The President's Letter
August 9, 2024
Dear SSCI Members and Fellows,
We hope that everyone has had an opportunity to spend time with family and friends at some point over the summer and that you have had a great start to the new academic year. The SSCI/SRM Program Committee has been assembling our program for SRM 2025, which will be held in New Orleans on February 13-15, 2025. Below are some exciting details about this upcoming meeting.
Southern Regional Meeting Plenaries. The meeting will feature two outstanding plenaries, each with two excellent speakers. We will have the opportunity to hear from leaders in the field of immunology and from leaders of medicine departments in our region.
Joint Plenary Symposium
Updates in Immunology: Across the Lifespan from Newborn Screening to Novel Therapies for Children and Adults (sponsored by SSCI and SSPR)
Speakers:
- Lisa Forbes, Director of the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies at Texas Children's Hospital
- Steven Holland, Director of the Division of Intramural Research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Immunology has recently gained attention for novel therapies and advancement in the treatment of immunological diseases for newborns, children, and adults. The focus of this plenary is to learn about updates in immunology across the lifespan from newborn screening of immunological diseases to updates and advancements in treatments for children and adults with a focus on congenital immunologic defects.
SSCI Presidential Symposium
Research Among Us: How Our Region's Leaders are Advancing the Science Behind our Patient Care
Speakers:
- Jane Freedman, Interim Chair of the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University, Editor-in-Chief for Circulation Research
- Patricia Sime, Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University
The institutions of our region have been and are responsible for major scientific advances in medicine. In this symposium, two department of medicine chairs in our region will detail the science through which they and their collaborators have changed patient care in the last several years and for the years ahead in the fields of cardiology and pulmonology, respectively.
Tinsley Harrison Scholar Awards. The SSCI is continuing this novel program, which we started last year for MD or MD/PhD investigators at the level of postdoctoral fellow, instructor, and assistant professor during the first 1-2 years of appointment. The purpose of these awards is to facilitate networking and career development among a community of young investigators as well as engagement with more senior leaders in SSCI who can serve as career sponsors and advisors. Airfare (economy), registration, and hotel expenses (up to $1,500) will be reimbursed for the individuals chosen for these awards. Tinsley Harrison Scholars are expected to attend all required programming events in order to receive reimbursement for their travels. Please visit the Tinsley Harrison Scholar portion of our website to learn more about how to apply.
Additional Sessions. In addition to our poster sessions and our subspecialty oral presentation sessions, we are excited to have our Showcase of Science once again this year, as well as workshops on the successful academician, manuscript preparation, career development for clinician educators, and (specifically for our trainees) obtaining the subspecialty fellowship you desire.
The SRM 2025 Call for Abstracts and opportunities for travel awards has been issued this week. Our abstract deadline is October 4th. Visit our website for more information on abstract submissions, registration, hotel reservations, and the program.
SSCI Fellow Nominations. Please do not forget to nominate your colleagues and/or mentees to become a Fellow of the SSCI. The deadline of August 15 is fast approaching, but our nomination process has been streamlined and can be efficiently completed by nominees and nominators. Please visit the SSCI Fellowship portion of our website to nominate eligible physician-scientists and clinician-educators today!
We hope that you save the dates of February 13-15, 2025, and we will have more information about the annual meeting in months ahead.
Sincerely,
S. Calvin Thigpen, MD, FSSCI
President, Southern Society for Clinical Investigation
