American Medical Writers Association
The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA), founded in 1940, is the leading professional organization for writers, editors, and other communicators of medical information. The association offers a highly regarded continuing education program, including distance learning and a certificate program; an annual conference featuring prominent speakers, discussion sessions, and workshops; networking opportunities through the annual conference and chapter activities; job services, including Jobs Online and a Freelance Directory; a website with comprehensive information, member discount opportunities, and online community forums; and the AMWA Journal, an indexed, peer-reviewed publication.” Student membership is available.
American Public Health Association’s Health Communication Working Group
“The Health Communication Working Group (HCWG) is part of the Public Health Education and Health Promotion (PHEHP) section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). The mission of HCWG is to create a forum for interaction and information exchange to encourage innovative theory and research-based, consumer-oriented health communication programs and processes that are fully integrated into public health practice and health communication research.” Student membership in the working group is available through the APHA Student Assembly, a student-led organization.
Association of Health Care Journalists
“The Association of Health Care Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of health care issues. Its mission is to improve the quality, accuracy and visibility of health care reporting, writing and editing. There are more than 1,400 members of AHCJ.” Student membership is available.
Association for the Rhetoric of Science, Technology, and Medicine (ARSTM)
“The Association for the Rhetoric of Science, Technology, and Medicine (ARSTM) seeks to provide an international forum for researchers, teachers, and students interested in the rhetorical dimensions of science, technology, and medicine. ARSTM was founded in 1992 by scholars at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Iowa who began meeting in conjunction with the annual meeting of the National Communication Association (NCA).”
Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW)
“ATTW is an active organization of teachers, researchers, and teacher-practitioners of technical communication across a range of academic and professional institutions. Members of ATTW work in graduate and undergraduate programs in technical communication, media, engineering, rhetoric, writing studies, and English, among other complementary research programs.”
CCCC: Medical Rhetoric Standing Group
A former Special Interest Group of the CCCC, the Medical Rhetoric Standing Group applied for and received Standing Group status with the organization in 2015. Membership is open to all members of CCCC who wish to join.
Health & Science Communication Association
“The Health and Science Communications Association is an association of communications professionals committed to sharing knowledge and resources in the health and science arenas. … Our members broadly describe themselves as biomedical communicators. More specifically, members include producers, graphic designers, medical illustrators, photographers, videographers, instructional designers, multimedia designers, computer animators, librarians, learning resource center managers, educators, writers, trainers, publishers, distributors, health care practitioners, and market specialists in academic, hospital-based, government, non-profit, and corporate environments.” Student membership is available.
International Communication Association: Health Communication Division
“ICA is an academic association for scholars interested in the study, teaching, and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication. ICA began more than 50 years ago as a small association of U.S. researchers and is now a truly international association with more than 4,800 members in 77 countries. … Health Communication is primarily concerned with the role of communication theory, research and practice in health promotion and health care. Areas of research include provider-patient interaction, social support networks, health information systems, medical ethics, health policy and health promotion. The Division’s goals are to encourage theory development, research and effective practice of health communication.” Student membership is available.
National Communication Association: Health Communication Division
“The National Communication Association advances communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific and aesthetic inquiry. … Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, the NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems.” The Health Communication Division “works to advance theory, research, teaching, and practical applications of human and mediated communication to health care and health promotion.”
Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE)
“For more than 60 years, the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) has served as an independent professional association … of nearly 4,000 health education professionals and students throughout the United States and 25 international countries. The organization promotes healthy behaviors, healthy communities, and healthy environments through its membership, its network of local chapters, and its numerous partnerships with other organizations.” Student membership is available.
