April 2007

The Indiana Chapter April 2007 Newsletter AMWA Indiana Chapter Annual Conference June 15 & 16, 2007 Friday, June 15 8:30-11:30 Statistics for Medical Writers and Editors (G) – Bart Harvey 11:30-2:00 Chapter Meeting Panel Discussion: Topics in Bioethics Scholarship presentation Election of new Board Officers 2:00-5:00 Improving Comprehension: Theories and Research Findings (EW/ED) – Helen Hodgson Saturday, June 16 8:30-11:30 Advanced Writing (ADV) – Helen Hodgson 11:30-1:00 Lunch 2:00-4:00 Advanced Data Presentations: Tables, Graphs & Charts (ADV) – Bart Harvey REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 01 MAY 2007 Location:

Faris Campus, Eli Lilly and Company 546 South Meridian Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46285

See the AMWA Indiana Chapter website for more details, www.hoosieramwa.org.

CHAPTER BUSINESS The AMWA Indiana Chapter Scholarship submission deadline is 01 May 2007. Share the information with any one you know who might be interested in applying!

Board officer elections will occur during the 15 June 2007 chapter meeting. __________________________________________________ On Saturday, 27 January 2007 the Indiana Chapter of AMWA met at the Indiana Medical History Museum. It’s the oldest freestanding pathology facility in the nation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The IMHM shows the beginnings of modern medicine and psychiatry. After some brief chapter business, the group went on a tour of the facilities.

AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter April 2007

FROM THE PRESIDENT, AMWA INDIANA CHAPTER Fellow members, now is the time to step up, volunteer, share! At our upcoming chapter meeting on April 26, nominations for roles on the chapter’s board of directors will be accepted.

Voting on the final slate of officers will take place at our business meeting on June 15.

Our Indiana AMWA chapter conference is coming on June 14 and June 15. Several years have gone by since we last hosted a two-day conference. Double the opportunities for learning mean double the need for volunteers! Could you come early and greet out-of-town guests at the Lilly Faris campus? Could you work at the registration desk? Could you drive the instructors to and from their hotel? Simple things like this will help the event go smoothly. Please contact Linda Tabas (276-6837) or Deborah Frisby (276-1035) and let us know how you can help.

Thank you to Julie Beyrer for serving as our delegate to the spring AMWA Board of Directors meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, in March. The national organization holds these meetings at least twice a year to solicit ideas from the chapters and to provide support to the chapters.

Here are a few highlights from Julie’s report: 1) The March 2007 mailing was the last printed communication that members will receive from Headquarters; all future communications will be electronic; 2) AMWA is financially strong; recent excess income will be used to develop a webinar for members; watch for announcements of the first event, tentatively scheduled for June; 3) The AMWA Endowment Fund has exceeded its original target. Ideas for using the fund are being studied by a new committee established for that purpose; ideas include student scholarships, compensation for special-topic thought leaders to speak at the national conference, and support for research into the contributions of medical writers.

Thank you, Julie, for representing us!

To all the chapter’s officers and committee chairpersons, I am grateful for your service this year.

Deborah Frisby, President AMWA Indiana Chapter Page 1 of 3

The Indiana Chapter UPCOMING EVENTS: AMWA Indiana Chapter Meeting Thursday, April 26, 2007 Nanotechnology: The Next Big Thing in Medicine?

Panelists from Purdue University and Eli Lilly and Company will introduce us to current developments at the intersection of nanoscience, biology, and medicine. Think about the possibilities! What if devices smaller than cells could detect disease and deliver therapeutic agents to those cells? What if devices in the bloodstream could capture drug-resistant bacteria or repair blood vessels? Can an industry that organizes resources and regulations into categories called “drugs” and “devices” adapt and keep pace with “nano” innovation? Are we ready to write protocols, risk profiles, investigator brochures, and medical letters about “nano” products? Bring your ideas when we discuss the implications of this technology for our work as medical writers.

Where: Pike Branch, Indianapolis Public Library, 6525 N. Zionsville Road, Indianapolis IN. Directions from downtown Indianapolis: 1. Take I-65 north or I-70 west. Take I-465 northbound.

