Speakers
Live Streamed Keynote Session 1
Artificial Intelligence in Medical Writing: Starting the Journey
Núria Negrão, PhD
As a seasoned freelance medical writer specializing in continuing medical education, Dr. Negrão brings a unique blend of expertise and passion to the field. With a PhD in cellular biology, she not only crafts engaging educational materials for clients but also teaches science communication—bridging the gap between complex science and compelling storytelling. A fervent advocate for AI in medical writing, Dr. Negrão uses AI tools daily to enhance creativity and efficiency in her work. Her insights on AI’s role in medical writing have been featured in the “Write Medicine” podcast and at various industry events, including a previous engagement with AMWA Southwest Chapter.
Bio and picture credit: Núria Negrão, PhD
Live Streamed Session 2, Track 1
Regulatory Medical Writing in an Evolving Clinical Landscape
Andrea Clark, PhD
Dr. Clark is a Senior Regulatory Medical Writer at Aroga Biosciences with experience authoring clinical study protocols, IBs, DSURs, briefing packages, CSRs, and manuscripts. Prior to joining Aroga, Dr. Clark worked as a Senior Drug Regulatory Specialist at Registrar Corp. Dr. Clark serves as the Southern Virginia Regional Event Coordinator for the American Medical Writers Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter. She received her BS degree in biology from Salisbury University and MS and PhD degrees in chemistry from Old Dominion University.
Bio and picture credit: Andrea Clark, PhD
Live Streamed Session 2, Track 2
Strategies for Small Business Marketing & Government Contracting
Timm Johnson, Mason Small Business Development Center, U.S. Small Business Association
Mr. Johnson is the Director of the Mason Small Business Development Center and provides business counseling and mentoring for Virginia entrepreneurs and small business owners. Since 2009, he has counseled over 1200 clients providing advice on launching, financing, marketing, and selling their business. Mr. Johnson is a practiced entrepreneur with over 30 years of finance and operations experience for technology and services growth companies in the commercial and government sectors. In addition, he is a founding director of Mason Venture Mentors, a provider of business advisory services to start-up technology companies. Through Venture Mentors, he has played leadership roles in several companies including Nexus Technology Services LLC, Visionary Consulting Partners, LLC, and Next Breath, a division of the Aptar Group, Inc.
Bio and picture credit:
Session 4
Panel Discussion on Career Paths in Medical Communications featuring Swati Dadhich, Greg Gargiulo, and Heather Gorby
Moderated by Barry Johnson, PhD, BSN, RN, MWC, AMWA-MAC President-elect
Swati Dadhich, PhD
Dr. Dadhich has been a medical writer since 2018. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, studying transcription initiation and its links to cancer. She transitioned to a Technology Transfer Internship with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke where she negotiated and wrote various collaborative research agreements. From there, she worked as a contractor for the National Cancer Institute developing clinical documents and IND submissions. She is currently a Senior Medical Writing Scientist in Integrated Data Analytics and Reporting for Janssen Research and Development.
Bio and picture credit: Swati Dadhich
Greg Gargiulo
Mr. Gargiulo has over 16 years of experience as a medical writer. He earned his BA in English and went on to complete a post-baccalaureate Health Professions Certificate. As a Lead Medical Writer for E-Rehab, LLC, he developed websites and online marketing services for private physical therapy practices, including blogs, newsletters, research summaries, and video scripts. He is currently a Senior Medical Writer with The Write Source, MSC, LLC, where he focuses on educational materials for patients and healthcare professionals, publications, slide presentations, and sales training modules. His clients include pharmaceutical and medical device companies across a wide range of therapeutic areas.
Bio and picture credit: Greg Gargiulo
Heather Gorby, PhD
Dr. Gorby has more than 13 years of experience as a medical writer. She held a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health (NIH/NIMH) where she studied the interaction of stress hormones and bacterial pathogens. Following her formal education, she spent over 5 years working as a medical writer for the Life Sciences Research Organization and SAIC-Frederick (now known as Leidos), providing writing and editing support to a variety of clients in the private sector and the federal government such as the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute). She now has clients around the globe through Gorby Consulting, LLC.
Bio and picture credit: Heather Gorby, PhD
Barry Johnson, PhD, BSN, RN, MWC
Dr. Johnson is a medical writer working as a contractor for the National Cancer Institute. He earned his PhD in Molecular & Cell Biology in 2007 from UMBC researching molecular mechanisms of retroviral replication and sparking an interest in drug development. He transitioned to a postdoctoral fellowship with the NIH’s HIV Drug Resistance Program where he performed preclinical studies of novel antiviral agents. To gain clinical experience, Dr. Johnson returned to school to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Salisbury University in 2016 and worked as an RN in Hematology/Oncology for several years. In 2022, he earned the Medical Writer Certified (MWC®) credential through AMWA and continues to explore new ways to develop his skills and engage with other medical communication professionals.
Bio and picture credit: Barry Johnson, PhD, BSN, RN, MWC
Roundtables
#1 Leveraging AI to Communicate Science in Social Media
Roundtable leader: Núria Negrão, PhD
See bio above.
#2 Improving Verbal Communication in the Digital Age
Roundtable leader: Faris Naimi, MSc
Mr. Naimi combines his passion for communication with his background in the sciences as part of his multifaceted career as a medical writer. A dedicated Toastmaster, he continually hones his communication skills, applying them in various professional settings. As a writer and project coordinator at the United States Pharmacopeia, Mr. Naimi oversees science communication strategies. His role as communications manager at AMWA-MAC involves engaging with members and ensuring information is conveyed effectively and understandably. His approach to communication is rooted in a deep commitment to clarity, understanding, and accessibility.
Bio and picture credit: Faris Naimi, MSc
#3 Digital Marketing: Best Practices for Medical Writers
Roundtable leader: Sophie Ash, BSc (Hons), DipION
Ms. Ash is a business coach for first-time entrepreneurs, specializing in the medical communications industry who mastered the art of personal branding and sales when her own freelance medical writing business kicked off in 2019. Since then, she has generated $3M worth of medcomms business for herself, her former agency, and Prospology students. Ms. Ash secured every job and contract she’s ever had through networking and digital marketing and loves to share her expertise. Her LinkedIn newsletters—Freedom-Focused Entrepreneurs and Freelance Medical Writing—have over 4,000 subscribers, with many of her publications stemming from digital marketing-related topics.
Bio and picture credit: Sophie Ash BSc
#4 Project Management Tools and Tips for Medical Writers and Editors
Roundtable leader: André Allen, PMP
André Allen is a versatile project manager, technical and scientific writer, and acquisition analyst. He received his Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree from Miami University of Ohio, where he was initially introduced to medical writing as part of the program. He is also a Project Management Professional (PMP), receiving his certification from Project Management Institute in 2011.
André has long held an interest in medical writing and currently serves on the AMWA-MAC Board as Membership and Volunteer Coordinator. He began his professional technical writing career creating occupational safety and health publications as part of an internship at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an agency within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has also used his technical writing, editing and project management skill sets at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Defense Health Agency. In addition, he has written and edited grants both for technical service companies and as a volunteer for nonprofits.
Bio and picture credit: Andrè Allen, PMP
