EMWA Election 2023 - VOTE NOW

The core of my vision as a medical writer and company director is to promote both the training of a new generation of medical writers and the deepening of knowledge and dissemination of wisdom of experienced medical writers. I believe the development of these two aspects in harmony will move our profession forward to meet the challenges ahead of us. This vision is equally applicable to EMWA and is the reason for which I am putting myself forward for the position of Vice President. 

As director of a small team of writers and currently studying for an executive MBA, I have experience in making sure that every member has their voice heard and acknowledged, while still ensuring meetings and overall strategy move forward. In addition, I have a good grasp of organisational finances, strategic management, pressures that are particular to small groups, and the need for structure and hassle-free communication. 

I have been an EMWA member since 2007 and part of the EMWA Professional Development Committee since 2017. I therefore understand the value EMWA places on education and can bring this knowledge and experience to the Executive Committee. I am an experienced workshop leader having presented over 10 workshops; I currently run two workshops (PTA13 - The Art of Mentoring and DDF53 - Collaborative Authoring). I enjoy being creative and generating innovative ideas. I consider myself calm, yet assertive and able to make decisions in the best interest of the group. 

In terms of qualifications, I have a B.Sc. in Biology, a PGCert in International Health Technology Assessment, Pricing and Reimbursement, and will soon graduate with an executive MBA. I have been writing since 2006, having worked in large and medium-sized CROs and smaller consultancies before setting up my own business in 2017. But what I would bring to the EMWA Executive Committee, above all, is a breadth of experience in working with, developing, and managing people from a rich diversity of cultures and professional backgrounds to improve our profession. In addition, I now have an outward looking role which would prove valuable in the promotion of EMWA externally in the development of networks and partnerships. 

Thank you for considering my application for the open position of Vice President. 

Dear EMWA, 

I’d like to become Treasurer. 

Why me? 

I’m extremely fond of EMWA and am a member of the EPDC. Having retired from paid work in April 2022, I now have sufficient time to pursue things that really interest me, and I would relish the opportunity to give more to EMWA. 

I enjoy dealing with financial issues. I am entirely comfortable with money management: spreadsheets, balance sheets, financial predictions and liaising with accountants. I loved (and was good at!) mathematics at school. I get considerable pleasure from communicating financial information clearly and unambiguously. I keep personal and business financial information in a well-ordered and well-structured format, and I am keen to ensure processes (particularly financial) are simple and reliable. 

Ethics, the law, transaction security, risk and my integrity 

I am highly sensitive about and respectful of financial ethics, the law and safe practice in relation to financial transactions. I am not a risk taker, but am always keen to explore innovate ideas. I don’t take financial decisions without appropriate research. I strongly believe in gaining consensus before making strategic decisions. I have no convictions, never been bankrupt and never had my financial integrity questioned. 

Career 

I originally qualified in medicine, studying at Oxford University and Guy's Hospital, London. Initially training as a surgeon, I subsequently became a GP and partner in General Practice for 10 years. I changed career in 2003 and completed an MBA at Warwick University Business School while working as an NHS Primary Care Trust project manager. During my MBA, I developed an interest in management accounting and business strategy. 

From 2008, I became Director of Medical Communications in a UK medical communications agency. In 2013, I became a freelance trainer in scientific writing and medical writer, setting up and running my own company as co-director of Libra Scientific Communications Ltd with my wife, a retired nurse. Apart from training and writing, we successfully managed our accounts, tax affairs and communications with our accountant. 

EMWA 

I joined EMWA in 2017, and in 2019 became a member of the EPDC. I now offer two workshops as a workshop leader. I thoroughly enjoy working with delightful colleagues on the EPDC. After four years on the EPDC, I have naturally developed an understanding of some of EMWA’s financial issues that require careful thought, and I would love the opportunity to be more involved in such matters.

Dear EMWA members and Executive Committee, 

With great pleasure, I am Somsuvro Basu (Som), re-applying for the Honorary Secretary (Hon Sec) post of the EMWA Executive Committee (EC). 

My alliance with EMWA began in 2017, and the bonding strengthened along this journey. Initially, I was associated with the SoMe group. After six years, currently, I am almost at the end of my first term as the Hon Sec. I am also proud to be a part of the Medical Writing Journal’s editorial board. 

In the last 20 absorbing months as the Hon Sec, some of my tasks in this role entailed: 

• Quarterly review of the services provided by the EMWA Head office (HO) 
• Sending out the call for nominations for EC members and the subsequent voting 
• Preparing the Annual Meeting (AM) pack and slide deck and chairing the AM 
• Collaborating with the EMWA HO to file annual confirmation statements and other duties 
• Engaging with EMWA members and especially those who are interested in becoming EMWA members 

Being a finance committee member, I work closely with the EMWA Treasurer to manage the bank accounts and other responsibilities. 

As part of my remit as the Hon Sec, I regularly review the Articles of Association, Rules of the Association, policies and other official EMWA documents to ensure they still reflect the current practices. The recent updates included thoroughly revising the Volunteer Reimbursement Policy and the freshly prepared Promotional Policy. 

