Leading the Future: The AMWA NorCal Vice Presidency

Since its inception in 1940, the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) has flourished as a professional community offering connections and potential for developing leadership skills. This continues today in our Northern California (NorCal) Chapter with a unique opportunity: a vacant Vice President (VP) position.

With elections fast approaching, the Pacemaker newsletter contacted the 3 most recent past VPs: Mark Hagerty, MS, Crystal Herron, PhD, ELS(D), CMPP; and our current President, Kim Jinnett, PhD, MSPH. We thought they were the best people to answer the pressing question, “Why take the opportunity to be AMWA NorCal’s next VP?”

Together, their experiences revealed a consensus on shared themes of manageable commitment and high professional return.

1) A Manageable Step into Leadership

One of the biggest hurdles for volunteers is the fear of a heavy time commitment. However, our past leaders found the role surprisingly efficient. Jinnett, who transitioned into the VP role within her first 2 years of joining AMWA, found it to be an excellent way to understand the organization.

"It’s actually not hard, and you get a lot of support," Jinnett said, noting that the primary duty of overseeing elections is straightforward. "Of all the positions, it’s one of the easiest. . . it gives you good access to how the leadership works."

Herron felt the same way, admitting she was "surprised at how little work it was." She viewed the VP role as a strategic way to "influence what the chapter provides for members" without being overwhelmed by daily operations.

2) Building Credibility and Generating Leads

Beyond the duties, the VP role is a powerful professional asset. Herron mentioned that for a freelancer, the position can directly lead to a referral for new business, as that has happened in her experience. She also highlighted the immediate boost to professional credibility, noting, "It looks nice to say that you're the vice president of the chapter" on a resume or LinkedIn profile.

Hagerty shared this strategic mindset, explaining that he initially stepped into the role to grow his freelance business and establish more contacts within the local community. 

As one of only 4 chapter officers, Jinnett emphasizes that the role allows you to "meet people quickly" and gain high-level visibility that is otherwise difficult to achieve.

3) Real-World Career ROI

Volunteering is a professional investment that pays dividends in your primary career. Hagerty found that his time as VP significantly broadened his industry perspective. "I learned segmentation of things like regulatory writing versus CME versus patient information," Hagerty recalled.

This knowledge directly impacted his career; Hagerty’s involvement with AMWA and his medical writing certificate helped him move into a biosafety training role at a national laboratory. He suggested looking for ways chapter work can "contribute to your work outside. . . the payment comes back with [doing] things that might help me as I go forward."

4) Future-Proofing the Profession

As technology changes the medical writing field, human oversight remains indispensable. Herron believed the soft skills gained in leadership, such as teamwork and leading groups, are becoming more important.

Jinnett, who is actively researching the intersection of technology and communication, saw the chapter as a platform to explore how "AI can be a tool for us to deepen our critical thinking skills and applications rather than doing that instead of us."

Join Us

If you want to grow professionally, build a strategic network, and give back to your community with a manageable time commitment, the VP position is open for you. 

As Herron puts it, it’s a "great opportunity to meet incredible people."

About the author: Zahra Moosavi, MSc, is the Founder and CEO of BitLab Medical Consulting. She brings over 10 years of experience in pre-clinical research, biotech start-up management, and scientific writing. Zahra is the Vice President of Science Writers and Communicators of Canada. She also serves as the Editor for the Pacemaker newsletter for the American Medical Writers Association and is a member of the chapter’s communications leadership team.