Attendees enjoyed good conversation, shared new scientific ideas, met old friends and made new friends, and enjoyed a lively poster session, now serving wine after an absence the last few years! 

The Junior Investigator program continues to be very popular with over 98 junior investigators paired with an SOBP member mentor along with programming and events developed specifically for junior investigators. 

Vanessa Palzes, Staff Research Associate 

Brain Imaging & EEG Lab, San Francisco VA Medical Center

As SOBP was the first scientific conference I have attended, I was overwhelmed by the abundance of topics and depth of research that the symposia and oral sessions had to offer. The theme of the conference was "Neuroplasticity and the Changing Brain," so many of the sessions focused on different types of neuroplasticity, from sleep-related to cognitive training. There was so much to choose from. Although I did not attend a symposium or oral session in its entirety, I particularly enjoyed hopping around to different rooms for different talks, trying to see and learn as much as I could in such a condensed meeting.

 

  I found myself fortunate enough to present a poster at the 2013 SOBP meeting in San Francisco. Red or white elixirs in hand, a lively and eclectic population of psychiatry researchers and practitioners strolled around a room of over 200 posters and observed, interrogated and absorbed the veritable cornucopia of knowledge. Much to my surprise (and liking), while explaining my poster to curious passers-by, I was sometimes addressed as "Doctor" or asked about my supposed postdoc, despite having no claim to the titles. However, no one even flinched when I admitted to being a lowly research assistant. While this was all great for my ego, of course, I mention this simply to recognize the diversity of vocation and experience among the SOBP conference attendees, and that in the end, what really matters to researchers is the science itself - not who or where it comes from. Thank you, SOBP, and see you next year.

 

29 domestic and 6 international Travel Fellowship Awards
Laurie Flynn received the Humanitarian Award
Eric Nestler received the Gold Medal Award
Daniel Pine received the George N. Thompson Award
Omri Weisman received the Ziskind-Somerfeld Research Award
Catherine Harmer & Timothy Bredy received the A. E. Bennett Research Award
John Gray received the Top Poster Award for basic research
Qiang Zhou received the Top Poster Award for clinical/translational research  

 

Obviously, the annual meeting continues to generate enthusiasm among the next generation of scientists. Since each of us, in the end, typically only adds a brick or two to the wall of knowledge that we are trying to build trying to build during our careers, it is critical that we foster those who follow and who can, hopefully, use our work to make truly meaningful advances. Thanks to all of you who attended and watch this newsletter for the next opportunity for us to gather.

 

Best Wishes

Steve

 

Best Wishes

Steve Strakowski, MD
Senior Associate Dean for Research

UC Health Vice President for Research

Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience    

  

Disclaimer:  The opinions expressed in these editorials are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Society of Biological Psychiatry, its officers, or members.