2. Exit I-456 at the 71st Street exit (on west side of Indianapolis). At the ramp’s end, turn right (eastbound) onto 71st Street.

3. Continue eastbound about 0.5 miles, and turn right (southbound) onto Zionsville Road. There is a stoplight at the intersection of Zionsville Road and 71st Street.

4. Continue southbound about 0.5 mile. Pike Branch Library is on the left (east) side of the street, close to the Pike Performing Arts Center. Free parking is available in the library’s lot. The meeting room is to the left of the library’s main entry way.

Meeting agenda: 5:30 Refreshments and networking 6:00 Chapter business 6:15 Panelist presentations and Q&A 7:15 Networking

AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter April 2007

THE AMWA INDIANA CHAPTER SCHOLARSHIP FOR BIOMEDICAL COMMUNICATIONS Are you (or do you know someone who is) a college/university student interested in winning a $1000 scholarship??

The Indiana Chapter of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) is pleased to announce its 2007 annual educational scholarship in biomedical communications. This scholarship will recognize an individual for excellence in biomedical communications and assist in his/her educational efforts. The recipient will be awarded $1000 at the chapter meeting of the annual Indiana Chapter Conference, to be held 15-16 June 2007, in Indianapolis Indiana.

To be considered for the AMWA Indiana Chapter Scholarship for Biomedical Communications, applicants: • must be enrolled in college/university studies in Indiana; and • must be majoring in the sciences, medical or health professions, English, journalism, or health science communications.

To apply, applicants are required to submit a 500-word essay or article on the topic Ethics in Biomedical Communications. Essays will be judged on both content and style. Applicants must also submit a signed letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor or sponsor detailing the applicant’s strengths as a communicator of science or medicine.

Applications are due 01 May 2007.

Please go to the AMWA Indiana Chapter website, www.hoosieramwa.org for full details and the application form. As well, you may contact the AMWA Indiana Chapter Scholarship Chair, Diana Fisher, at dfisher@lilly.com.

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The Indiana Chapter

Professional Accomplishments and Activities AMWA Certificate Completions: Elizabeth A Agostinelli, MA Elaine Crabtree, MA, ELS Svetlana V Dominguez, BA Peter M Fairfield Diana L Fisher, MS Deborah S Frisby, MA Cynthia L Hooper, MA Nancy J Jacobs Rebecca O'Dell, BS Mary E Pritchard Mason W Robbins, MS, CCRP Susan M Zeilinga

PH ADV ADV EW PH ADV MULTI EW EW PH EW EW

2006-2007 AMWA Indiana Chapter Board: President: President-Elect: Secretary: Treasurer: Membership Chair: Program Chair: Education Chair: Scholarship Chair: Newsletter Editor: Website Manager:

Deborah Frisby Diana Fisher Elaine Crabtree Ingrid Edgemon-Hensley Cynthia Hooper Julie Beyrer Linda Tabas Diana Fisher Cynthia Hooper Heather Miller

See the website for contact information: www.hoosieramwa.org.

AMWA FACTS: Did you know that you can download posters from previous AMWA Annual Conferences through the AMWA website?

Did you know that over 12 other chapters are offering chapter conferences that you can attend?

Or that there are links to over 20 other professional organizations of interest to medical writers?

Go to www.amwa.org and look under Conferences for all the details.

AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter April 2007

About AMWA: The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) is a national organization for writers, editors, and other professionals in medicine and science. The association was founded in 1940 and has regional chapters throughout the United States and Canada and members in 26 countries throughout the world. Through an extensive educational program, various publications, and unparalleled opportunities for networking, AMWA encourages and enables its members to extend their professional expertise.

We need YOUR help!

Please let us know about your professional accomplishments and activities (for example, completion of AMWA, BELS, or other certifications; conference presentations, academic achievements).

Also consider sharing your professional skills, wisdom, and experience with your professional colleagues by submitting original articles for publication in the AMWA Indiana Chapter newsletter and/or website. Contact the Newsletter Editor, Cynthia Hooper, at chooper@lilly.com.

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