Right and Wrong: Medical Communication Ethics

Ethical behavior is important in any profession. 

Medical Editing Checklist: An Essential Tool for Success

Checklists are popular these days. And for good reason. 

Ever since surgeon and author Atul Gawande published The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right  in 2009, checklists have proliferated in many fields, and revolutionized the way we conduct business and practice medicine.

Dr Leana Wen Named 2022 Walter C. Alvarez Recipient

The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) has selected Leana Wen, MD, MSc, FAAEM, an emergency physician, public health professor at George Washington University, and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, as the 2022 Walter C. Alvarez Award Recipient. This award recognizes excellence in communicating health care developments and concepts to the public and is named after Walter C. Alvarez, MD, a pioneer in the field of medical communication.

Wen’s career has focused on public health as a fundamental force in our individual lives and well-being. Previously, she served as Baltimore’s Health Commissioner, where she led the nation’s oldest continuously operating health department in the United States to fight the opioid epidemic, treat violence and racism as public health issues, and improve maternal and child health. She directed the public health recovery efforts of Baltimore after the 2015 riots, working to ensure access to prescription medication after pharmacy closures and working to develop the city’s mental health and trauma recovery plan with crisis counseling, youth health and wellness, and violence prevention programs. As she states in her memoir, Lifelines, “Public health saved your life today―you just don’t know it.”

Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD Named 2022 John P. McGovern Award Recipient

The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) has selected Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD, an internationally recognized physician-scientist, global health advocate, accomplished author, and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, as the 2022 John P. McGovern Award Recipient. This award recognizes preeminent contributions to the various modes of medical communication and is named in honor of renowned allergist and philanthropist John P. McGovern, MD.

Based in Houston, Texas, Hotez is a professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, founding Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, professor at Baylor University, and codirector of Texas Children's Hospital’s Center for Vaccine Development. Considered a pioneer in his field, Hotez is an expert in neglected tropical diseases, global health, and vaccinology with a passion for developing new interventions, combatting anti-science misinformation, and communicating science.

What You Need to Know about Ergonomic Workstation Setup and Why You Should Get Up Out of Your Chair

Have you taken a stretch break in the last 15 minutes? Do it! Lift your arms up above your head and tilt back slightly to counteract that forward curve. Yes, we’re talking to you.

Like other professionals, medical communicators tend to spend a lot of time at their desks. We’re looking at screens, meeting online, poring over documents, talking on phones, and researching and writing.  

Kill Fees: When and How Medical Writers Use Them

Your time as a medical writer is worth money.