15th Annual Freelance Workshop

15th Annual Freelance Workshop Extraordinary Learning and Networking for Seasoned, New, and Aspiring Freelance Medical Writers Saturday, March 18, 2017 8:00 AM 4:30 PM Crowne Plaza Philadelphia-King of Prussia, King of Prussia, PA Workshop Co-Chairs: Ruwaida Vakil, MS Jennifer Minarcik, MS Karen Golebowski, MS

Workshop Schedule 8:00 AM 8:50 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast 8:50 AM 9:00 AM Welcome and Introductions 9:00 AM 11:00 AM Presentations 11:00 AM 11:15 AM Break 11:15 AM 12:30 PM Keynote Presentation and Q&A 12:30 PM 1:50 PM Networking Lunch 1:50 PM 2:30 PM Roundtable Session #1 2:30 PM 2:45 PM Break 2:45 PM 3:25 PM Roundtable Session #2 3:25 PM 4:30 PM Interactive Freelance Problem-Solving Sessions Common Freelance Problems and Solutions for New and Aspiring Freelances Common Freelance Problems and Solutions for Seasoned Freelances Special Features Friday night networking dinner: We are organizing a group dinner at 1 or 2 local restaurants for people who are staying at the hotel (or live nearby). Each person will pay for his/her own dinner. See page 8 for details. Discount hotel rooms: The Crowne Plaza Philadelphia-King of Prussia is offering a discount on Friday night to Freelance Workshop attendees. See page 8 for details. Resources Table: Information about books, educational programs, information resources, and services for freelances. 2

Presentations What Do We Really Know About Learning? Brian S. McGowan, PhD, FACEHP, Chief Learning Officer and Co-Founder, ArcheMedX, Inc. An applied understanding of the science of learning is a requisite for medical writers, communicators, and educators alike. This means not only having familiarity with various adult learning theories, but also having a much more practical understanding. This session is developed to help medical writers, communicators, and educators gain an understanding of the science of human memory systems and the process of learning. Learn how to: Describe the science of memory systems and its inescapable impact on educational effectiveness Identify best practices to mitigate the extraneous load learners confront in traditional learning environments Review new research that defines the critical actions learners rely on while consuming educational content Design critical strategies that can be incorporated into your writing and deliverables to support more effective and efficient learning The Business of Freelancing: Lessons Learned From a Decade of Independence Alisa Bonsignore, Writer and Strategist, Clarifying Complex Ideas; Director, Society of Technical Communication In 10 years of building her freelance business, Alisa Bonsignore learned that success is less dependent on her skills as a writer, and more dependent on her skills as a businessperson. Alisa will share her tips, tricks, and techniques to avoid headaches and build a balanced relationship between client and contributor. Learn how to: Conduct a needs assessment to determine what you ask for: money, time, and terms Demonstrate the professionalism needed to be successful Avoid mistakes that are common to many independents The Easiest, Most Effective Ways to Get the Clients You Deserve Lori De Milto, MJ, Lori De Milto Writer for Rent, LLC With the right tools and strategies, and some time and effort, you can get steady clients who pay you well and appreciate your work. Learn what to do and what not to do to get the clients you deserve, make more money, and grow your freelance business without wasting time, effort, or money. Get practical insights, tips, and actions you can take right away to start making your freelance business more successful. Learn how to: Employ the freelance success mindset Attract your ideal clients Identify the biggest mistakes many freelances make and how to avoid them Choose your ideal clients Develop and use the most effective marketing tools and strategies 3

