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SPRING 
2025

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FROM THE EDITOR › Michael G. Baker

CONFERENCE - AWARD
2024 John P. McGovern Award Address: Communicating with 
Diverse Communities › Nadya Merchant

CONFERENCE - SESSION REPORTS
Next-Level QC Review and Editing in Medical Writing 
› Mary Anne Loafman

Developing Standard and Graphical Abstracts for Publications        
› Kyla Ross

Do THIS, Not THAT! Tips and Tricks for Using Large Language 
Models Successfully › Eva Stabenow

How to Make Marketing Your Freelance Business as Easy as Tying 
Your Shoes › Lori De Milto

Let’s Talk About the Medical Copywriter’s Role in Health Care 
Advertising › Milly Vega

Navigating Oncology: Expert Strategies for Effective Medical Writing
› Padmapriya Padmanabhan

News and Public Relations Writing for Medical and Health 
Communicators › Sidonie Jones

Storytelling With Clinical Data: How To Write Readable 
Clinical Evaluation Reports › Sidonie Jones

Updated Guidance on Inclusive Language for Science Writers 
and Editors › Kerry Kennedy

Digital Tools For Freelance Writers and Editors › Shanzeh Mumtaz Ahmed

TOPICAL FEATURES
Developing New Talent in Regulatory Medical Writing: AMWA  
Apprentice Program Framework › Kimberly Jochman, Andriana 
Papaconstantinou, Angela Burnett, Brian Geldziler, Janice Worley, Jeanette 
Towles, Joan Affleck, Julia Cooper, Julia Forjanic Klapproth, Keisha Smith,
Laura Sheppard, Lynne Munno, Rona Claire Grunspan, and Zhiming Zhang, on 
behalf of the AMWA Apprentice Program Framework Working Group 

Pathways to Medical Writing: Short-Term Opportunities  
to Jumpstart Your Career › Jeanette M. Towles and Jason S. Casavant

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

External hard-drive Flash drive/USB
keys/sAcks

Online/cloud-based
service

Other No back-up

65%

31%

52%

7% 6%

52%

19%

64%

10%

5%

39%

12%

75%

2%
5%

2016 Survey (n=307) 2018 Survey (n=262) 2024 Survey (n=291)39

34

5



  EDITOR-IN-CHIEF  Michael G. Baker, PhD
 MANAGING EDITOR Rachel Mosher, MA  
 SECTION EDITORS
 Progress in Publications Qing Zhou, PhD, ELS
 Regulatory Insights Jennifer Bridgers, MS, MWC
 Science Series Naomi Bishop, MD
 Statistically Speaking  Thomas M. Schindler, PhD
 Everyday Ethics  Julie Ravo, BA, MA
 Freelance Focus Ruwaida Vakil, MSc
 CE Craft Corner Haifa Kassis, MD
 Practical Matters Elizabeth Kukielka, PharmD, MA, MS, MWC 
 Around the Career Block Cecilia Petrus, MSc
 Technology Talk  Kyla Ross, BS, MS 

 REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS
 Freelance Focus Brian G. Bass, MWC
  Melissa L. Bogen, ELS
  Sherri Bowen, MA, ELS
  Lori De Milto, MJ
  Cathryn D. Evans
  Gail V. Flores, PhD
  Alex Howson, PhD
  Phyllis Minick
 In the Service of Good Writing Laurie Endicott Thomas, MA, ELS
 Conscious Writing  Crystal R. Herron, PhD, ELS

  EDITORS IN MEMORIAM Lori L. Alexander, MTPW, ELS, MWC 
  Ronald J. Sanchez 
 2024–2025 PRESIDENT Roshawn (Shawn) Watson, PharmD, PhD, BCPS 
 2024–2025 BOARD LIAISON Jennifer Minarcik, MS 
 2024–2025 STAFF LIAISON Shari Rager, MS, CAE
 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Susan Krug, MS, CAE
 GRAPHIC DESIGNER Amy Boches, biographics

EDITORIAL OFFICE: ManagingEditor@amwa.org. Instructions for authors 
available at: www.amwajournal.org.

ADVERTISING: Contact marketing@amwa.org or (240) 239-0940. All advertising 
is subject to acceptance by AMWA and should be for products and services relevant 
to professional medical communicators. AMWA is not responsible for the content of 
advertising and does not endorse any advertiser or its products or services.

SUBSCRIPTION: The AMWA Journal is published quarterly. Subscription is included 
with AMWA membership. Nonmember subscriptions cost is $75 per year.

CONTACT: American Medical Writers Association, 9841 Washingtonian Blvd, 
Suite 500-26, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. Phone: (240) 238-0940; Fax: (301) 294-
9006; Email: amwa@amwa.org.

The AMWA Journal is in the MLA International Bibliography and selectively 
indexed in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature 
(CINAHL) print index and the CINAHL database.

The opinions expressed by authors contributing to the Journal do not 
necessarily reflect the opinions of AMWA or the institutions with which the 
authors are affiliated. The association accepts no responsibility for the opinions 
expressed by contributors to the Journal.

©2025 American Medical Writers Association. All rights reserved.  
ISSN 2163-5315

AMWA JOURNAL MISSION STATEMENT 
In support of the mission of the American Medical 
Writers Association (AMWA) and to advance the 
broader profession, the AMWA Journal publishes 
content that reflects the interests, concerns, and 
expertise of medical communicators. Its purpose is to 
inform, inspire, and motivate medical communicators.

M
O

RE        V40 N1 / 2025 

 39 ORIGINAL RESEARCH
How Freelance Medical Writers and Editors Use  
Digital Tools: Results From the 2024 Freelance  
Medical Communicator Tools of the Trade Survey  
› Monica Nicosia

 
 52 CE CRAFT CORNER 
  Learning in the Digital Age: The Rise of Social Media  
  in Continuing Education › Morgan Leafe

 56 FREELANCE FOCUS 
  Jam Session For Seasoned Freelancers in  
  New Orleans › Brian G. Bass 

  AMWA NEWS
 58 From the President–Inaugural Address 
  Catch the Vision › Shawn Watson
 
 59 Taking AI Technology Out of the Box: AMWA’s Sixth  
  Medical Writing Executives’ Forum › Janice Worley,  
  Jeanette Towles, Jeannene Butler, Lisa Chamberlain James,  
  Shiri Diskin, Julia Forjanic Klapproth, Nika Matzke, Robyn  
  Pierce, and Tatyana Wanderer
 
 66 CALENDAR OF MEETINGS  
  

Contents

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