I'm thrilled to share some exciting news from the Society for Pediatric Research regarding the upcoming PAS 2024 Meeting!
As you know, we recently requested feedback from our members regarding their experience at the PAS meeting. We received over 500 responses, including over 1000 written comments, with good representation across rank, research discipline and professional time devoted to research. Although the feedback included diverse perspectives, several common themes emerged. First, although SPR members generally found PAS to be a valuable opportunity for networking and an important venue to discuss topics relevant to academic pediatrics broadly, PAS was not regarded by many of our members as their first or second choice for the presentation of original research. Second, many of our members perceive that the number of PAS scientific sessions including hypothesis-driven, original research have decreased and commented that they would like to see more innovative, rigorous research presented at PAS. Finally, several subspecialties do not consider PAS an academic or scientific home, highlighting the need for more cross-disciplinary sessions that transcend the silos of subspecialty- or disease-based research.
In response to this feedback, I am pleased to introduce a new format of scientific session that will take place during this year’s meeting, called SPR Research Assemblies. These SPR Research Assemblies were designed to be cross-disciplinary and consist of a hybrid model, comprised of four original abstracts selected from highly scored abstracts submitted during the PAS open call, and one invited talk by a leading scientist in a complementary area of research. I am particularly excited about these new sessions, as they symbolize a fresh direction for our SPR sponsored scientific sessions at PAS. By showcasing high-quality, top-rated science, I am confident we can continue to provide an enriching scientific experience for our members at PAS.
To learn more about our exciting new SPR Basic/Translation and Clinical Research Assemblies, kindly refer to the details provided below, and feel free to click on the links for additional information available on the SPR website.
Be sure to keep an eye out for forthcoming updates on PAS 2024, exclusively tailored for our valued SPR members. I am eagerly looking forward to connecting with you at this year’s meeting for what promises to be an engaging and rewarding experience!
#SPRatPAS
#PAS2024
Cristina M. Alvira, MD Society for Pediatric Research President Stanford University School of Medicine