See page 9 for Presenters Biographies. Roundtables The AMWA DVC Freelance Workshop will offer 2 sessions of the same roundtables. Choose 2 roundtables on the registration form: 1 for Roundtable Session #1 and 1 for Roundtable Session #2. 1. Creating Satisfied Clients and Managing Difficult Clients Eileen McCaffrey, MA This discussion will help freelances foster and maintain successful client relationships. Learn how to: Know what your client wants does your client know what he/she wants? Anticipate pitfalls learn from experience Communicate, explicate, and assume nothing Employ medicine s rule of thumb to client relationships prevention is preferable to treatment 2. Negotiating a Contract: Legal Aspects and Best Practices Mark Bowlby, PhD There are 2 perspectives to the contract negotiations process: client and freelance. This discussion will highlight what freelances need to understand about both of these perspectives in their next contract negotiation. Learn how to: Draft a contract: your template vs the client's Facilitate the negotiating process Mitigate disagreements when they occur Determine whether you need liability protection 3. A Niche to Consider: Breaking Into Managed Markets Writing Karen Golebowski, MS Given the Affordable Care Act, Medicare payment reform, healthcare quality initiatives, rising prescription drug costs, and the steady stream of new medications and devices entering the market, writing opportunities abound in the realm of Managed Markets. Learn how to: Comprehend current and forthcoming events that will increase writing opportunities for freelances Review the types of managed markets communications freelances research and develop Cultivate the skills that clients look for in a freelance writer Identify resources to further develop your managed markets writing potential 4. Setting and Achieving Income Goals Michelle Dalton, ELS So you ve decided to become a freelance medical writer (or you ve been one for a while). Now what? It can be daunting to realize your income may resemble a roller coaster, complete with months in which the money is flowing in but also months where there s no work at all. Part of running your freelance business is determining how to set and achieve income goals. Learn how to: Incorporate hidden costs into overall budgets Set rates appropriately Develop specific and realistic strategies to manage variable income 4

Employ pricing strategies to attain income goals Align business goals with personal goals 5. Building a Stronger Medical Writer Through Instructional Design Deborah Anderson, PhD, MS, MT(ASCP) Apart from simply writing content, other factors are necessary to effectively develop and construct both programs and individual writing projects. Learn how to: Define and explore the role of instructional design in medical writing Describe the basic principles of instructional design and how they correlate with medical writing Explore areas outside of content development that require an instructional design component Develop a question guide to enhance future writing projects 6. Build It and They Will Come: Choosing the Right Structure for Your Freelance Business Brian Bass, MWC The business structure a freelance ultimately chooses has multifactorial implications. Learn how to: Comprehend why choosing a business structure is important to a freelance writer and his or her clients Determine which structures are best suited for freelance businesses Recognize the benefits and drawbacks of the various business structures Establish a recognized business entity 7. Finding Clients Through AMWA Kristina Wasson-Blader, PhD, ELS AMWA membership has its privileges. Discover the wealth of freelance opportunities available to AMWA members. Learn how to: Network, network, network Develop a client-focused freelance directory listing Volunteer to expand your connections Explore use of the AMWA LinkedIn Group 8. Is Open Access a Blessing or a Curse? Kelleen Flaherty, MS, MWC Publishing has come a long way, from the good old days when Medline was a paid subscription and reading papers required actually getting hold of a paper journal or a reprint. Medical writers are fortunate to have such a staggering wealth of information on demand, at our fingertips, 24/7 and often at no cost. But what does no cost actually cost? Learn how to: Identify the benefits of open access Distinguish between legitimate open-access journals and predatory ones Recognize the hazards and caveats associated with predatory open access Comprehend the explosion of the predatory open-access industry and its sequelae, such as predatory conferences 9. Learning More About the Science of Learning Brian S. McGowan, PhD, FACEHP, Chief Learning Officer and Co-Founder, ArcheMedX, Inc. As explored during Dr. McGowan s Keynote Presentation, an applied understanding of the science of learning is a requisite for medical freelance writers, communicators, and educators alike. This roundtable, which is an expansion of the morning s Keynote 5

