Meetings and Conferences
Have mini-disk, will travel. I cover national and international meetings to produce a range of products including features, newsletters, symposium reports and press releases. One thing I'm no good at, and never was, is placing articles. I know, it costs me.
Case study - an antiepileptic agent for migraine prophylaxis
I was commissioned by a publisher to attend this small meeting in London where an eminent US speaker presented the latest research to an invited audience. The output was a 4-page summary of the presentation suitable for neurologists and GPs with a special interest in migraine. Fortunately, I managed to write up most of the meeting on my laptop on the train home, so we had a quick turnaround.
Case study - the impact of antipsychotics on patient wellbeing
This large one-day conference in Birmingham was organised by a manufacturer of an atypical antipsychotic drug to air issues about the impact of treatment on the wellbeing of patients with schizophrenia, building on a recent Government-supported initiative. I was commissioned to write an 8-page report of the proceedings for distribution as a journal supplement. Bit of a delay getting the Powerpoint presentations and I went through three drafts to get the pitch right but it worked out well.
Case study - new bronchodilator for COPD
As part of an educational programme for primary care, I was invited by a PR agency to the European Respiratory Conference in Glasgow to cover a satellite symposium on this novel treatment. Based on the presentations and supporting publications we produced a couple of scientific reviews and two advertorials for the GP press to explain its mechanism of action and its role in management. After a second meeting in London, we highlighted the health burden associated with COPD and how this treatment could help to reduce it.
Case study - Chairing meetings and writing them up
A pharmaceutical company had convened a specialist panel to promote the appropriate management of gastro-oesophageal disease in primary care. The panel toured the country to address five meetings of primary and secondary care physicians, using a relaxed structure of presentations and group discussions. I chaired the meetings and wrote a journal supplement summarising the presentations and representing the views of participants. Half fun, half nerves.