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AMWAAMWA
Indiana Chapter NewsletterJanuary 201 4
American Medical Wrtiters AssociationIndiana Chapter Newsletter
American Medical Writers AssociationIndiana Chapter 20132014
Let us know if there is anything we can do to helpyou benefit professionally from your AMWAmembership. Volunteering to help our chapter ornational association is a great way to have funwhile meeting some wonderful people, improvingyourself and the profession, and becoming andbeing the leader you were meant to be. Join ourLinkedIn group, come to the chapter events, orclick on the name of a chapter officer orcommittee chair above to join the conversationabout medical communication and our chapter.
Officers
Committee Chairs
Barbara Lightfoot, CCRP
Gregory Adams, II
Ellen Stoltzfus, PhD
Pam McClelland, PhD
Laura Town
Esther Brooks-Asplund, PhD
Gregory Adams, II
David Caldwell, PhD
Linda Hughes, MA
Editor
Section Editors
David Caldwell, PhD
Esther Brooks-Asplund, PhD
Gregory Adams, II
Svetlana Dominguez, ELS
Daniela Ilijevski, PhD
William Pietrzak, PhD
Esther Brooks-Asplund, PhD
Ellen Stoltzfus, PhD
Qing Zhou, PhD
Links
AMWA
Please let us hear your voice!
AMWA LinkedIn
AMWA Indiana Chapter
AMWA Indiana Chapter LinkedIn
LG Hughes Blog
President
President-Elect
Secretary
Treasurer
Education
Member Resources
Program
Publications
Social Media
Editing
Freelance
Medical Device
Pharmaceutical
Publication
Karen Roberts
Global English for Everyone Blog
Friday & Saturday, June 6 & 7
AMWA Indiana Chapter Conference
Location: TBA
Thursday, February 6, 68 pm Thursday, March 6, 68 pm
Laura Wil l iams Town Katherin M Ruiz
Using ELearning Tools to Create Effective Presentations Writing a Clinical Study Report
The February and March events are free and wil l be held at the Milano Inn 231 S College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
Dinner is optional and at each person's expense.
Coming Attractions
AMWA Twitter AMWA Facebook
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 3
TOC
Contents
Location by zip code of our 88 chapter members in Indiana.The map was created with BatchGeo.Find AMWA members near you by searching the AMWA member directory by city or zip code.
Summary: 401(k) Plans for FreelancesEsther Brooks-Asplund, PhD
Interview with Elaine Crabtree, MA, ELS
Indiana’s Medical Device IndustryOpportunities for Medical Writers (Part I)
Will iam S. Pietrzak, PhD
Cover
Summary: Plain by design: Evidencebased plainlanguage
David Caldwell , PhD
David Caldwell , PhD
Report: Shifting Paradigms on Alzheimer's DiseaseSymposium
Karen Roberts
From the President, AMWA Indiana ChapterBarbara Lightfoot, CCRP4
610121521
4 | AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter | January 201 4
TOC
Find updates tochapter events on
our Web site
FROM THE PRESIDENT,
AMWA INDIANA CHAPTER
Welcome to the 2013 – 2014 year for the AMWA Indiana Chapter.I am honored to serve as President of the AMWA Indiana Chapter.I would first like to thank David Caldwell, the 2012 – 2013President, for his leadership, hard work, and commitment to ourchapter. I would also like to thank our current and former chapterofficers, committee chairs, and volunteers for their commitmentand continued support.
We have an exciting year planned that includes the following:
Regional educational/networking eventsIndianapolis06 Feb, 2014 Dinner program at the Milano Inn from 6:00
- 8:00 p.m.: “E-Learning Tools to Create EffectivePresentations” to be presented by Laura Town (President,WilliamsTown Communications). RSVP by 30 Jan 2014.
06 Mar, 2014 Dinner program at the Milano Inn from 6:00- 8:00 p.m.: “Writing a Clinical Study Report (CSR)” to bepresented by Kathy Ruiz (Eli Lilly and Company). RSVPby 26 Feb 2014.