Presentation, will allow participants to use what they have learned to begin to develop solutions for their own problems. Learn how to: Identify at least 1 actionable opportunity to apply the science of learning to support your work 10. The Introverted Entrepreneur: Success Isn t Just for Extroverts Alisa Bonsignore Are you an introvert? You re not alone, particularly at this workshop. For many, introvert and entrepreneur conjure images of 2 vastly different types of people: the former is seen to be a quiet, isolated worker and the latter is seen as an outgoing dynamo. Learn how to: Embrace your personality type, rather than trying to be someone you re not Use your personality traits to your advantage in a variety of scenarios: at conferences, during contract negotiations, and in day-to-day work Find balance that allows you to recharge and regroup 11. How to Make the Most out of Linkedin and Other Social Media Tools Lalitha Priya Chandrashekhar, BS Are you taking full advantage of all the social media tools to build your freelance business? This roundtable will focus on 1 of the social media platforms, Linkedin, and will discuss strategies to make the most out of your account. Learn how to: Employ tips to create an effective profile and maximize all of the profile features available Choose who should be a part of your network and which connection requests you should you consider ignoring or deleting Determine the value in LinkedIn endorsements and recommendations Use business development strategies via Linkedin to reach potential clients See pages 10-11 for Roundtable Leaders Biographies. Concurrent Interactive Freelance Problem-Solving Sessions These interactive sessions will focus on the key challenges you face in freelancing and best practices for being more efficient, effective, and successful. Each session will have a moderator to guide the discussion and panelists to share their experiences and advice. We encourage participants to share their experiences and advice too. Challenges and Best Practices for New and Aspiring Freelances (For freelances with up to 3 years of freelance experience and aspiring freelances) Provide your input! Take the survey for new freelances. Moderator: Michelle Dalton, ELS Panelists for new freelances: 1. Lalitha Priya Chandrashekhar, BS 2. Karen Golebowski, MS Challenges and Best Practices for Seasoned Freelances (For freelances with more than 3 years of freelance experience) 6

Provide your input! Take the survey for seasoned freelances. Moderator: Brian Bass, MWC Panelists for seasoned freelances: 1. Lori De Milto, MJ 2. Julie Munden See page 12 for Moderators and Panelists Biographies. 7

Registration and Logistics Register Online Now Go to the registration page Price Early-bird registration (before January 6): AMWA Members $99 Non-members $125 Full-time Students $95 (must provide official ID to register) Regular registration (January 6 March 18): AMWA Members $125 Non-members $145 Full-time Students $95 (must provide official ID to register) The registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, and morning and afternoon beverages and snacks. No refunds will be given for cancellations after Thursday, March 2, 2017. Program Logistics Location Crowne Plaza Philadelphia-King of Prussia, PA Across from the King of Prussia Mall 260 Mall Boulevard King of Prussia, PA 19406 610-265-7500 Directions Visit the hotel s website or use Mapquest. Discount Hotel Rooms We have arranged a discounted rate, $113 plus tax, on hotel rooms for Friday, March 17. To make your reservation, use this link. Friday Night Networking Dinner Join us for an informal networking dinner, to be held at 1 or 2 local restaurants (details to come). Each person will pay his/her own dinner. To sign up, email Julie Munden (Julie@blueinkcommunications.net) and put Freelance Workshop Dinner in the subject line. We will be in touch with details in early March. Questions? Contact Ruwaida Vakil: ruwaida@vakil.ca 8