I want to thank each of the EMWA members for electing me as the Hon Sec in the first term and for your immense support. 

Last but not least, I thank the EC members for elatedly welcoming me to the EC and for your help, tips, encouragement, and acumens throughout my first term. I would love to extend my alliance with this phenomenal association and continue giving back to the EMWA family! 

Thank you all for your time and consideration. 

Kind regards, 

Somsuvro Basu

Moving from Australia, my beloved country of birth, to Italy, I was forced to change my career from a Business Consultant. A series of life experiences saw me embark on a new adventure in the world of medicine. I accepted an invitation to join a vascular surgical department and from my humble beginnings as an “English mother tongue” in 2004, I helped grow this newly accredited University department into a renowned research centre. I was passionately involved in the cycle of learning from internal, investigator-led research. 

As my experience grew, I expanded my freelance services in 2011, offering the same services to medical professionals of other specialisations. Throughout this period, I had never met a fellow medical writing professional. I craved for the support of a professional network, so I joined EMWA. 

Together with two other EMWA members based in Italy, we have coordinated the first Italian Medical Writers Conference, to be held in March 2023. With EMWA sponsorship, the conference has the objective to link as many aspiring and current medical writers in Italy into an Italian based network. We hope to encourage EMWA membership, awareness and promotion of our profession and the importance of improving the position of medical writers in Italy. 

I also joined EMWA’s Freelance Business Group in November 2022. We recently reconditioned and launched the 7th Freelance Business Survey.  How and where freelance medical writers – EMWA members and non-members – operate, what services they offer and how much those services are worth, and how ongoing education, work related stress, business issues and personal growth are managed will be gathered. We hope that by understanding the most common approaches and resolutions to many aspects of running a business, this information can be translated into better work performance. Gathered data will be shared through the EMWA website and the upcoming Medical Writing journal July edition dedicated to Freelance Business. 

My professional experience also includes event management and clinical trial organisation, combining 28 participating hospitals in Italy in a study promoted by the University of Oxford for stroke prevention. 

I feel strongly about promoting our profession, improving the perceived value of our professional abilities and adding value for other medical writers through knowledge sharing. These have become my personal and professional objectives, which I believe could be advantageous to the role of Public Relations Officer at EMWA.

Dear EMWA members, 

I would like to express my interest in the Public Relations Officer position. 

I completed my undergraduate degree in the US and PhD in molecular biology at University of Edinburgh. I worked as a post-doctoral researcher on diverse projects for several years in Athens and London before shifting to industry to manage pandemic flu vaccine publications on behalf of GSK in Belgium, then progressed to medical affairs roles in Denmark and again in Belgium. Following another move to France, I started my own consultancy company and joined EMWA in 2022. This became a springboard for career expansion into medical device work, which would not have been possible without the foundation of EMWA workshops and mentorship from other EMWA members. I hope to bring the world of medical device writing closer to patient organisations as a means of fostering positive change for patients. For this reason I’m engaging in online courses and have been active in professional social media. 

Joining EMWA and networking with so many fellow writers has been an inspirational experience. I would like to give back to EMWA and help others achieve their career goals in turn. I hope you will consider my application to serve EMWA as Public Relations Officer. 

Best regards, 

Shirin

Dear Colleagues, 

I would like you to consider my application for the role of Public Relations (PR) officer in these elections. With your support, I plan to build up on the work done by my predecessors and create new opportunities to raise the standards of our profession, highlighting EMWA’s role in the medical writing landscape. 

For those who don’t know me, I am a pharmacist by training, having spent many years behind a pharmacy counter listening to people’s doubts and problems. This gave me the communication tools that allow me to be confident in establishing connections with different stakeholders, from peers to organisations. This is what I will leverage when trying to attract more members to our community and more organisations to partner with EMWA. My negotiation skills? Oh, those come from living with my three loving but very mischievous boys! Which have also been building my stamina to keep up with the activities I have planned for EMWA. 

I look forward to know if you’ll back me up in this endeavour. I promise I’ll do my best. 

Warm regards, 

Diana

Hi, my name is Beate, I’m from Germany, I work as a Freelance Regulatory and Scientific Writer, and I have been a Medical Writer for over 8 years now. I have been an EMWA member since 2015, my first conference was in Munich in May 2016. I attended almost every conference ever since (with the exception of Warsaw 2018). EMWA has been my networking system, my hub for furthering my skills, and for learning beyond the profession. I’m a member of the Medical Device SIG Core Group and part of the Freelance Business Group. I love volunteering and giving back to the community. Being part of EMWA has given me amongst others the self-esteem that I needed to go freelance five years ago, to stand up for the profession (even though it is still unfortunately very unknown in Germany), and to overcome my shyness in meeting new people. These skills - soft skills more often than not -  helped me personally, professionally, and also interculturally. 

I would like to apply for the position of PR Officer, I feel like it’s time for me to step up even further and be part of the EC. I’m looking forward to the new challenges. 

Best regards, 

Beate