Additional events will be held around the state and eventinformation will be posted. We encourage you to holdeducational/networking events in your area of the state. Ifyou would like to host a regional event please provide yourevent information to Greg Adams, President-Elect andProgram Committee Chair.
Indiana/Ohio Valley Chapters ConferenceJune 6 – 7, 2014: Hold these dates to attend the Indiana/Ohio
Valley Chapters Conference. Conference planning iscurrently underway. We plan to offer workshops and opensessions. Please submit ideas concerning topics of interestfor open sessions to Laura Town, Education CommitteeChair.
From the President, AMWA Indiana Chapter
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 5
TOC
Barbara O. Lightfoot
Lead at the 2014AMWA Annual
ConferenceSubmit your
proposal to lead an
open session (due
February 28),
roundtable, or poster
(due March 21 ).
Chapter NewsletterWe have a new format for our Chapter Newsletter that includes
section headings for different areas of medicalcommunication. If you wish to contribute to a section, pleaseprovide your contributions to the respective Section Editor.
LinkedIn GroupThe chapter has a LinkedIn group. Chapter members are asked
to post useful tips that would be of value to the membershipand are also asked to post questions that can be responded toby our membership. If you have questions regarding gettingstarted in the LinkedIn Group please contact Linda Hughes,Social Media Chair.
To our chapter volunteers - None of these efforts would be possiblewithout your commitment. THANK YOU!
To our membership – Please let us know if there is anything we cando to assist you in your professional development or if you areinterested in volunteering at the chapter level. We are here to helpand are waiting to hear from you.
Sincerely,Barbara O. Lightfoot, President ([email protected])AMWA Indiana Chapter
From the President, AMWA Indiana Chapter
6 | AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter | January 201 4
TOC
Interview With Elaine Crabtree, MA, ELSThis telephone interview was conducted by David Caldwell on December 1 3, 201 3 for the
AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter (AICN).
Elaine Crabtree ([email protected])
David Caldwell ([email protected])
AICN: Elaine, congratulations on being honored with the 2013AMWA President’s Award by Douglas Haneline! That’s a serviceaward, isn’t it?
MS. CRABTREE: Yes.
AICN: How have you served the association?
MS. CRABTREE: With our chapter, I was secretary for severalyears, president, program committee chair, and delegate to a fewnational board of directors meetings. At the national level, I wason the membership committee, proofread the AMWA Journal forseveral years, was a member of, and chaired, the book awardscommittee (public or heath care consumers category), and gave a
presentation based on an abstract I submitted foran annual conference.
AICN: Why did you join AMWA?
MS. CRABTREE: I joined 17 years ago when Ibecame a medical writer because I had goodexperiences with other professionalorganizations. I remained because nationalactivities interested me and helped me grow as awriter. I was able to see how the organizationworked, see how books were judged, meet fellowwriters from across the country, and pick upuseful tips for my career and for our chapter. Myemployers told me they were impressed by theAMWA certificates that I earned in basic skills,science & medicine, and advanced skills. Those
Interview With Elaine Crabtree
Douglas Haneline and Elaine Crabtree
Photo reprinted with permission of the AMWA Journal
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 7
TOC
accomplishments were evidence of my continued interest inlearning new things. I like the variety of activities and medicalwriting represented in AMWA. I like having the opportunity tocustomize my AMWA experience—to make it what I want it tobe—and to meet other medical writers.
AICN: Have you noticed any trends in the association since youjoined?
MS. CRABTREE: AMWA has become more useful to peoplethroughout their careers. For instance, when I first joined, onlythe basic skills certificate program was available. People wouldjoin AMWA, earn the certificate, then either leave or stop going toconferences. Now, the variety of workshops gives everyone newthings to learn. Even though AMWA doesn’t certify that a personis well trained in an area, these workshops are still a good way tohelp yourself grow.
AICN: Could we talk a little about your career? What area do youwork in?
