International Society for Medical Publication Professionals announces First US Congress Advocacy-in-Action Day
Briarcliff Manor, NY, April 4, 2011— The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) is taking their education program to the US congress. ISMPP is an independent non-profit organization, focused on advancing the medical publication profession through education and advocacy. Ongoing misrepresentations in the media have prompted us to organize the first ever US ISMPP Advocacy in Action Day as part of the 7th Annual ISMPP Meeting, to provide a forum for two-way debate, connect ISMPP members to their own legislators and enable information sharing relevant to medical publication planning issues with US policy makers.
The purpose of the Advocacy in Action day is to visibly demonstrate ISMPP’s leadership position on behalf of our profession and ensure that US Congress representatives understand the legitimate role of a medical publication professional in bringing scientific and medical data into the public domain in a credible, transparent, and timely way consistent with today’s best practices. Key to the information sharing will be how the role of the professional medical writer differs from that of the ‘ghostwriter’, a frequent and inaccurate portrayal of our profession in the media and other publications.
We aim to correct misperceptions surrounding the appropriately acknowledged role of publication professionals by open and honest discussions on the role that ISMPP as an organization, and our members as individuals, play in medical writing. This is an opportunity to communicate that we act appropriately and in compliance with professional standards, and play an important role in ensuring the integrity of the medical literature.
The 7th Annual ISMPP Meeting, which is being held in Arlington, Virginia, US on 4-6 April 2011, provides a forum for debate on the current controversies in the field of medical publications and provides a basis for a greater understanding of the profession. More information about ISMPP, including a report from the meeting (available after the event has concluded), can be found at http://www.ismpp.org.
About ISMPP
The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals is an independent, non-profit, professional association with members from the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology industries; publication planning and medical communication companies; academia; and medical journal staff, including editors and publishers. Its goals are to support the educational needs of publication professionals and to develop best practices that ensure the rigorous maintenance of all ethical standards for reporting results of medical research. Additional information about ISMPP is available by contacting the organization’s Executive Director, Kimberly Goldin (phone: +1-914-945-0507; email: kgoldin@ismpp.org) or online at http://www.ismpp.org.