VMBS Professor Receives American Medical Writers Association President’s Award
Dr. Barbara Gastel, a professor in the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ (VMBS) Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, has been selected to receive the 2024 President’s Award from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA).
AMWA is an organization of more than 4,000 members that promotes excellence in medical communication and provides educational resources in support of that goal.
The annual President’s Award was established in 1981 and is given to one AMWA member each year who has made distinctive contributions to the association at the chapter or national level.
Gastel, who also serves as the director of the VMBS’ Science & Technology Journalism Program and as a professor of humanities in medicine at the Texas A&M School of Medicine, has been a member of the AMWA for more than 40 years.
“When I joined AMWA as a student, I never imagined receiving such an award,” Gastel said. “And until now I had no idea I was being considered for it. What a surprise to open my email one evening and learn that I was this year’s recipient!
“AMWA has been an important part of my professional life,” she said. “Early in my career, it helped me explore the field and form my network. I’ve enjoyed giving back by giving workshops and presentations at AMWA conferences, serving on AMWA committees, and contributing to AMWA publications.”
Gastel was selected to receive the award by AMWA President Dr. Michelle Sauer Gehring ’04 ’08, a VMBS alumna who received her bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and her Ph.D. in veterinary microbiology/genetics.
Gastel’s professional interests include medical journalism, science editing, and the teaching of science communication.
After earning a bachelor’s degree at Yale University, Gastel attended Johns Hopkins University for her Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees. She then completed an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) mass media fellowship at Newsweek and began her career at the United States National Institutes of Health.
She also has taught science writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Peking University Health Science Center, and she has served as assistant dean for teaching at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.
Her published works include the latest editions of “How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper,” three other books about science communication or teaching, and many articles on writing, editing, teaching, and medicine.
Gastel is a fellow of both the AMWA and the AAAS. She has also received the AMWA’s John P. McGovern Award for Excellence in the Field of Medical Communications (from the AMWA Southwest Chapter) in 2006, the Harold Swanberg Distinguished Service Award in 1998, and the Golden Apple Award in 1993.
Beyond the AMWA, she has received numerous honors and awards from Texas A&M University, the scientific research society Sigma Xi, the Council of Science Editors, and the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences.
Gastel will receive her award at the AMWA’s annual Medical Writing & Communication Conference in October.
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Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