MS. CRABTREE: I work in pharmaceutical writing at inVentivHealth.
AICN: How do you stay current in your field?
MS. CRABTREE: AMWA is my main source of information. But Ialso learn from various medical journals, online newsletters fromvarious groups, and pharmaceutical news.
AICN: What is your educational background?
MS. CRABTREE: I knew since junior high school that I wanted tobe a writer. I earned a BA in English composition from DePauwUniversity and an MA in journalism from Ball State University. Ialso became a certified editor in the life sciences by passing theBELS exam. As an undergraduate, I took an elective class inemergency medicine because it sounded interesting. That led to 5
"I l ike having
the opportunity
to customize
my AMWA
experience"
Interview With Elaine Crabtree
8 | AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter | January 201 4
TOC
years of full-time employment as an emergency medicaltechnician and paramedic, which gave me a decent medicalvocabulary and a good idea of what basic patient care is like.
AICN: It seems that every medical writer has a unique career path.What’s yours?
MS. CRABTREE: Universities taught me how to write andemployers taught me how to write medical documents. Aftergraduating from DePauw, I was an EMT/paramedic for 5 years. Iworked part time as a journalist for the Muncie Star while studyingjournalism at Ball State, full time in the Ball State public relationsoffice for 6 years, and spent a short time with the AmericanCamping Association in Indianapolis. I did some freelance workfor a while before being hired by the publications office of IndianaUniversity School of Medicine. There I was 75% editor and 25%writer, helping to create educational materials for patients(booklets, brochures, and videos), medical students, and physicians(booklets, videos, and text books). I moved to St. Vincent hospitalwhere I mostly wrote grant applications, but also helped coachresidents on how to write a journal article. Then MedFocus(currently inVentiv Health, where I am now) hired me to do somecontract pharmaceutical writing. I didn’t have any formal trainingin medical writing before becoming a medical writer. I reallylearned on the job.
AICN: What skills do you need to do your job?
MS. CRABTREE: Writing skills, of course, but also lots of projectmanagement skills. It’s very helpful to understand the basics ofhow research works, how studies are designed. I use standardword processing software and proprietary databases.
AICN: How do you keep your job fresh?
MS. CRABTREE: Every project is different, so there is alwayssomething new to learn. I’m not stamping out the same part on anassembly line every day.
"I didn't have
any formal
training in
medical writing
before
becoming a
medical
writer."
Interview With Elaine Crabtree
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 9
TOC
AICN: How do you approach a writing assignment on a topic youknow little about?
MS. CRABTREE: I start with information the client provides andthen search online for related journal articles and other sources ofinformation.
AICN: What is it like to work for a contract research organization?
MS. CRABTREE: It’s like working for any large company. Mymanager assigns me to projects and I work directly with clients ontheir projects. Sometimes the client determines my timeline. Butusually I drive the timeline because it’s my job to know how longeach step of a project takes. If my client wants a shorter timeline,we work together to see what can and can’t be done and negotiatewhich steps to omit.
AICN: How do you succeed in using referred authority to persuadecolleagues and clients to do what you need them to do?
MS. CRABTREE: I try to be as diplomatic as possible in figuringout with others how we can work together to get something done.I’ve found that there is always a way to solve a problem.
AICN: What’s your secret to communicating well?
MS. CRABTREE: I don’t have any secrets. I try to always keep myaudience in mind and produce my message in a way that speaks tomy audience.
AICN: You are a singer, too. Does that hobby reflect your interestin communication or is the association just coincidental?
MS. CRABTREE: It’s just a coincidence.
Interview With Elaine Crabtree
"I 'm not
stamping out
the same part
. . . every day."
