APS Conferences

APS Conferences

2004 APS Translational Research Conference
Immunological and Pathophysiological Mechanisms in
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
September 8-11, Snowmass Village, CO

The 2004 APS Translational Research Conference Immunological and Pathophysiological Mechanisms in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), was held at the Snowmass Conference Center, nestled minutes from the ski slopes of Snowmass. As the leaves turned into fall colors at the tranquil resort, a group of interdisciplinary investigators discussed the latest treatments in experimental and clinical IBD. The Organizing Committee, chaired by Matthew Grisham, LSU Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, and Fabio Cominelli, University of Virginia Health System, selected and arranged the scientific sessions. In between the symposia and poster sessions, attendees took advantage of taking in the beautiful scenery, hiking, wandering through the authentic shops of the Snowmass Village Mall or driving into nearby Aspen.

The conference was attended by 119 total registrants, of which young scientists, including 16 postdoctoral and six students, represented 18% of registrants. Eight attendees were APS members (7%) and 59 were not APS members (50%). Invited speakers and chairs made up the remaining 30 registrants (25%). This meeting attracted registrants from outside the United States. Out of the 119 registrants, 14 represented countries from Europe, Asia and Australia (12%). There were also four scientists at the meeting from Canada (3%). Table 1 shows the breakdown of the different registration types.

The IBD meeting opened with a Keynote Lecture presented by Daniel Podolsky and was followed by an Opening Reception. The program covered six symposia sessions over the course of the meeting, where a wide range of topics were discussed. Participants in the audience were encouraged to share their ideas and thoughts with lecturers on the topics. During the meeting there were two poster sessions and socials where the scientists were able to present their work. There were a total of 50 poster presentations programmed for the meeting. Of all of the abstracts that were submitted for the meeting, 16 had a female first author (32%); 13 (26%) of abstracts were from institutions outside of the United States, including two from Canada. Table 2 shows the departmental of affiliations of authors who submitted an abstract.

The awards presentation recognized 18 recipients of the Research Recognition Award for Outstanding Abstract Presentation by a Graduate Student or Postdoctoral Fellow. The following awardees were presented with a certificate and cash prize: Jing Li, University of Chicago; Eva Galka, Penn State University; Xiaonan Han, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; Jesus Rivera-Nieves, University of Virginia Health Science Center; Takanori Kanai, Tokyo Medical & Dental University; Ossama Hatoum, Medical College of Wisconsin; Kevin Pavlick, LSU Health Sciences Center; Silvio Danese, Case Western Reserve University; Yuji Naito, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine; Robert Edwards, University of California, Irvine; Kevin Scott, University of Virginia; Willem de Villiers, University of Kentucky; Geraldine Canny, Brigham & Women’s Hospital; Brian Dieckgraefe, Washington University School of Medicine; Lillian Maggio-Price, University of Washington; Thorsten Vowinkel, LSU Health Sciences Center; George Bamias, University of Virginia; and James Versalovic, Baylor College of Medicine. In addition, Gerardo A. Hernandez Buitrago and Carmencita Rojas Cartagena, both students at the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico, were the recipients of the Porter Physiology Development Committee’s Minority Travel Fellowship Award, which are provided to encourage participation of under-represented minority students. With support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) the fellowship provides reimbursement of all expenses associated with travel and participation in the conference. The recipient is matched with an APS member attending the conference who offers guidance and makes introductions to the other scientists.

The American Physiological Society and the Organizing Committee gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided through generous educational grants from Centocor, Inc., Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, NIH-NIDDK, and Hoffmann-La-Roche, Inc.

Table 1. Registration Statistics
Registrant Type	Number of Attendees (%)
APS Member Nonmember Postdoctoral Student Invited Speaker Total	8 (7%) 59 (50%) 16 (13%) 6 (5%) 30 (25%) 119

Table 2. Breakdown of Departments that Submitted Abstracts
Department	Number of Abstracts (%)
Gastroenterology Medicine Pathology Molecular and Cell Biology Physiology	11 (28%) 8 (15%) 7 (13%) 5 (9%) 3 (5%)

2004 APS Intersociety Meeting
The Integrative Biology of Exercise
October 6-9, Austin, TX

Set in the heart of downtown Austin, the newly built Hilton Austin Hotel served as the meeting location for the 2004 APS Intersociety Meeting: The Integrative Biology of Exercise. Intersociety Meetings are held every four years and offer concurrent symposia and exhibits. This meeting was organized by Ronald Terjung (Chair), University of Missouri-Columbia, Laurie Goodyear, Harvard Medical School, Robert Grange, Virginia Tech University, James Hicks, University of California, Irvine, Michael Lindinger, University of Guelph, P. Darrell Neufer, Yale University, Bente Pedersen, Rigshospitalet, Jack Rall, Ohio State University, Brenda Russell, University of Illinois, Chicago, Kenneth Baldwin, University of California, Irvine and Steven Segal, John B. Pierce Laboratory, Yale University. The program for this meeting covered recent advancements in the exercise research area as well as emerging topics.