Biographies Presenters Alisa Bonsignore, Writer and Strategist, Clarifying Complex Ideas; Director, Society of Technical Communication Based in the Bay Area, Alisa spends her days clarifying complex ideas, translating technical and clinical information into understandable language tailored to the needs of healthcare, network security, and healthcare IT clients around the globe. She uses humor and real-world scenarios to form the basis for her talks about professional development. Alisa is serving as Director of the Society for Technical Communication (2016-2018), and is past Chair of the Education Advisory Panel for STC and the New Educational Products committee for AMWA. You can learn more about Alisa at clarifyingcomplexideas.com. Lori De Milto, MJ, Lori De Milto Writer for Rent, LLC Lori De Milto is a freelance medical writer, online educator, and entrepreneur. She helps clients engage, inform, and motivate patients and consumers, healthcare professionals, and other audiences and teaches other freelancers how to get the clients they deserve. An AMWA fellow, Lori founded the annual AMWA-DVC Freelance Workshop in 2002 and has served in many positions for AMWA national and the Delaware Valley Chapter. She is the author of The Mighty Marketer: Your Guide to Making More Money as a Freelance Medical Writer and host of The Mighty Marketer website and courses. Lori has 2 degrees in journalism from Temple University (BA and MJ). She lives in Sicklerville, NJ. Brian S. McGowan, PhD, FACEHP, Chief Learning Officer and Co-Founder, ArcheMedX, Inc. Brian S. McGowan earned his Doctorate in Cardiovascular Physiology at Temple University School of Medicine. While at Temple, he served as a member of the Heart Failure and Transplant Teams at Temple University Hospital and participated in nearly 500 human heart transplant and cardiac sparing operations. Dr. McGowan completed Post-doctoral Fellowships in Cardiothoracic Surgery Research at the Medical University of South Carolina and in Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. And for nearly a decade, he served as Director for a graduate course in Medical Physiology at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. Since leaving academia, Dr. McGowan has served in various positions of leadership at Sudler & Hennessey; Cephalon; Wyeth Pharmaceuticals; and Pfizer, Inc. He is a member of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (the Alliance), served as Founding Chair of the Alliance s Emerging Technologies in Education Committee, and is currently serving on the Editorial Board for the Alliance Almanac. For the past decade Dr. McGowan has conducted research and lectured both nationally and internationally on the need to drive innovation in healthcare and healthcare education. In 2012, he authored his first book, #SocialQI: Simple Solutions to Improve Your Healthcare. And, in 2015, the impact of evolving research and learning models was recognized by the Alliance with their annual award for Innovation in Continuing Professional Development. 9

Roundtable Leaders Deborah Anderson, PhD, MS, MT(ASCP), DGA Medical Communications Deborah Anderson, PhD, MS, MT(ASCP), is a freelance medical writer and has been working in the field for more than 10 years. She focuses on medical education for sales representatives, healthcare professionals, and managed care. Through her work as medical writer, she realized there was a different aspect to developing content, than simply writing content. This lead her to pursue a PhD in instructional design to learn more about the other factors necessary to effectively develop and construct both programs and individual writing projects. She continues to work as a medical writer and instructional design consultant for medical education companies. Brian Bass, MWC, President, Bass Global, Inc. Brian Bass is an award-winning freelance medical writer. He is President of Bass Global, Inc., which was founded in 1989 and provides medical writing solutions in the areas of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, devices, and diagnostics for healthcare professional, consumer, and business audiences in a wide range of therapeutic areas and media. Brian is also co-author of The Accidental Medical Writer Series of books, resources, information, and inspiration for freelance medical writers. Brian is a Past President of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA), where he has also served on the Executive Committee as President, President Elect, Administrator of the Annual Conference, and in development and publicity capacities. He is currently Chair of AMWA s Communications and Marketing Committee. In addition, Brian has served as President of the AMWA-Delaware Valley Chapter (AMWA-DVC), and as the chapter s Programming and Publicity Chairs. He founded and chaired the AMWA-DVC Princeton Conference for 16 years, and is an avid speaker and presenter. Mark Bowlby, PhD, Principal Regulatory Writer, Synchrogenix Mark Bowlby, PhD, has 20 years of experience in the clinical research and drug development industry, and for the last 4 years has been a full-time regulatory writer. Mark is currently employed as a Principal Regulatory Writer at Synchrogenix, and previously worked in large pharmaceutical companies. His background covers both sides of the contract negotiations process, that of the employer and of the freelance. This perspective will inform the discussion and allow the participants to understand the needs of both sides of their next contract negotiation. Mark is currently serving as Treasurer of AMWA-DVC. Alisa Bonsignore (See Presenters Biographies) Lalitha Priya Chandrashekhar, BS, Owner/Principal, PFG MedComm, LLC Lalitha Priya Chandrashekhar, BS, is a medical and science communications professional who is a self-described nerd and loves the challenge of packaging complex science into communications that can be understood by any audience. With more than10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, contract research organization, and agency environments, Priya made the switch into fulltime freelancing in early 2014 and never looked back. While she takes on projects with healthcare providers as the audience, she specializes in writing for the managed markets, payer, and health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) space. When she's not managing her freelance business, she spends her time chasing around her twin toddlers, clicking away on her SLR camera (because mobile phone cameras just don't cut it), and making plans for (and going on) trips around the world with her family. Michelle Dalton, ELS, Dalton & Associates Michelle Dalton, ELS, has more than 25 years of experience as a professional writer and more than 15 years in medical writing. She founded Dalton & Associates in 2006, concentrating on clinical manuscripts, continuing medical education, white papers, newswires, ad boards, trade publishing, and live conference coverage. Before launching Dalton & Associates, Michelle worked for a variety 10

