Archives for July 2013

17
Jul 2013

2013 American Diabetes Association Annual Meeting

By

A couple of weekends ago I was in Chicago for the ADA Annual Meeting. I was covering the conference for a client – it was actually the first time I’ve ever attended an ADA meeting, and I have to say, it was great.

Even though the McCormick Place conference center was teeming with attendees, it never felt overcrowded – it’s a huge venue, so there was plenty of room for everyone, and there were so many concurrent sessions that the rooms didn’t seem overcrowded either.

My client had arranged a room for me at the Hilton in the city, and it was the first time I’ve ever been booked into an executive suite – so my room was enormous too.

And one amusing aside – usually these medical conferences are filled with edible goodies. The press room is typically brimming with chocolates and other carbohydrate-loaded treats, as is the exhibitor’s hall. But it didn’t go unnoticed by me that these things were absent all around at the American Diabetes Association meeting! Clearly they were practising what they preach.

If you’re new to covering conferences, it’s always worth taking an organized approach to them, and even doing some advanced planning. Every little helps when it comes to these busy meetings.

 

 

Categories: Medical Writing
09
Jul 2013

AMWA-New England Chapter Meeting

By

A few weeks ago I attended our final AMWA-NE Chapter meeting for the year, and I have to say, it was a great evening.

We met for good food and wine at an Italian restaurant, in Wellesley, MA, and were fortunate enough to have a guest speaker for the evening – Dr Julian Seifter, a nephrologist at Harvard Medical School.

In addition to being a leading nephrologist here in the US, Dr Seifter has experienced the “other side” of the doctor-patient relationship. During his talk he recalled memorable stories of working with patients, and his story as a patient dealing with his own chronic illnesses. And he talked of how dealing with his own conditions has helped his approach to his patients.

You can also check out this link to a conversation he had with The New York Times in 2010.

If you ever get the chance to hear him speak, I’d thoroughly recommend it – he was extremely engaging, and I could have listened to him all night.

With the help of his wife, Dr Seifter has written a book about his experiences – this is the image of the book from his website – it’s a wonderful read, and again, one I didn’t want to finish.

If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to join AMWA and check out your local chapter meetings.

And if you’re local to the New England region, please come and join us.

 

 

Categories: Books, Medical, Medical Writing