AMWA Journal / V36 N3 / 2021 / amwa.org 133 Find Inspiration and Gain Fresh Insights at AMWA’s 2021 Medical Writing & Communication Conference Stephanie Wenick, MPhil Consultant, Wenick Communications, LLC HIGHLIGHTED SESSIONS: WFH! WTF? What I’ve Learned From 32 Years of Working From Home That Might Just Help You Survive Brian Bass, MWC / President, Bass Global, Inc Remote but Not Alone: Navigating Difficult Personalities When You Work From Home Melissa Christianson, PhD / Whitsell Innovations, Inc With the boom in remote work, I am looking forward to hearing from seasoned work-from-home freelancers and professionals on how they have navigated the challenges of working from home. WFH! WTF? What I’ve Learned From 32 Years of Working From Home That Might Just Help You Survive and Remote but Not Alone: Navigating Difficult Personalities When You Work From Home promise to deliver effective strategies on how to work better when you are on your own and no longer steps away from team members. Sarah Dobney, MPH Senior Manager, Medical Writing, Sunovion HIGHLIGHTED SESSION: Bridging the Gap: Transitioning Into Regulatory Medical Writing Savannah Mageau, PharmD; Shengjie Xu, PhD; and Amber Carr, PhD / Associate Medical Writers, Merck As a regulatory writer for more than 20 years who now teaches at the graduate level, I am so looking forward to the Bridging the Gap: Transitioning Into Regulatory Medical Writing session. I hope to gain insight into the nuances that it now takes to transition into the regulatory writ- ing space in order to give my students the insight they request from me during class. I also look forward to being able to give my students information on how to leverage their previous experience and what they are learning to break into a career that I have loved from the beginning and hope they find success in! AMWA’s 2021 Medical Writing & Communication Conference, which is taking place virtually from October 27 to October 29, will present 28 new education sessions on trends and opportunities for medical communicators. Following a year that delivered disruption, ignited innova- tion, and required resilience in our professional and per- sonal lives, the sessions accepted for #AMWA2021 shine a spotlight on the importance of medical communication, and the strength and commitment of the medical writing community, during these difficult yet amazing times. We asked members of the AMWA Conference Program Planning Committee to highlight sessions planned for the upcoming conference that have sparked their interest and to share a few thoughts about what they hope to learn. More on next page 134 AMWA Journal / V36 N3 / 2021 / amwa.org Michele W. Sequeira, MS, MBA, MWC Senior Marketing Representative, The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center HIGHLIGHTED SESSIONS: The Quick and the Dirty: Best Practices for Writing and Editing Under Tight Timelines J. Kelly Byram, MS, MBA, ELS1; Theresa E. Singleton, PhD2; and Damiana Chiavolini, MS, PhD3 / 1Founder and CEO, Duke City Consulting, LLC; 2Singleton Science, LLC; 3Southwestern Medical Center How Plain Language and Readability Strengthen Writing Crystal Herron, PhD, ELS / Managing Director, Redwood Ink I am looking forward to several educational sessions. The Quick and the Dirty: Best Practices for Writing and Editing Under Tight Timelines describes my daily life. I love learning about new approaches to my work, and this session promises to give me a few pointers for keeping up quality when time is constrained, which is almost always the case. As someone who writes for general audiences and patients, I’m also looking forward to How Plain Language and Readability Strengthen Writing. Although I value plain language for its powerful ability to get a clear message to the target audience, I can’t always articulate why plain language improves the reading experience for even sophisticated audiences. I think that this session, with its data-proven tools, will improve not only my plain-language writing skills but also my ability to explain its importance to others. Andrea Giovannucci Senior Manager of Education, AMWA HIGHLIGHTED SESSIONS: A Systematic Approach to Manuscript Editing Kelly Schrank, MA, ELS,1 and Loretta Bohn, ELS2 / 1Freelance Medical Editor, Bookworm Editing Services LLC; 2Senior Editor/Writer, RTI International How to Master Scientific Publications: A Medical Writer’s Bag of Tricks Monica Nicosia, PhD / Nicosia Medical Writer, LLC I am excited to attend my first AMWA conference and to experience firsthand the breadth and diversity of our educational offerings. As a former medical journal coordinator, I have seen the valuable impact that medical writers have on scientific publications, and I am looking forward to A Systematic Approach to Manuscript Editing and How to Master Scientific Publications: A Medical Writer’s Bag of Tricks. Ensuring that manuscripts adhere to reporting requirements, follow the proper guidelines, and yet are still accessible, is an incredible feat, and I look forward to the speakers sharing their tips and strategies These are just a few of the many education sessions available to conference attendees. All sessions will be recorded, which allows registrants to attend as many sessions as they want. The virtual conference platform will remain open to all attendees through the end of December. In addition to the plethora of education sessions, #AMWA2021 will offer engaging roundtable discussions, inspiring award presentations, and a virtual exhibit hall filled with products and services designed specifically for medical communicators. The earlier you register the more you save and the more value you gain. Register by September 30 to avoid the 11th-hour rates. We look forward to seeing you online! www.amwa.org/conference http://www.amwa.org/conference