V37 N2 / 2022 ©2022 American Medical Writers Association. All rights reserved. ISSN 2163-5315 AMWAJournal.org 41 As I write this article, it’s been a few weeks since the AMWA Board of Directors (BOD) met for an in-person board meet- ing in Washington, DC. After two years of virtual meetings and numerous phone calls handling the organization’s strategic priorities and pertinent business, it felt good to be at an in-person BOD meeting. This was not my first travel experience since the world opened back up for business. I’ve traveled twice before, and on each trip, I had the same mixed emotions- trepidation, excitement and a bit of normalcy. One thing I can say is that my recent in-person experi- ences has rejuvenated me, and I’m motivated more than ever to get back to traveling. As I attend several in-person celebratory events and make plans to travel with my family this summer, I am reminded of how truly blessed I am to not only survive through a pandemic, but also thrive in this new day. Speaking of thriving, AMWA also continues to thrive. We’ve seen an increase in membership when other orga- nizations have seen a decline. Recruiting and maintaining members continues to be one of our most important strate- gic priorities. AMWA is here because of our members, and our commitment to serving our members’ needs stays fore- most in my mind. I am deeply appreciative of the members that join the organization and jump right into learning and sharing their skills and talents with other AMWA members. I believe AMWA’s warm and welcoming atmosphere even during the virtual environment has attracted medical communicators from a variety of areas and locations around the world. As part of our discussion at the AMWA Spring Board meeting, we reflected on the some of the threats and chal- lenges to our profession, celebrated the wins of the orga- nization, and made plans to initiate opportunities that will further benefit our members and continue to propel the organization forward. Much of the AMWA BOD and staff’s work has centered around supporting and implementing our priorities and strategies to enhance our members experience, sharpen edu- cational member tools and resources, and develop a digital footprint for the future of the organization. We’ve continued to work at an accelerated pace to keep up with the delivery of educational materials and resources most important to our members. We are excited about the continued growth of member resources and the work to come from the Education Committee, and I look forward to seeing what’s next for the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Assessment Task Force. Like many of you, I try to stay focused, keep up with technology, and develop new skills to stay relevant in my field. Being open to learning new skills and transitioning your skillset into more opportunities is one of the reasons why AMWA has been so important to my growth. Being able to transition to new technology and platforms also has been an important part of AMWA’s growth, and I am thrilled to see it. As you are aware, the AMWA Journal transitioned to a digital format in Open Journal Systems (OJS) and launched the first digital issue in March. Not only is the AMWA Journal team working to align publication content with the organization’s content strategy, they have initiated theme- based issues and have incorporated guest editors for each issue. I hope you’ve had an opportunity to see the Journal in its digital format and read some of the rich content. Throughout the first half of my term as President I’ve witnessed some great educational programming delivered at the chapter level. I’m excited to see innovative and inter- esting content being offered through virtual programming and networking events. Many chapters hosted Spring virtual conferences across the AMWA platform, and I am happy to know that some members of AMWA’s Executive Committee (EC) were able to attend or participate in some of the conferences. FROM THE PRESIDENT A New Day AMWA NEWS Katrina R. Burton, BS / 2021–2022 AMWA President http://www.amwajournal.org AMWAJournal.org 42A New Day Speaking of conferences, I look forward to attending and presenting at AMWA’s Southeast Regional Conference in Fort Myers, Florida this summer. The collaborative con- ference between the Southeast, Florida, and Carolinas chapters’ will be the first in-person AMWA conference in more than 2 years, and the conference will offer a variety of educational sessions and workshops. I will join other AMWA faculty in presenting content from my skillset appli- cable to medical communicators in different phases of their careers. As we continue to transition and get back to in-per- son events at both the chapter and national level, I am most excited about the upcoming 2022 Medical Writing & Communication Conference taking place in Denver, Colorado, Nov. 2-5. This year’s annual conference theme— Elevating Health and Well-Being through Medical Communication—perfectly aligns with what we as medical communicators strive to do every day. With the 2022 Medical Writing & Communication Conference taking place in person this year, some things may change with logistics and protocols for safety rea- sons; however, the rest of the annual conference experi- ence will remain the same. In addition to networking with your peers, and enjoying the local fine dining, conference attendees can expect to feel AMWA’s warm and welcoming environment; experience a variety of workshops and ses- sions; and celebrate this year’s John P. McGovern, Walter C. Alvarez, and Harold Swanberg award recipients, and more. I hope we will see you in Denver, healthy, thriving and ready to have a great experience because you deserve it! www.amwa.org/mwc Three Little Letters. One Big Deal. APPLY NOW Apply by October 17 for December 2022 exam. Review our applicant handbook, candidate guide, and study tips to help you prepare. http://www.amwajournal.org http://www.amwa.org/mwc