Medical Writer Update
	Keeping in Touch
	Volume 1, Issue 1—October 2010
Welcome to fall! I always view fall as the “real” new year—new beginnings, new budgets, new projects, and a new newsletter! Welcome to the first of what will become a quarterly update on my activities and the role of freelance medical writers and how we can help you and your clients. Let’s start with continuing medical education. CME Contrary to popular belief, CME is not dying. In the past several months, I have written over twenty needs assessments on a range of topics—hypertension, acute coronary syndrome, heart transplant, stroke, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease, just to name a few. As you likely know if you’re in CME, needs assessments today are far more complex than just an overview of the disease state. It requires investigative work and live interviewing to identify real needs and learning objectives. That’s what I do! Never stop learning . . . . I started the 11^th year of my freelance medical career this season. But even with an MS in Biomedical Writing, I never stop learning. In November, I’m attending the national meeting of the American Medical Writers’ Association (AMWA) in Milwaukee, where I’m taking courses on pharmacokinetics in clinical practice and basic immunology. In addition, I am moderating a panel on work/life issues, and speaking on panels about blogging and freelancing. I’m also running two breakfast roundtables: one on needs assessments and one on book proposals and book writing. In January, look for me at the Alliance for CME’s annual meeting San Francisco, where I’ll be speaking about how CME providers can work with freelance medical writers like, well, me! Meetings, meetings, meetings. . . I attended the American Diabetes Association meeting this summer for two clients, and recently wrote summaries of presentations from the European Society of Cardiology and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meetings. I also traveled to Sweden to cover the European Committee for Treatment and Management of Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) meeting, and will be attending the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) meeting in Atlanta in November. I’ll also be writing up summaries of presentations from the American Heart Association next month. So the next time you need meeting coverage, think of me! Why Bother? Wondering why you even need freelance writers? An article in the September issue of Entrepreneur magazine notes that outsourcing is no longer a temporary fix for a short-term need but instead has become an integral part of an organization. It’s particularly important given the uncertainties of today’s economy. With freelance medical writers, you can staff up for new clients without the long-term commitments new employees require. Plus, when you hire a freelance medical writer, particularly one with years of experience, you’re getting someone with deep, deep knowledge of not only numerous therapeutic areas, but numerous projects and programs. Keep in Touch Don’t forget to keep up on my activities and opinions by following me on Twitter and subscribing to my blog. There you’ll learn why you need me, how to get the most out of your freelance medical writers, and why I’m willing to walk away from “ghostwriting” journal articles if there is no acknowledgement, as AMWA ethical rules require.		From the Blog The Importance of Medical Writers How to Care For and Feed Your Medical Writer Debra Gordon, MS
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