of business-to-business publishers. She is an award-winning journalist, is the recipient of the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors Gold Award for Best Overall Web publication, and received an Honorable Mention from the Society of Business Publication Editors. She was AMWA-Delaware Valley Chapter s editor for its quarterly publication, The Delawriter, until 2015, and is the current DVC President. Additionally, she has served in various roles at DVC s Freelance Conference, and has presented on panels and led roundtables about launching and maintaining a successful freelance business at various conferences over the past 9 years. She is also an active member of Board of Editors of the Life Sciences (BELS), and is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association. She recently published Freelancing 101: What You Need to Know to Run a Successful Business in conjunction with the EFA. Kelleen Flaherty, MS, MWC, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Graduate Programs in Biomedical Writing Kelleen Flaherty, MS, MWC, is a long-time medical writer with a background in science. She has written on a wide variety of therapeutic topics for multiple delivery formats (eg, print, live, online, multimedia, etc). She has written in regulatory, promotional, nonpromotional, CME, pubs, and academic arenas to a variety of target audiences. Kelleen has taught in the Graduate Biomedical Writing Programs at the University of the Sciences for 15 years, and has been a member of AMWA since 1998. She frequently presents on topics in biomedical writing. Karen Golebowski, MS, President and Principal Biomedical Writer, Write Rite, Inc. Karen Golebowski, MS, is a Biomedical Writer with more than 15 years experience in researching, writing, and editing communications for a multitude of audiences including medical and pharmacy directors, account managers, specialist and primary care providers, pharmacists, allied healthcare professionals, researchers, medical science liaisons, sales representatives, industry personnel, and patients/caregivers. She has a Bachelor s Degree in Biology/Pre-Professional Track and a Master of Science in Biomedical Writing from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Karen fostered her writing skills in NYC pharmaceutical advertising agencies and medical education companies. This inspired her to establish Write Rite, Inc., to research and develop content across platforms, companies, disease states, therapeutic interventions, and target audiences, as well as take her writing on the road. Karen often travels to major medical congresses and advisory board meetings to report on scientific presentations and garner expert opinions on disease, diagnostic, treatment, health policy, and access and reimbursement topics. Eileen McCaffrey, MA A longtime freelance medical writer, Eileen McCaffrey, MA, has developed materials for healthcare professionals, sales forces, employers, managed care organizations, patients, and consumers. At this time, her work is concentrated in manuscript development, publication planning, and continuing medical education. Before freelancing, Eileen served as editor of a clinical journal published by Medical Economics and as an account supervisor in the healthcare group of an Omnicom agency (Porter/Novelli). Eileen holds a master s degree in science writing from New York University and 2 bachelor s degrees from Villanova University. She is a Past President of AMWA-DVC. Brian S. McGowan, PhD, FACEHP (See Presenters Biographies) Kristina Wasson-Blader, PhD, ELS, Principal, Clearly Communicating Science, LLC Kristina Wasson-Blader, PhD, ELS, is the owner of Clearly Communicating Science, LLC and a medical communications consultant with more than 15 years of experience. She is an AMWA Fellow, and volunteers on various AMWA committees. She works directly with scientists to ensure their science is made clear in grant proposals, primary research manuscripts, abstracts, and presentations for medical education companies. 11