1 0 | AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter | January 201 4
TOCSummary: 401 (k) Plans for Freelances
"A self-
employed
individual may
contribute
more into an
i401 (k)
compared with
a SEP IRA"
Esther Brooks-Asplund
Summary 401(k) Plans for Freelancesby Esther Brooks-Asplund, PhD, owner Hoosier Medical Communication Services,
Bloomington, IN ([email protected])
Adapted from the 201 3 AMWA Annual Conference roundtable, Discussion Leader:
Jeanne McAdara-Berkowitz, PhD, Biolexica Health Science Communications, LLC,
Longmont, CO ([email protected])
What is a Qualified Retirement Plan (QRP)?A QRP is an investment eligible for certain tax benefits because itmeets certain requirements of the US Internal Revenue Code.Examples of QRPs include, but are not limited to, individualretirement accounts (IRAs), 401(k)s, qualified annuities andpensions. QRPs can reduce current or post-retirement taxableincome and are protected in the event of financial disaster (eg,bankruptcy). However, these plans have stiff penalties for takingearly distributions. Self-employed QRPs have higher contributionlimits than plans for individuals, are available through mostbrokerage and investment firms, and can include mutual fundswithin one family, multiple mutual funds and stocks, real estate,tax liens, gold, and other investments.
Bottom Line:At the same income level, a self-employed individual maycontribute more into an i401(k) compared with a SEP IRA.
Resources:
• Beacon Capital Management Advisors. SEP IRA vs. Individual 401k. BCMA website.
http://www.sepira.com/sep-ira-vs-individual-401k.html. Accessed 17 November 2013.
• Internal Revenue Service. One-participant 401(k) Plans. Last updated: 31 October 2013
http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/One-Participant-401(k)-Plans Accessed 17
November 2013.
• Robertson,S. Individual 401(k)s May Offer Self-Employed More Advantages Than a SEP
IRA. 14 June 2011. Fox Business Small Business Center website.
http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/entrepreneurs/2011/06/14/individual-401ks-
may-offer-self-employed-more-advantages-than-sep-ira/ Accessed 17 November
2013.
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 1 1
TOC Summary: 401 (k) Plans for Freelances
Disclaimer: Your choice of a retirement savings plan will result in long-termfinancial and tax consequences that are dependent on your individual situation.The information presented above is for information purposes and does notconstitute professional financial, tax, or legal advice. Please consult aprofessional tax or financial advisor to determine the best savings strategy foryour personal situation.
1 2 | AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter | January 201 4
TOCIndiana's Medical Device Industry
"In 201 2 . . . the
Indiana
medical device
industry was
the fifth largest
in the country"
Will iam Pietrzak
Indiana’s Medical Device Industry
Opportunities for Medical Writers (Part I)by Wil l iam S. Pietrzak, PhD (bil [email protected])
The medical device industry represents a huge, latent opportunityfor medical writers accustomed to serving the pharmaceuticalindustry. It may surprise you to know that in 2012, BioCrossroadsreleased a report stating that the Indiana medical device industrywas the fifth largest in the country, generating $10 billion annuallyand employing over 20,000 people. The first step needed to tapinto this opportunity is to become familiar with the medicaldevice companies in our state.
By way of introduction, I am a relatively new AMWA member,having joined the association last year. I have worked in themedical device sector for over 35 years, with the last 25 years inIndiana at Biomet. While I have been involved with research,development, and marketing over my career, my focus over thepast 10 years has been medical writing.
To help identify the principal medical device companies inIndiana, I consulted the Indiana Medical Device Manufacturer’sCouncil website and excluded companies whose prime, or sole,focus was drugs, consulting, patient-care, original equipmentmanufacturer (OEM) component production, contractmanufacturing, and testing. Eleven companies remained whichare described below.
Geographically, the companies tend to be clustered in the northaround Warsaw (the Orthopedic Capital of the World®) and in thecenter of the state in the Indianapolis/Bloomington/Spencer area.Missing are the myriad small and start-up device companies in thestate which likely don’t have internal medical writers and may beeager to receive such help. The devices pretty much run thegamut, with applications in orthopedics, the spine, tissue repair/wound healing, interventional cardiology, the heart, the vascularsystem, diagnostics, general surgery, and others.
