The 49th EMWA Conference Report

The 49th EMWA Conference, held at the Scandic Triangeln Hotel, Malmö, Sweden in early November, hosted a total of 238 delegates. Of these, 91 were first-time attendees of an EMWA conference. The core of this EMWA meeting were 21 foundation and 10 advanced EPDP training workshops. Out of the total of 31 workshops, 10 were at capacity.

The conference was opened with an interesting insight to a novel reclassification of patients with type 2 diabetes presented by Leif Groop. This was followed by a series of wonderful welcome sessions, featuring interesting history and insights into the host city of Malmö, presented by Karin Gewert, Sten Theander and Stephen Gilliver.

The corporate partners for this meeting were AstraZeneca, and Taylor & Francis, who presented an excellent sponsored seminar on “Current Issues in Medical Publishing”. Other seminars available included an “Introduction to Medical Writing”, and “Lifestyle Choices for Health and Sustainability”.

The “EMWA/AMWA/ISMPP Joint Position Statement on Predatory Publishing” raised awareness on the growing issue of predatory publishing and provided new guidance for medical writers, developed by a collaborative team of experts from EMWA, AMWA and ISMPP.

Outside of the seminars and workshops, attendees could enjoy relaxing early morning yoga sessions and an evening networking reception on Thursday. Two fantastic social events took place on Friday. The first, a walking tour of Malmö attracting 66 delegates, and the second, a cookery class that introduced 15 budding chefs to the culinary world of Sweden. The social events and networking reception provided a great opportunity for delegates, both veterans and newcomers, to experience the welcoming and friendly atmosphere of EMWA.

Thank you to all of our delegates, volunteers, head office and sponsors for this truly memorable event!

Don’t forget to save the date for the 50th EMWA Conference at the Clarion Congress Centre, Prague, on 5–9 May 2020.

Elinor Wylde