Chapter Report – Spring 2011

American Medical Writers Association
North Central Chapter
Chapter Report – Spring 2011

Officers (October 2010 through September 2011)
President: Michael Franklin
President-Elect: Karen Steinhilber
Secretary: Mary Pat McGinnis
Co-Treasurers: Liz Davies and Alexandra Woods
Immediate Past President: Kimberly McGhee

Committee Chairs
Finance Committee: Michele Burlew
Membership Committee: Colleen Sauber
Program Committee: Marty Swain
Publications Committee: Todd Jensen
LinkedIn Subgroup Manager: Mary Van Beusekom

Membership
Number of members: 121 (as of September 29, 2010)
The chapter’s territory includes Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and northern Wisconsin.

Financial Status
Account balance on January 31, 2011, was $17,495.94.

2010 Events and Meetings
Spring Chapter Meeting: On May 21, 2010, the AMWA North Central Chapter sponsored a tour of the Mayo Clinic Multidisciplinary Simulation Center, a high-tech virtual hospital, where learners can better master complex care delivery without any risk to patients. Prior to the tour, AMWA members visited the Mayo Clinic Section of Scientific Publications, one of the largest in-house editing groups in academic medicine.

Fall Chapter Meeting: On October 8, 2010, at the Medtronic World Headquarters in Fridley, MN, AMWA members and their guests will attend a presentation by a Medtronic representative on the history of this medical device company. After the meeting, attendees will gathered at the Shorewood Bar & Grill for a social hour.

AMWA Book Club: AMWA members meet periodically for lunch at a Minneapolis restaurant to discuss books related to medical writing and health issues (attendance: 5 to 6). Mary Knatterud coordinates the book club. For 2011, the group’s books are the following:
(1) Monday, January 31, 2011: Listening to Prozac: The Landmark Book about Antidepressants and the Remaking of the Self by Peter D. Kramer
(2) Monday, April 25, 2011: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
(3) Monday, September 26, 2011: Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA by Maryn McKenna (author will be present to join the discussion)

Southern Minnesota Area AMWA Writers and Editors Discussion Group: AMWA members and interested writers and editors in the Rochester area meet for lunch and discussion at Mayo Clinic in Rochester on the fourth Friday every other month (attendance: 4 to 8).
Twin Cities Area AMWA Writers and Editors Discussion Group: AMWA members and interested writers and editors in the Twin Cities area meet for lunch and discussion at the Overflow Espresso Café in Minneapolis on a Wednesday four times per year (attendance: 3 to 5). Meeting dates for 2011 are:
(1) Wednesday, February 16, 11 AM
(2) Wednesday, March 16, 11 AM
(3) Wednesday, July 20, 11 AM
(4) Wednesday, November 16, 11 AM

North Central Chapter Freelancers Group: As a new offering, AMWA freelance members are invited to attend a new monthly meeting that is designed to foster networking and discussion among AMWA North Central freelancers. It will be once a month in the Twin Cities, with the first meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10 at Salut Americain on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. The meetings will be scheduled at different times and places in order to accommodate a variety of schedules.

AMWA Annual Conference Chapter Greet & Go: The AMWA North Central Chapter’s Greet & Go event at the recent annual meeting in Milwaukee was attended by 12+ members.

Web Site
The chapter continues to add content to the redesigned Web site to further its role as an important communication vehicle for the membership. Profiles of AMWA members are published nearly every month; these articles highlight the varied career paths of current medical writers. The Web site also serves to publicize upcoming events and as a document archive. A password-protected part of the site contains historical documents (eg, attendance records, meeting minutes, financial reports) for reference by the Executive Committee.
The chapter launched a new e-mail service for local chapter members that forwards announcements of local freelance opportunities and job openings. A new form on the Web site allows potential employers (freelance or otherwise) to describe open positions. These descriptions will then be e-mailed only to those who have asked to receive these announcements.

Newsletter
A monthly newsletter continues to be published on the chapter Web site. Complete newsletters are archived online.

Outreach
The Membership Committee continues to focus its efforts on welcoming and orienting new members, on making contact with lapsed members, and on working with local universities and colleges to let students know about AMWA. In January 2011, the Membership Committee created a chapter subgroup on LinkedIn.

Plans for 2011
Spring Chapter Meeting: The Program Committee is pleased to invite AMWA members and their guests to the spring 2011 chapter program: All You Ever Wanted to Know About Regulatory Writing. The meeting will be held in the Masonic Cancer Research Building (MCRB) conference room at the University of Minnesota on Saturday, April 30, 10:30 a.m.-12 noon, followed by optional lunch at nearby restaurant. The program is free of charge; lunch is Dutch treat.

Program Description:
What, exactly, is regulatory writing and how is it changing? Is this a field you might want to get involved in, and would you be qualified? How are changes at the FDA and in the regulatory environment itself impacting your work today, and how will they impact the many Minnesota medical device companies? North Central AMWA chapter member Joy Frestedt, PhD, RAC, CCTI, who has 30 years of regulatory experience, will be our speaker. Her talk will appeal to novices and those familiar with regulatory writing alike. Please join us. Meeting is open to AMWA members and nonmembers.

Fall Chapter Meeting: The Program Committee will plan a fall meeting as in previous years.

Small Group Meetings: The small groups detailed in this report will continue to meet in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Rochester.

Submitted by Karen Steinhilber
March 5, 2011