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 1 3
TOC Indiana's Medical Device Industry
"Each major
area of
medical device
technology is
a world unto
itself. "
From experience I can say that each major area of medical devicetechnology is a world unto itself, each having its own purpose,design, risks/benefits, anatomical considerations, and vernacular.Depending on one’s background, it might be easier for a givenmedical writer to transition to device writing in one area ratherthan another. Certainly there is quite a potpourri of devicecategories/companies in Indiana to choose from. Of course, youdon’t have to limit yourself to Indiana medical device companies,but as you can see, there is ample opportunity right in our ownback yard! In the next newsletter, we’ll take a look at the types ofmedical writing relevant to devices.
Summary of Major Medical Device Companies in Indiana and TheirRepresentative Products
Bayer Diagnostics Corporation (Indianapolis)Diabetes care (blood glucose monitoring), diagnostic imaging(MRI equipment, contrast agents/media, etc.)
Biomet, Inc. (Warsaw)Orthopedic (total joint prosthesis), spinal fixation, trauma fixation,electrical bone growth stimulation, craniofacial fixation, dentalprosthesis, biologics, sports medicine
Boston Scientific (Spencer)Interventional cardiology (balloon catheters, diagnostic catheters,stents), cardiac (pacemakers, defibrillators), peripheralinterventions (balloon catheters, stents)
Cook Biotech, Inc. (West Lafayette)Tissue repair matrices, hernia repair grafts, tissue patches
Cook Group (Bloomington)Anesthesiology, colorectal surgery, critical care medicine,electrophysiology, embryology, emergency medicine,gastroenterology, general surgery, gynecology, interventionalcardiology, interventional radiology
1 4 | AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter | January 201 4
TOC
Doctorate in Health CommunicationThe Department of Communication Studies in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IndianaUniversity-Purdue University Indianapolis is now accepting applications for its newestpost-graduate degree program, a doctorate in health communication, which opens in fall2014. The application deadline is Feb. 1.
Indiana's Medical Device Industry
DePuy/Synthes (Johnson & Johnson) (Warsaw)Orthopedic (total joint prosthesis), spinal fixation, trauma fixation,craniofacial fixation, dental prosthesis, biologics, sports medicine,neurovascular
Medtronic Spinal & Biologics (Warsaw - manufacturing division,Memphis - headquarters)Spinal fusion systems, artificial cervical discs, biologic bone grafts
OrthoPediatrics (Warsaw)Plates, screws, and nails for pediatric orthopedic patients
Roche Diagnostics Corp. (Indianapolis)A variety of diagnostic products including blood glucose,anticoagulation assay, and for research.
Symmetry Medical Inc. (Warsaw)Orthopedic and spinal implants, instruments, and cases
Zimmer Inc. (Warsaw)Orthopedic (total joint prosthesis), spinal fixation, trauma fixation,dental prosthesis, biologics, sports medicine
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 1 5
TOC
5 Skills All Great Writers Embracefrom Beyond the rules: creating great writers not just legal writers
Authors: Adam Lamparello, JD, LLM and Charles E. MacLean, JD Indiana Tech Law School (Ft. Wayne, IN)
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” -Stephen King
“To be the kind of writer you want to be, you must first be the kind of thinker you want to be.” -Ayn Rand
“Know the rules well so you can break them effectively” -The Dalai Lama
“Always carry a notebook . . . short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it iscommitted to paper you can lose an idea forever.” -Will Self
“If it sounds like writing . . . rewrite it.” -Elmore Leonard
Plain by Design
Summary Plain by design: Evidencebased plain languageAdapted by David Caldwell ([email protected]), at the suggestion of Greg Adams ([email protected]),
from Plain by design: Evidencebased plain language, a presentation by Karen Schriver,PhD (kschriver@earthl ink.net)
on October 1 2, 201 3 at the Plain Language Association International 201 3 conference in Vancouver, Canada.
