





































       V38 N3 / 2023 

©2023 American Medical Writers Association. All rights reserved.  
ISSN 2163-5315

AMWAJournal.org     35

It’s hard to believe that summer is over, and the 2023 

Medical Writing & Communication Conference is coming 

soon. I am looking forward to being in Baltimore. The con-

ference offers wonderful content, including General Session 

presentations by our McGovern Award and Alvarez Award 

recipients. Other articles in this issue of the Journal have 

more information on the 2023 award recipients and what 

the conference has to offer. I am excited for the opportunity 

to learn and connect with you there, while also recognizing 

that the annual business meeting at the conference marks 

the transition of our governance year.

 With my year as AMWA President nearly over, I have 

been reflecting on how much the organization has accom-

plished this year. Thanks to the AMWA Board of Directors 

(BOD), our volunteers, and AMWA staff, we have made 

great strides with 2 major initiatives that began during the 

presidency of my predecessor, Katrina Burton.

 First, our diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiative con-

tinues to move forward. The BOD has engaged a diversity, 

equity, and inclusion consultant to guide the development 

of a strategy to implement inclusion, equity, and diversity 

enhancements throughout the organization. This strategy 

will include a vision and overarching goals and objectives. 

Based on the recommendations of the D&I Assessment Task 

Force, we will develop plans to operationalize those goals, 

measure outcomes, and create systems to monitor progress 

and improve our processes. This is a multiyear effort, and 

I am grateful that the BOD has approved the resources to 

support this important work.

 Second, the new Health Communication Curriculum 

Development Task Force has begun its work to develop an 

AMWA health communication curriculum. This initiative 

will support our efforts to recognize and honor the legacy 

of Lori L. Alexander, who did so much for AMWA and the 

medical writing profession at large. Lori had a passion for 

health literacy and clear medical information and believed 

that clear communication is essential to scientific research, 

meaningful patient–health care professional interactions, 

and better health outcomes. AMWA’s expanded health  

content will include topics such as tactics for creating effec-

tive communication about health, science, and medicine; 

strategies for presenting information on health and med-

icine to a variety of audiences; how to develop inclusive 

health communication; the use of inclusive language in 

medical communication; and health equity and health dis-

parities issues. I thank the task force members for their hard 

work and for sharing their professional expertise.

 I have never seen AMWA do so much at one time. Keep 

in mind that AMWA has other priorities as well, including 

organizing the annual conferences, creating and updat-

ing educational content and our online learning platform, 

and enhancing the member experience. I am confident that 

these initiatives will strengthen the organization. In addition, 

the BOD already has a list of future initiatives to consider. The 

continuous work to improve organizational effectiveness, 

promote excellence in medical communication, and increase 

member value never ceases… It’s a journey.

FROM THE PRESIDENT
It’s a Journey

AMWA NEWS

Elise Eller, PhD / 2022-2023 AMWA President

http://www.amwajournal.org
https://www.amwajournal.org/index.php/amwa/article/view/111