Banquet speaker, Bengt Saltin, surrounded by members of the IBE Organizing Committee chaired by Ron Terjung.

This exciting meeting attracted 606 total registrants, including a good presence of young investigators and students. The young investigators and students accounted for 47% of the total registrants. APS members made up 23% of the attendees, closely followed by non-members (11%) and sponsoring societies (8%) attendees respectively. Invited speakers and chairs represented the remaining 11%. This meeting also had a large international presence with some participants coming for the first time to the United States and their first meeting. Out of the 606 registrants, 11% of registrants came from Canada, 10% of registrants represented countries from Europe and the remaining 8% from Australia, Japan, Brazil and South Africa. Table 1 (below) shows the breakdown of the different registration types.

The meeting opened with an informal Opening Reception, which gave participants the opportunity to network and catch-up with colleagues while enjoying some delicious hors d’oeuvres. The meeting program allowed for two concurrent symposia each morning and afternoon, with a total of twelve symposia, at which many interesting and exciting issues were presented. There was also active participation from the audience, who were encouraged to ask questions or make comments.

Several of the Research Recognition Award winners accepting their awards at the closing banquet.

The three day meeting also included three separate poster sessions. During these sessions, established scientists and student attendees presented their abstract work to their colleagues and peers. There were a total of 337 programmed abstracts for the meeting. Out of the abstracts that were submitted, 19% had a female first author; 16% of the submitted abstracts came from countries in Europe, closely followed by Canada with 13%.
During the meeting there was an option for registrants to purchase tickets to the Salt Lick BBQ restaurant for an evening of socializing and relaxing. Located about 45 minutes from downtown Austin, the ranch style restaurant boasts some of the best barbecue in Texas. Cooked over an open flame fire grill, participants enjoyed all-you-can-eat chicken, ribs, beef brisket and all the traditional barbecue side dishes, while listening to a live country and western band.

The meeting closed with a Banquet and Awards Presentation, where the organizing committee presented the winners of the Research Recognition Award for Outstanding Abstract Presentation by a Graduate Student or Postdoctoral Fellow a certificate and cash prize. The winners of the award were: Eric B. Taylor, Brigham Young University; Chad Hancock, University of Missouri-Columbia; Anne Cecile Durieux, Unite PPEH; Soo Kim, University of California, Los Angeles; R. Andrew Shanely, University of Missouri-Columbia; Takayuki Akimoto, Duke University Medical Center; and Carol A. Witczak, Joslin Diabetes Center.

Attendees mingle and discuss the poster presentations of their colleagues.

In addition, the following were the recipients of the Porter Physiology Development Committee’s Minority Travel Fellowship Award, which are provided to encourage participation of under represented minority students: Christopher Mendias, University of Michigan; Phillip Palmer, Meharry Medical College; Rhonda Prisby, Texas A&M University; Karma Rabon-Stith, University of Maryland, College Park; James Recinos, California State University, Northridge; William Richards, Ohio State University; and Alberto Vallejo, University of Southern California. With support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the fellowship provides reimbursement of all expenses associated with travel and participation in the conference. The recipient is matched with an APS member attending the conference that offers guidance and makes introductions to the other scientists.

Bengt Saltin, University of Copenhagen, was the Banquet Speaker, presenting unique insights into his life as a scientist and the mentors that influenced him in a presentation entitled “My Link to the Founders.”

The American Physiological Society and the Organizing Committee gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided through generous educational grants from NASA, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, NIAMSD, Gatorade Sports Sciences Institute, and Pfizer. The American Physiological Society also wishes to thank the co-sponsors, the American College of Sports Medicine and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology for their support of this meeting.

Table 1. Registration Statistics
Registrant Type	Number of Attendees (%)
APS Member Nonmember Postdoctoral Student Invited Speaker Sponsoring Societies Total	141 (23%) 65 (11%) 72 (12%) 210 (35%) 68 (11%) 50 (8%) 606

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