View the presentation
We can make life easier for our audiences if we learn how they read and how we write.The study of plain language—information our audiences can find and understand thefirst time they experience it—helps us do both. Karen Schriver summarized the results ofkey behavioral experiments that teach us what plain language is.
1 6 | AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter | January 201 4
TOC
Results of Plain Language Research
Plain by Design
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 1 7
TOC Plain by Design
1 8 | AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter | January 201 4
TOCPlain by Design
ReferencesCamerer C, Loewenstein G, and Weber, M. (1989) The curse of knowledge in economic settings: an experimental
analysis. Journal of Political Economy 97(5): 1232-1254.
Charrow RP and Charrow VR. (1979) Making legal language understandable: A psycholinguistic study of jury
instructions. Columbia Law Review 79: 1306-1374.
Coleman EB. (1965) Learning of prose written in four grammatical transformations. Journal of Applied Psychology
49(5): 332-341.
Coleman, EB and Blumenfeld, JP. (1963) Cloze scores of nominalizations and their grammatical transformations using
active verbs. Psychological Reports 13: 651-654
DeLoache, JS and Marzolf DP. (1992) When a picture is not worth a thousand words: Young children's understanding of
pictures and models. Cognitive Development 7(3): 317-329.
Evans, J. (1996) On the mental representation of conditional sentences. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology:
Section A 49(4): 1086-1114.
Felker DB. (1980) Document design: A review of the relevant research. Washington, DC: American Institutes for
Research.
Haas, C. (1989) Does the medium make a difference? Two studies of writing with pen and paper and with computers.
Human-Computer Interaction: 4: 149-169.
Haas, C. (1996) Writing technology: Studies on the materiality of literacy. Mawah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Hardt-Davidson, W. (2013) What are the work patterns of technical communication? In J. Johnson-Eiola and S. Selber
(eds), Solving problems in technical communication (pp 50-54). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Hayes JR and Bajzek D. (2008) Understanding and Reducing the Knowledge Effect: Implications for Writers. Written
Communication 25(1): 104-118.
Hinds PJ. (1999) The curse of expertise: The effects of expertise and debiasing methods on prediction of novice
performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied 5(2): 205-221.
Holland, VM and Rose, A. (1980) A case study: Complex instructions. In DB Felker (ed) Document design: A review of
the relevant research (pp 111-124). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research.
Johnson-Laird, PN. (1975) Models of deduction. In F. Falmagne (ed), Reasoning: Representation and processes in
children and adults. Hillsdale, NJ: Elbaum.
Larkin, JH and Simon, HA. (1987) Why a diagram is (sometimes) worth ten thousand words. Cognitive Science 11: 65-
99.
Leijten M, Van Waes L, Schriver K, and Hayes JR. (in press) Writing in the workplace: Constructing documents using
multiple digital resources. Journal of Writing Research.
Lindgaard G, Fernandes G, Dudek C, and Brown J. (2006) Attention web designers: You have 50 milliseconds to make a
good first impression! Behavior and Information Technology 25(2): 115-126.
Mayer RE and Gallini JK. (1990) When is an illustration worth ten thousand words. Journal of Educational Psychology
82(4): 715-726.
Redish JC, Chisnell DE, Newby E, Laskowski SJ, and Lowry SZ. (2009) Report of findings: Use of language in ballot
instructions. NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) 7556.
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 1 9
TOC Plain by Design
Schriver KA. (1997) Dynamics in document design: Creating texts for readers. John Wiley & Sons (New York, NY).
Schriver KA. (2012) What we know about expertise in professional communication. In V. W. Berninger (ed) Past,
present, and future contributions of cognitive writing research to cognitive psychology (pp. 275-312). Psychology
Press (New York, NY).
Schriver KA. (2013) What do technical communicators need to know about information design? In J. Johnson-Eilola
and S. Selber (eds) Solving problems in technical communication (pp. 386-427). University of Chicago Press
(Chicago, IL).
Schriver KA. (manuscript in preparation) Information design for print and web: Evidence-based practice.
