Professional Development

Professional Development Programme

The AMWA Professional Development Programme (PDP) has been designed specifically for our members and aims to offer a wide selection of high-quality workshops in the areas of medical writing, editing, public relations, web design and a variety of topical issues.

The programme is evolving to meet the needs of our members as experienced leaders become available to impart their knowledge in an engaging way to small groups. PDP workshops are ideal for keeping up to date with trends in medical writing, sharing ideas and getting to know other members.

Frequently Asked Questions

When are workshops and webinars held?

Workshops are offered at each AMWA Annual Conference, and also via online webinars during the year.

Upcoming webinars are listed on our Events page.

Who can participate?

The PDP workshops and webinars are open to both members and non-members.

Are there registration fees?

There is a registration fee for the AMWA Conference. This is cheaper for AMWA members. Most conference workshops are limited to 20-25 spaces and participants are accepted on a first-come-first-in basis. Therefore, participants should register early as many workshops fill up quickly.

Online PDP webinars will either be free, or low cost, for AMWA members.

Are webinars recorded?

Webinars are recorded and can be accessed by AMWA members in the Members Area here.

Workshop topics

Upcoming and previous topics include:

Evaluating clinical papers
Health resources on the web
Writing and designing web content
Proofreading for medical writers
Information, knowledge & evidence in medicine
PR techniques for medical communicators
Technical writing skills
Tables, figures and references
Evidence-based medicine: the basics
Biotechnology for medical writers
Law of defamation for medical writers
Writing about medicines
Writing for magazines
Statistics for medical writers
Social media for medical writers

The AMWA PDP has been developed using the suggestions and input of members from e-mails, workshop evaluations and questionnaires.

The programme continues to grow through the support of our members, so we encourage all interested members to:

Give us ideas for workshops or ways to improve the programme.
Nominating yourself or someone else you know who would be a good presenter.
Offer your services on our workshop subcommittee.

Upcoming Webinar - Statistics for Medical Writers

AMWA is pleased to bring you the first webinar of 2026. Presented by Dr Richard Kay, this webinar will give you a clear, logical structure for thinking about statistical methodology in pharmaceutical R&D. You'll be introduced to methods used in different settings, which are driven by the endpoint type, with a particular focus on binary (odds ratios, relative risks) and time to event (Kaplan-Meier curves, hazard ratios) endpoints. Ideas behind p-values, confidence intervals, and powering a study to detect important levels of effect will be covered. Each concept will be illustrated with case studies.