https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.124.38

By Professor Sue Deuchars, University of Leeds, UK. Outgoing Chair of Conference Committee

I am very sad to be coming to the end of my tenure as Chair of The Society’s Conferences Committee since it has been an incredibly enriching and positive experience.

The work of the committee would not be possible without the efforts and support of the amazing staff at The Society, particularly within the events team but also across the whole of the Society team.

Without their hard work, there would be no events or indeed any activities. It has been such a pleasure to work alongside such a dedicated and insightful group of physiologists on the committee itself and with all the Theme Leads who give so much of their time to ensure that the conferences are relevant to our scientific community, thought-provoking and packed full of physiology. We have covered so much, from extreme physiology, through elite performance to COVID-19, considering exciting new technologies and breaking, new concepts.

Their enthusiasm and teamwork are behind all of our activities. The last 18 months have certainly been eventful and as we make plans to return to in-person conferences for this year and beyond, I am pleased to introduce Dr Catherine Hall (University of Sussex, UK) as The Society’s incoming Chair of Conferences Committee.

Dr Hall says, “I’m so excited to be starting this role. Professor Deuchars has shown what a fantastic range of conferences and meetings it’s possible to stage even during such challenging times of a global pandemic, and I think it’ll be so interesting and important to take forward the positive things we’ve learnt about staging events online, while also getting back some of the really vital experiences that only come from meeting people in person.”

The Society’s Conferences Committee has been discussing what the framework for Society conferences and meetings looks like as we can meet face to face again. There have certainly been huge positive outcomes in offering meetings, webinars and symposia online. They bring together a more international audience and can also be convenient and time efficient.

The Annual Conference attracted people from 45 countries. Smaller, more focused conferences, such as Future Physiology had an audience from 36 different countries.

It’s important that we include online and hybrid meetings in our conference calendar going forward to add balance to the in- person programme. We would welcome your comments through the events team at The Society so do please get in touch at events@physoc.org.

Looking at the programme we have coming up, it’s diverse and demonstrates the breadth of physiology.

Building on the success of the conference that was held jointly in 2020 with the Intensive Care Society (COVID-19: Lessons Learned from the Frontline), we are planning a conference looking at long COVID. Long COVID: Mechanisms, Risk Factors, and Recovery will be online only and bring together physiologists and clinicians to explore the long-term effects of COVID and its physiology and pathophysiology. This is planned for February 2022.

Biomedical Basis of Elite Performance will be from 12–13 April in Nottingham. This is once again organised by Paul Greenhaff (University of Nottingham, UK) and colleagues, as it was in 2012 and 2016. This two-day meeting will look at key topics in elite performance.

Processing and Modulation of Sensory Signals: From the Periphery to the Cortex will be from 20–21 June in London at the Royal College of Physicians. This meeting, organised by Jamie Johnston (University of Leeds, UK), Jennifer Linden (University College London, UK) and Sue Deuchars (University of Leeds, UK) is designed to help foster new connections and cross-pollinate ideas between researchers studying sensory systems in different modalities and at different levels from peripheral transduction to cortical integration.

Europhysiology 2022 will be from 16–18 September in Copenhagen at the Tivoli Convention Center. There will also be pre-symposia on 15 September from Special Interest Groups. This is an important conference enabling you to connect with physiologists working in Europe. It will also host a number of Society Prize Lectures, including the Annual Review Prize Lecture to be delivered by Gero Miesenboeck.

Future Physiology will be in December 2022. This will remain free for Undergraduates, Masters, Affiliates and Postgraduate members.

There will also be in-person-only one-day meetings called Environmental Impacts on Pregnancy and Offspring Outcomes: Lessons Learned and Avenues for Intervention and Variability, Physiological Variability and Individual Responses: A Practical Research Workshop. Both of these are in September of next year.

We will also be organising some online meetings and webinars, so if you have an idea for a half- or one-day meeting, or a short webinar, and want to reach a large international audience, please email events@ physoc.org.

We are in another new phase where Society conferences and meetings can offer members the face-to-face serendipitous coffee chats that we have so missed these past 18 months, but also preserve the new and exciting technologies, and online experiences, that have allowed us to connect with wider international audiences. We look forward to meeting with you all soon – either over that coffee or through the wonders of online networking!