Schriver KA. (in preparation) The persistence of plain language in the United States: A history from 1940-2012.
Technical report, KSA Communication Design & Research, Pittsburgh, PA. Will be available at
http://centerforplainlanguage.org.
Slattery S. (2007) Undistributing work through writing: How technical writers manage texts in complex information
environments. Technical Communication Quarterly 16(3): 311-325.
Swarts J. (2010) Recycled writing: Assembling actor networks from reusable content. Journal of Business and Technical
Communication 24(2): 127-163.
Swarts J. (2013) How can work tools shape and organize technical communication. In J. Johnson-Eilola and S. Selber
(eds) Solving problems in technical communication (pp. 146-164). University of Chicago Press (Chicago, IL).
Willows DM. (1978) A picture is not always worth a thousand words: Pictures as distractors in reading. Journal of
Educational Psychology 70(2): 255-262.
Additional resourcesGlobal English for everyone
Greg Adams and Matthew Kaul—When plain language isn’t enough: Plain language and Global English at a global
healthcare company (PLAIN 2013)
Guidelines for document designers
howto.gov
Making Health Communication Programs Work
NIH plain language training
Pfizer Principles for Clear Health Communication
Plain Language Association International (PLAIN)
Plainlanguage.gov/
Plain language toolkit
Plain writing act of 2010
Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines
Usability.gov
20 | AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter | January 201 4
TOCTips
Tips for Writing PreciselyAdapted from by Iva Cheung's "Greg Adams and Matthew Kaul—When plain language isn’t enough: Plain language and
Global English at a global healthcare company (PLAIN 201 3)"
Make your sentences semantically complete.
Don’t omit syntactic cues such as articles.
Avoid ambiguous punctuation.
Is a phrase set off by dashes a definition, interjection, or clarification?
Avoid -ing words.
Making words function as many different parts of speech leads to ambiguity.
Be consistent with your terminology.
Use unambiguous words: “when” instead of “once”, “although” instead of “while.”
Avoid broad-reference and ambiguous pronouns.
Give your pronouns clear antecedents.
Other ResourcesNew to medical writing? Take a look at AMWA's Toolkit for New Medical Writers.
Need advice on starting or growing your business? SCORE can help.
Columbia University law school offers advice on how to Keep Your Copyrights.
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 21
TOC Alzheimer's Symposium
"I spent a day
with front l ine
researchers"
"Several
students
expressed a
lot of interest
in our career
choice"
Report: Shifting Paradigms on Alzheimer's Disease
Symposiumby Karen Roberts, medical communication consultant ([email protected])
This local all-day symposium on December 3, co-organized by EliLilly and Co. and Nature Medicine, welcomed me as a freelancemedical writer. The program featured international thoughtleaders from Harvard University School of Medicine, WashingtonUniversity, University of Minnesota, University of Pennsylvania,and other institutions. An editor from Nature and leaders fromLilly’s neuroscience and early clinical development groupsmoderated the sessions. Note: Lilly is celebrating 25 years ofAlzheimer’s research.
Writing about neurologic diseases and differential diagnosis is oneof my beats, so I had a vested interest in this program. I’m notsure how many other AMWA members attended but I did see ourchapter president, Barbara Lightfoot. This excerpt of highlightsunderscores the value of our chapter newsflash. By accepting theadvertised invitation to this symposium, I feel light-years ahead onmy background research. I spent a day with front line researcherswho are making scientific, evidence-based breakthroughs.Listening to the presentations first hand, taking copious notes, andbeing able to ask questions at the breaks was a multi-dimensionalexperience that surpasses any webinar or digital mining ofinformation.
At lunch, my table randomly selected, was full of IU med students.We had a very interactive conversation about how medical writerstranscend the various fields of medicine and elevatecommunication across many platforms. Several studentsexpressed a lot of interest in our career choice and asked how theymight become more adept at our skill set. Here I felt I could giveback with a bit of mentoring and encouragement. We talked aboutthe benefits of bolstering their medical curriculum with“communications” coursework and AMWA’s resources forcontinuing education.
