| Happy New Year from AMWA Carolinas! We hope to see you at our virtual Annual Business Meeting on Jan 28. Also, the call for proposals for our 2025 Chapter Conference is still open, deadline extended to Jan 24. Read on below for our exciting new format for our February book club on Feb 20 and some options for your to-read list! |
| Annual Business Meeting and Spring Journal Club |
| Please join us at our Annual Business Meeting, where you can meet the 2025 Board of Directors, catch up with what we accomplished in 2024, hear our treasurer report, a summary of the 2024 Carolinas chapter survey and AMWA national 2024 compensation survey results, and get a preview of our plans for 2025. We will also hold our first quarterly journal club of the year. This will be a guided group discussion on the following article from the 2024 Winter issue of the AMWA Journal: Growth of Health Economics and Outcomes Research and Real-World Evidence in Medical Communication, and Opportunities for Medical Writers, written by Tom Drake and Lisa Baker. The journal article can be accessed here. Please read the article ahead of time to be able to gain the most out of the discussion. Date: Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 Location: Virtual Time: 6:30 pm Registration link At the November Board Meeting, the Chapter Board of Directors approved the 2025 Executive Committee Slate: -President: Jaya Samaranayake (current President-elect) – President-elect: Abigail Agoglia (2023-2024 Conference Chair) -Treasurer: Simone Otto (current Treasurer) -Secretary: Katie Kelm, PhD, Director of Medical Writing, PPD/Thermo Fisher Scientific Additional nominations for the Executive Committee may be submitted to AMWA Carolinas and must be received on or before Jan 12 (at least 15 days before our Jan 28 business meeting). Nominations must be signed by at least 10 Chapter members in good standing and must be accompanied by an email from the candidate stating that they will serve if elected. |
| 2025 Chapter Conference Call for Proposals and Save the Date |
| AMWA Carolinas wants YOU to share your expertise and ideas at the 2025 Carolinas Chapter Conference (May 16, 2025, at the Friday Center, Chapel Hill, NC)! This is an excellent opportunity to help share your knowledge with medical communicators and to engage in a challenging & fun professional development activity! Accepted educational session presenters receive free registration and approved roundtable leaders receive a discounted registration of $80! Click here by January 24, 2025 to submit a proposal for an educational session or a lunchtime roundtable. Consider these popular topics for either beginner or more advanced levels: -Nonregulatory medical writing (eg, continuing medical education (CME), patient education, grants, manuscripts, scientific writing) -Regulatory writing (eg, Orphan Drug, pharmacokinetics, lean authoring)Soft skills (eg, conflict management, influencing teams, leadership) -General writing & editing skills (eg, grammar)Technology trends & efficiencies (eg, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity) -Editing (eg, tips from editors to writers, how to edit your own work)Freelancing (insurance, pricing, etc) -Breaking into medical writing (writing assessments, introductory topics) For more information and to submit your proposal, visit: Call for Proposals |
| NC Biotech Exchange Group |
 AMWA Carolinas is excited to announce that we are now an Intellectual Exchange Group through the NC Biotech Center. This support means that AMWA Carolinas will get more visibility in the NC scientific community and will have complementary use of the NC Biotech Facility for our 2025 events and beyond. This effort was initiated by 2023 Chapter President Demetrius Carter and completed by 2024 Chapter President Jenni Pickett with support and advice from AMWA National, the Chapter Board of Directors, and our friends at NCRAF. |
| Feb 2025 Book Club – Choose Your Own Adventure! |
| In 2025, we will again have our AMWA Carolinas book club – but we are changing up the format. The Board made 3 book selections, and you can choose 1 book to read and discuss and learn about the other 2 books at the meeting. (Or if you don’t have time to read, learn about all 3 books at the meeting!) The Data Detective by Tim Harford Presents ten rules for understanding statistics in everyday life, encouraging curiosity and critical thinking. Discussion led by Amritha Kidiyoor, PhD, Principal Medical Writer, Merck The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis Chronicles the collaboration between psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky on human decision-making. For Blood and Money by Nathan Vardi Explores the complex and often ethically challenging world of biotech, particularly in the development of cancer drugs. It delves into the intersection of science, finance, and ethics in the biotech industry.Discussion led by Demetrius Carter, Senior Vice President, Certara We are seeking discussion leaders for The Undoing Project, if you are interested, please complete our Volunteer Interest Form and state “Book Club Lead” under “Other.” Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025 Time 6:30 – 8:00 pm Location: Virtual Registration link |
| Mar 2025 Virtual Event Enhancing Emotional Intelligence: The Key to Personal and Professional Success |
| Join us for a virtual interactive session exploring the fundamental concepts of emotional intelligence, the neuroscience behind emotions, and practical strategies to develop emotional awareness, empathy, and self-regulation. Through reflective exercises and real-world examples, participants will gain insights into their emotional habits and learn actionable techniques to enhance their emotional intelligence. This event will be presented by Gretchen Griffin, MS, MBA, Senior Director, Medical Writing Submissions at Moderna. Proceeds from this session will help AMWA Carolinas provide a reduced rate for students and postdocs at the Chapter Conference! Details on the event date and time will be provided in the Feb newsletter. |
| Recent Chapter Website Updates |
| We’ve added some great content to our chapter website in 2024, please check them out! Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Medical Writing 2024 Member Survey Results Slides NCRAF AMWA Event Report 2024 Conference Session Reports |
| AMWA Carolinas Holiday Parties |
Thank you to Molly Rodriguez, our Event Coordinator, for planning our RTP holiday party at Page Road Grill, and thanks to all the attendees for bringing their holiday cheer! Would you like to host a New Year party for our membership in your local area? Please let us know! |
| Article Interviews |
| AMWA Carolinas has a student volunteer interested in writing an article about the different types of medical writing for the chapter website. The article would be based on interviews, and we are looking for chapter members experienced in scientific publications, health communication, continuing education for professionals, or promotional writing. If you are open to being interviewed for the article, please complete the form below to find out more information. The student will follow up with you with more details and you can decide if you would like to participate. Article Interview Interest Form |
