Experimental Biology 2011
The 2011 EB Meeting was held in Washington, DC April 9-13. The scientific and poster sessions were well-attended and overall enthusiasm for the meeting remains high. Participating societies were: APS, ASPET (pharmacology), ASN (nutrition), ASBMB (biochemistry), ASIP (pathology) & AAA (anatomy).
APS also supported two unopposed Techniques and Technology in Physiology Workshops on Saturday entitled “Translational Research: A Primer for the Basic Scientist” and “Small Animal Models”. The Physiology InFocus program entitled Molecular and Clinical Physiology in Human Disease” organized by Peter Wagner included four symposia on “Left Heart Failure: Molecular, Physiological & Clinical Integration”; “Idiopathic and Inheritable Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH): From Genes to Clinical State”; “Physiology and Genetics of Obesity: Molecular Discovery and Translational Research”; and “Translational Biology of the Renal Podocyte” The Award lectures included the 12 Section Distinguished Lectureships, the MCS Landis Award Lecture was presented by Michael J. Davis; the Physiology in Perspective—The Walter B. Cannon Memorial Award Lecture, was presented by Roberto Bolli; The Henry Pickering Bowditch Award Lecture, was presented by Larissa Shimoda; and The Walter C. Randall Lecture in Biomedical Ethics, was presented by Gerald P. Koocher.
APS also sponsored four “Cross-Sectional” Symposia entitled: Role of microRNA in Cardiovascular System, Gas Channels, Therapeutic Potential of the ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/MasR Axis in Disease, and Understanding Blood Pressure Regulation Through Neural, Vascular, and Renal Specific Knockout/Knockdown Approaches.
At EB11, APS programmed 323 sessions in total; 180 poster sessions, 71 symposia, 45 featured topics, 17 lectures, 3 workshops, and 1 refresher course, 1 awards session and 5 special sessions. The meeting program was organized using the Clustering of Sectional Programs for the first time.
A total of 7,049 volunteered abstracts were submitted; an increase of 15% over the total number submitted for EB 2010 in Anaheim. APS programmed 2,480 (35%) of the total number of abstracts submitted. This represents an increase of 11% total abstracts programmed by APS from EB 2010; however it also represents a decrease of 1% in APS-programmed abstracts overall from EB 2010. There were 649 late-breaking abstracts submitted, a decrease in total late-breaking abstracts of 11% over EB 2010. Of that total, 226 (35%) were submitted to APS for programming versus 187 submitted in EB 2010.
The APS hosted five guest societies including The Microcirculatory Society (MCS), the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), the American Federation for Medical Research (AFMR), the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (SEBM), and The Physiology Society (TPS).
Clustering of Sectional Programs: Meeting within a Meeting Concept
The 2011 meeting was the first meeting in which sections ‘clustered’ their programming on specific days within the meeting. The ‘clustering’ of sessions by section provided a framework which facilitated session programming/slotting allowing more time for optimizing the scheduling of rooms (sizes) to match sessions. When possible, sectional programming was scheduled consecutively in the same room or an adjacent room to optimize flow.
A survey was developed to assess membership/registrant satisfaction with the new meeting format. Overall, the data show that the majority of responders either didn’t notice the change in format (better advertising required?), or found it to be useful. However, a significant number of responders were not satisfied with the clustering program. Based on anecdotal feedback, as well as feedback from SAC, it was noted that having Plenary Sessions during poster sessions reduced poster attendance, and the programming of posters on the same days that all oral sessions and the section’s Plenary Lecture were scheduled caused a significant amount of conflict, and also possibly lower attendance at the poster sessions. The JPC is discussing ways to resolve these issues.
Experimental Biology 2012
The JPC has received 14 Cross-Sectional symposium proposals for EB 2012. The four proposals selected are Essential Insights into Protein Interactions in Epithelia, Recent Advances in Physiology and Disease; The Role of the Circadian Clock in Neural, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Function; Brain Insulin: The Forgotten Metabolic Partner of Leptin?, and Hypoxia Inducible Factors (HIFs) in Health and Disease. In addition, two Techniques and Technology workshops will be scheduled. The two workshops are Overcoming the Fear of Making Your Own Transgenic and Knockout Mice, and Toolkit for Genomic Biomarker Discovery by Physiologists. These workshops were designed to complement the Physiology InFocus (PIF) series organized by APS President Joey Granger. The (PIF) program is entitled Physiology in Medicine and will feature a series of three symposia including Hypertension and Chronic Kidney Diseases, Obesity and Diabetes, and Using Physiology to Translate Cardiac Remodeling and Heart Failure. The 4th slot, normally reserved for a PIF symposium, will now be designated as the ‘Nobel Prize Lecture’, and will be held on Wednesday afternoon.
As is customary, the meeting will also feature sessions organized by the APS Publications, Careers in Physiology, Public Affairs, Women in Physiology, Trainee Advisory, Physiologists in Industry and Education Committees.