22 | AMWA Indiana chapter newsletter | January 201 4
TOCAlzheimer's Symposium
"Time on the
planet . . . is
a key
pathogenic
factor for AD"
Admittedly, after a concentrated day of writing prone over mylaptop and cranking out content, I felt “brain dead” and wonderedif I had Alzheimer’s. Maybe you’ve had those days too? But I leftthe symposium assured that knowledge is powerful and I now feelvery optimistic about the potential to treat AD. This symposiumunderscored the tremendous opportunities for collaborating tounderstand and treat AD, one of the top six most prevalentdiseases and the only one with no cure or prevention. Here are afew excerpts from the symposium.
Time on the planet, not a particular age, is a key pathogenic factorfor AD. Oligomers and plaques both seem to contribute to AD.Identification of four behavioral symptoms (processing speed,fluid reasoning, working memory and recall memory) is still partof the diagnostic work-up.
Genome studies are revealing new and important clues to thecauses of AD. To learn more about the “next generation” ofgenomic sequencing, follow the work of Alison Goate (U.Washington). All individuals with Down Syndrome develop AD ifthey live long enough. About 40% of patients with late onset AD(diagnosed at age > 65 years) have a first degree relative with AD.The most commonly mutated gene in AD patients (80%) ispresenilin 1. Having glycine instead of glutamic acid at position318 of the apolipoprotein E variant 4 gene increases the risk ofdeveloping AD by 10-fold. Several variants of the phospholipaseD3 gene increase the odds of developing AD in African-Americans(5.48-fold) and in European-Americans (2.75-fold) (Cruchaga, et al.Nature). On the bright side, having threonine instead of alanine atposition 673 of the amyloid precursor protein has a protectiveeffect against developing AD (Jonsson, et al. Nature 488: 96-99,2012).
Lack of knowledge about which amyloid-beta oligomerscontribute to AD is a barrier to developing medications that caneffectively block the mechanism of AD. Recent advances inresearch on amyloid-related protein assemblies (fibrils and
January 201 4 | AMWA Indiana Chapter Newsletter | 23
TOC Alzheimer's Symposium
"Other gems
buried in the
chapter
newsflash may
be just what
you need to
bolster your
own
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oligomers) may help break that barrier. Future clinical trials wouldbenefit from a really good capturing agent that could show overdecades the development of a “toxic halo” of amyloid-relatedprotein assemblies in brains of AD patients.
Several researchers are studying the relation of amyloid depositsto measures of cognitive deficiency. The Alzheimer's AssociationResearch Roundtable 2011 guidelines focused on: 1. Dementia dueto AD; 2. Mild Cognitive impairment due to AD; and 3.Preclinical AD. An ongoing DIAN (dominantly inheritedAlzheimer network) study—designed to identify biomarkers thatpredict the development of Alzheimer's disease in people whocarry an Alzheimer's genetic mutation—has evidence that brainscans detect amyloid plaques 10+ years before the behavioralonset of AD. A method for detecting the AD-associated 42 aminoacid species of amyloid-beta in cerebrospinal fluid, based on massspectrometric quantification using selected reaction monitoring,provides a reliable index of AD neuropathology in late stages ofAD development. Amyloid-beta positron emission tomography(PET) imaging is also improving the ability to diagnose AD.
Attempts to discover biomarkers of AD in body fluids areunderway and a lot of new data will be available soon. Forexample, a repository of 272,000 samples of cerebrospinal fluidfrom AD patients is available to investigators.
Overall, better diagnostic tools are needed; 7-17% of AD autopsiesshow no clinical evidence of AD pathology, suggesting that moreaccurate diagnosis could help some AD patients achieve a betterquality of life. Experts at this symposium emphasized thattreating AD before behavioral symptoms appear might improveoutcomes. Delaying those symptoms by 5 years would improveoverall public health and ease the financial burden of AD.
