|
|
THE NEW
APS CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Executive Summary Example
[The Executive Summary should include the following:
purpose/scientific significance, rationale for the meeting, previous
meetings on this topic, basic framework of the scientific program,
scientific scope of the meeting, other relevant information.]
The purpose of the International Conference on Physiology is to present
the most recent information on the physiology and pathophysiology of
disease. Previous conferences have an impressive and exciting history and
have been the site of crucial scientific and clinical announcements.
However, the meeting has existed without the identification of a scientific
“home.” The current proposal is to seek the sponsorship of the 11th
International Conference on Physiology from APS. The organizers believe
that APS is an ideal host for these meetings for many reasons including the
integrative and interdisciplinary in nature of the meetings. Physiology
plays a critically important role in diseases of most organ systems
including the lung, kidneys, heart, and brain. Furthermore, the Physiology
Conference is multinational and would provide considerable exposure to APS
outside of the US.
The discovery of Physiology twenty years ago led to a virtual explosion
of information on the role of physiology that has spawned more than 20,000
papers. Driven by high quality basic science, there now is a growing body
of Phase II and III clinical trials employing physiological targets. The
clinical relevance of physiology has ensured that the physiology conferences
are translational in nature that has led to tremendous financial support
from a wide range of pharmaceutical companies both large and small.
This conference would be very similar to previous International
Conferences on Physiology. The program would be a combination of oral and
poster presentations based primarily on submitted abstracts. The
abstract-driven program has always kept the scientific presentations at the
cutting edge and fostered considerable communication. Nonetheless, a
relatively small number of invited speakers would also be included (6-8) in
order to provide overviews, historical information, and lend credibility to
the conference. There will be roughly 70 oral presentations derived from
submitted abstracts and it is expected that at least 25% of these will be
from trainees, as has been tradition. The trainees would not be separated
into a separate session, but would be included in the appropriate scientific
context. There also will be an ancillary session in which trainees would be
invited to participate in a career opportunities session in which
participants from a full range of companies and universities would present
their thoughts and ideas on how to succeed in a research career with a focus
on translational research. Along these lines, there will be at least one
additional ancillary oral session in which the pharmaceutical companies will
be given an opportunity to present their latest data from clinical trials.
There have been 10 previous International Conferences on Physiology that
have all drawn 200-300 registrants. The last several physiology conferences
were endorsed by APS. The meeting already has considerable international
recognition. Nobel laureate, Sir John Smith, is one of the founding members
of the Conferences on Physiology. Currently, Professor Barak McCain, an
internationally acclaimed scientist has served as a member of the advisory
board for all the recent meetings since the early 1990s. It is important to
note that the structure and organization of the physiology meetings is
consistent with the new APS conference format guidelines and so transition
to APS support should be seamless. Finally, the conference organizers have
already received cash and pledges of financial support of $50-75K.
|
|
