted, and presented the position statement. The position statement addressed the controversy of guest authorship and the use of

medical ghostwriter Medical ghostwriters are employed by pharmaceutical companies and medical-device manufacturers to produce apparently independent manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and other communications. Physicians and other scientis ...

s, particularly when pharmaceutical companies fund the research. Critics charge that the use of biomedical communicators encourages commercial bias. Advocates claim that professional biomedical communicators provide a valuable service that improves the quality and timeliness of publication of research. The debate centers around how to define

authorship An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

. In 2005, the World Association of Medical Editors tightened its policy on ghost writing of medical research papers after a US journal highlighted allegedly illegitimate ghostwriting practices.

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

reported on a study released by editors of

that found a significant number of articles in top medical journals published in 2008 were written by ghostwriters. Cindy Hamilton (AMWA president at the time) replied to this article in a letter to the editor by stating, in part: Reuters has reported that some medical journal editors are resorting to

computer forensics Computer forensics (also known as computer forensic science) is a branch of digital forensic science pertaining to evidence found in computers and digital storage media. The goal of computer forensics is to examine digital media in a forensica ...

to help reveal ghost writers on manuscripts. Despite conflicting viewpoints on ghostwriting and guest authorship in medical communications, common ground can be found. This viewpoint was neatly summed up in the September 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings:

References

External links

American Medical Writers AssociationToolkit for New Medical WritersExploring a Career in Medical Communication: A Collection of Articles from the AMWA JournalAMWA Position StatementsAMWA Online LearningAMWA Essential Skills Certificate
{{Authority control Health care-related professional associations based in the United States Professional titles and certifications Science writing organizations Organizations established in 1940 Medical and health organizations based in Maryland American writers' organizations AMWA 1948 establishments in Illinois