57th Annual Meeting Shatters Attendance Record

More than 3,175 tropical medicine professionals and students descended on New Orleans in November for the ASTMH 57th Annual Meeting, easily setting a new attendance record, and topping the previous mark by nearly 18 percent.

From December 7-11, 2009, the Sheraton New Orleans hosted the premier conference in the tropical medicine and global health field, which included a full slate of scientific and plenary sessions, symposia, award presentations and posters.

The ASTMH community came together like never before in a mission to further our collective understanding of tropical medicine.

The success of this year’s Annual Meeting was due to the tireless enthusiasm and energy of ASTMH members. The Society would like to thank everyone who played a role in developing the meeting, particularly the Scientific Program Committee, chaired by Edward T. Ryan.

Highlights included the opening plenary session and awards ceremony, in which the Society presented its highest honors.


^{A packed house at the opening plenary session}

Two timely and pertinent pre-meeting courses were held Dec. 6-7: “Whole Genome Association Studies: Understanding the Genetic Basis of Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases” and “Malaria Eradication: Calibrating Aspirations, Technology and Commitment.”

A number of special events were held for students, fellows, residents and junior faculty, including a Student Reception, which provided an opportunity to interact with Society leaders, and several “Meet the Professors” sessions, which offered career development and mentoring information.

Departing ASTMH President Claire Panosian provided another highlight in a plenary session, with her address, “Mindshare: What the Heck is It? Why do We Need It? How do We Get It?”

The exhibit hall featured robust traffic as registrants learned about the latest cutting-edge products and services in the field. Our exhibitors provided a relaxed, friendly environment conducive to conversation and networking.


                               ^{The ASTMH exhibit hall}
Visit the ASTMH Web site to download the final program or abstract book, or order a CD-ROM of virtually every session from the meeting. Find out what you missed, or take home a reminder of what you learned in New Orleans.

Mark your calendar now for the 58th Annual Meeting, November 18-22, 2009, at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. Plan to attend and help the Society keep its momentum moving forward.

ASTMH thanks the supporters of the 57th Annual Meeting:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Burroughs Wellcome Fund
International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers
Medicines for Malaria Venture
National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Novartis Pharma A.G.
Novartis Vaccines
Pfizer Inc.
sanofi aventis
Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals
sigma-tau SpA
SCYNEXIS, Inc.
Tech Lab, Inc.

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