Moderators and Panelists Brian G. Bass (See Roundtable Leaders Biographies) Lalitha Priya Chandrashekhar, BS (See Roundtable Leaders Biographies) Michelle Dalton, ELS (See Roundtable Leaders Biographies) Lori De Milto, MJ (See Presenters Biographies) Karen Golebowski, MS (See Roundtable Leaders Biographies) Julie Munden, Medical Editor, Blue Ink Communications, Souderton PA Julie Munden is a medical editor with more than 20 years of diverse experience in the pharmaceutical sales and marketing and medical communications industries. She has been a freelancer for 14 years. Julie s more recent experience includes editing pharmaceutical sales and marketing training material, including product and company Web sites, elearning and interactive media, and medical journal articles for medical communications agencies, also known as MedComms. She specializes in critically reviewing promotional and nonpromotional pharmaceutical deliverables that involves fact-checking, annotating, highlighting references, reference binder management, and uploading these deliverables into clients electronic management systems, such as VEEVA Vault, Zinc, and Aprimo. Julie s in-house pharmaceutical industry experience includes work for Aventis Pharmaceuticals and Wyeth (now Pfizer) as an editor and copywriter in the Sales and Marketing/Promotion and Review Divisions. Her current client base includes boutique and international MedComms who partner with Merck, Genentech, Amgen, Astellas, Johnson & Johnson, and Bristol-Meyers Squibb, to name a few. Special Thanks Freelance Workshop Advisory Committee Deborah Anderson, PhD, MS, MT(ASCP), DGA Medical Communications Brian G. Bass, MWC, President, Bass Global, Inc. Bryan Bechtel, Bechtel Editorial Services Michelle Dalton, ELS, Founder, Dalton & Associates Lori De Milto, MJ, Writer for Rent, LLC Christine Durst, PhD, Durst Writing Solutions Karen Golebowski, MS, President and Principal Biomedical Writer, Write Rite, Inc. (Co-Chair) Jennifer Minarcik, MS, Jennifer Minarcik Biomedical Communications, LLC (Co-Chair) Ruwaida Vakil, MS, owner, ProMed Write, LLC (Co-Chair) 12

Freelance Workshop Task Committee (Includes all volunteers as of January 5, 2017) Tuli Ahmed, MS, ISMPP CMPP, JetStream Clinical, LLC Deborah Anderson, PhD, MS, MT(ASCP), DGA Medical Communications Bryan Bechtel, Bechtel Editorial Services Melissa L. Bogen, ELS, Bogen Editorial Services Michelle Dalton, ELS, Founder, Dalton & Associates Christine Durst, PhD, Durst Writing Solutions Helen Fosam, PhD, The Edge Medical Writing Karen Golebowski, MS, President and Principal Biomedical Writer, Write Rite, Inc. (Co-Chair) Jennifer Minarcik, MS, Jennifer Minarcik Biomedical Communications, LLC (Co-Chair) Katherine Molnar Kimber, PhD, Owner, KMK Consulting Services Monica Nicosia, PhD, Nicosia Medical Writer, LLC Michael Schreiber, Medical Writer, Schreiber Medical Communications Cynthia M. Shaler, Consultant Kristin Wasson-Blader, PhD, ELS, Principal, Clearly Communicating Science, LLC Ruwaida Vakil, MS, Owner, ProMed Write, LLC (Co-Chair) 13