EMWA's Spring conference was a resounding success
This year’s EMWA Spring conference, held in Vienna, Austria, hosted over 440 medical writers and representatives from related fields. The 48th EMWA conference was the biggest event the organization has ever put on!
During the opening ceremony, delegates were treated to an exciting succession of presentations, a lecture on changes in healthcare, a tale of indomitable will vs folly, and finally cultural insights into Schnitzel, waltz & paranoia.
Barbara Grossman is the new EMWA president, taking over from Tiziana von Bruchhausen. James Visanji, the outgoing treasurer, was also inducted as the latest Nick Thomson Fellow. The evening continued with a lively reception at which old and new acquaintances connected over a generous and delicious buffet.
The EMWA conference programme is also growing.
On top of 52 training workshops (22 of which were full!), 5 Expert Seminars, a 1-day symposium sponsored by AstraZeneca, the freelance business forum (>80 attendees), several short seminars and a lunch seminar on predatory journals, poster presentations, and an introduction into medical writing, networking opportunities abounded thanks to a rich social programme. The walking tours alone were attended by 257 participants interested in exploring the city.
To ease newbies into the EMWA scene, a pilot double-blind, multi-restauranted, randomized, dining study was conducted, with results demonstrating sustained efficacy and only favourable reactions!
Topics in the Expert Seminar Series covered the future of publishing, giving regulators the RMPs and PSURs they want, writing Health Technology Assessments (HTAs), the current medical device landscape, and the complex world of regulatory submission.
With regulatory/reimbursement decision-makers' increasing demand for robust real-world evidence (RWE), the symposium provided a forum for such decision-makers, pharmaceutical companies, RWE vendors, and medical communications agencies to provide their perspective on this challenging topic.
Thank you to all of our delegates, volunteers, head office and sponsors for this truly memorable event!
Save the date for the next EMWA conference! The 49th EMWA Conference will be held on 7th – 9th November 2019 at the Scandic Triangeln Hotel, in Malmö, Sweden. Please note that you can also fly to Copenhagen in Denmark for this conference and enjoy an easy transfer over the Øresund Bridge, the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe.