Executive Committee

  Nicola started her career in medical writing after completing a BSc majoring in physiology and pharmacology. Over more than 30 years she has developed experience and expertise in a wide variety of scientific medical writing tasks, from manuscripts (including publications in NEJM, JAMA and the Lancet family of journals) to “plain language” patient information/website resources, and conference materials. As a freelancer for the last 9 years, she primarily works directly with researchers and key opinion leaders based in Asia or Europe.

Email: president@medicalwriters.org

Michael has an MSc (1^st class honours) in microbiology from the University of Canterbury and a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Otago. Michael joined Oxford PharmaGenesis as a medical writer in 2008 after undertaking post-doctoral research at the University of Oxford. He is currently a CMPP-qualified Scientific Director (New Zealand-based) in the Melbourne office of Oxford PharmaGenesis, providing strategic and content overview across several accounts. During his 15 years in the industry, Michael has gained extensive experience in publication development (with a fair amount of dabbling in other forms of medical communication) across a range of evidence types and therapy areas, including co-authorship of several narrative and systematic review publications. At present, he has a strong interest (though limited expertise) in the practical integration of AI into the publication development process, especially regarding literature reviews. Michael enjoys reading science fiction, playing video games, hanging out with his family, and his regular poker evening with his friends

Email: vicepresident@medicalwriters.org

Sophia Auld writes clear, accurate, and persuasive copy to help health and medical brands prove their expertise, educate customers and the public, and grow their sales. Before pursuing her lifelong love of writing, Sophia worked as a physiotherapist for over 25 years. 
She has written for NSW Health, Deaf Children Australia, Healthscope, the Victorian Department of Health, GSK, HCF and Air Liquide Healthcare, along with many health practitioners and small businesses. Her health articles have featured in titles including The Saturday Paper, MiNDFOOD, Good Health, WellBeing, Breathe, and The New Daily.
When she’s not at her desk, you might find Sophia bushwalking, at the gym, reading, drinking coffee, or hanging out with her family.

Email: secretary@medicalwriters.org

Serina Stretton PhD, ISMPP CMPP™ is a certified medical publication professional with more than 20 years’ experience working with authors and clients globally and in the Asia Pacific region. Serina has published peer-reviewed research on publication misconduct, is a past-Convenor of the Medical Writing Interest Area Committee for ARCS Australia, and past-member of the Global Alliance for Publication Professionals.  Currently, Serina is Division Lead for Envision Pharma Group, based in Sydney Australia.

Email: treasurer@medicalwriters.org

Dr Lesley Cunliffe (PhD) is a freelance Medical Copywriter and healthcare Creative Director. After completing her PhD, she spent time working for Nature Reviews Journals as a Copy Editor, and later an Associate Editor. From there, she took the leap into healthcare advertising and worked at several leading agencies in London and Sydney as a Senior Medical Writer, and ultimately a Creative Director, before deciding to work for herself. Now she is dividing her time between working remotely for her clients and replanting a small corner of native forest in New Zealand.

Sally Bathgate is a seasoned health and medical writer, bringing a decade of experience in the pharmaceutical industry to her freelance practice. With a BSc in Pharmacology and a strong background in Regulatory Affairs, she is well-equipped to translate complex medical information into clear and accessible content. Her top three favourite health writing areas are patient-centred content, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for content on healthcare websites, and therapeutic goods advertising. 

Erin is a freelance content and SEO copywriter specialising in corporate, technical, and medical communications. She also works with an SEO agency to create website content and blog articles for the health and professional services sectors. In addition to AMWA she is an active committee member of IPEd (Institute of Professional Editors) Awards & Prizes, and—on behalf of her toddler son—the Woodend Playgroup. Outside of writing, she's a budding floriculturist, propagating and selling cottage garden flowers through her e-commerce store.

Dr Ian Harrison is the Scientific Communications and Clinical Trials Manager for Ego Pharmaceuticals. Ian joined Ego Pharmaceuticals in 2017, at first splitting his time between the Research and Development laboratory and the Regulatory Affairs department before moving to his current role. Prior to his position at Ego Pharmaceuticals, he spent many years in medical research and academia and has published on a wide variety of topics, from the impact of reactive oxygen species on cancer development to the optimal topical treatment strategies available for atopic dermatitis. Ian holds a PhD in Pharmacology from Monash University. His area of focus at Ego Pharmaceuticals is the design and implementation of clinical trials, and the development of technical communications, from presentations and regulatory arguments to scientific publications, for all of Egos stakeholders, including healthcare professionals and consumers.   

Jen has a BA in Psychology and a Diploma in Proofreading and Editing. She has a diverse background in pharmaceutical distribution customer service, recruitment, property administration and as a teaching assistant.

Jen currently works as a healthcare administrator and also provides content marketing and administrative support to the AMWA Executive Committee.

Email: marketing@medicalwriters.org