The members of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) have elected Katrina R. Burton, BS, as the 2021-2022 President. As President, Burton will guide AMWA in fulfilling its mission to promote excellence in medical communication and to provide educational resources in support of that goal.

A graduate of Texas A&M University, Burton is a program manager in Public Relations at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, currently overseeing communications and media relations for MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, the Adolescent and Young Adult Program and the Children’s Art Project. With more than 18 years of experience in public relations, health care marketing, and communications, Burton shares health care and human-interest stories through her own writing and in coordination with media outlets across the country.

An AMWA member since 2010, Burton has served in a variety of roles at both the national and chapter level; and was named a distinguished AMWA Fellow in 2020. At the Southwest Chapter level, she held a variety of leadership positions including Director-at-Large, Publications Chair, Communications Director, Assistant Program Chair, Program Chair, and Chapter President. While serving in the chapter’s most senior leadership roles, she also served as a chapter delegate to AMWA’s National Board where she honed her association leadership skills.

Burton’s experience at the national level included her leadership as the inaugural Chair of the Chapter Advisory Council, a member of the Communications and Marketing Committee, Secretary and Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, and President-Elect and Chair of the Nomination Committee. She has led multiple roundtables, webinars and open sessions at AMWA chapter and national conferences. Burton will work closely with AMWA’s Executive Director, and oversee the organization’s Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Committee Chairs.

In an interview in the AMWA Journal recognizing her as the first Black person to be elected to the role of AMWA President, Burton expressed a deep appreciation for the honor of serving the association and its members in their “essential, critical, and amazing work to promote excellence in the medical communication field.” Highlights from her inaugural address focused on elevating the value of medical communications, advancing AMWA priorities, and launching new initiatives.

Burton also said she plans to use her platform to encourage a more diverse group of medical communicators to join AMWA, get involved, and pursue leadership positions within the organization. Burton will lead AMWA throughout the 2022 governance year, culminating with the AMWA 2022 Medical Writing & Communication Conference, November 2-5, 2022.