Ken O’Halloran
Meetings Secretary, The Physiological Society

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.106.16

I received correspondence from a Member recently, enquiring if The Society (and by extension the Meetings Committee, I suppose) had gone bonkers in its approach to the organisation and hosting of scientific meetings. Always open-minded to considered critique and deliberate diagnosis, I mused on the idea, for perhaps there is merit in it. Moreover, if we are ‘barking’ it would require someone, not-so-mad, to politely point it out.

The centrepiece of the criticism is concern with the structure, style and settings of our meetings portfolio. In short, everything is wrong: The Society has lost the plot! Two years into my tenure as Meetings Secretary, high time for a therapeutic trot down memory lane, to ponder recent history and perhaps find factors driving this apparent manic malaise. Indeed, analysis reveals that The Society’s Meetings Committee has for some time now, effected change of unprecedented measure in style and substance of our scientific meetings.

What are the features of this frenzied folly? The Society’s calendar of scientific events now offers first-class meetings in portions suited to all tastes and appetites – small, medium and large. The now firmly established H³ meetings provide for focussed one-day themed gatherings arising from open calls for ideas proffered by members, or occasional solicited events originating from the Meetings Committee, with counsel from The Society’s theme leads who ably represent their constituents. Typically hosted at The Society’s headquarters in London, there have and will continue to be H³ meetings outside of London too. Topic meetings, a legacy from David Wyllie’s stint as Secretary, have delivered on the lofty ambition set by The Society to better engage in cross-disciplinary topical issues of wide societal interest. These 2- to 3-day meetings for up to 200 retain intimacy but open new doors and opportunities for physiology in the life sciences and medicine. At least one each year aligns with The Society’s annual theme providing a fulcrum to year-long exciting initiatives driven by Society staff and members engaged in education and outreach activities, bringing physiology to the masses. The move to the annual bonanza, feast of physiology, that is the main meeting of The Society, can be traced back to Prem Kumar’s insightful innovation, recognising the cross-themed development of our discipline, understanding that we are much more than the mere sum of our parts. The annual meeting showcases the discipline in the round, providing ample attendant opportunity for members to engage, beyond symposia and prize lectures, in career-focussed workshops that seek to support members and guests whatever their stage. The yearly gala has become a hub for a broad range of activities centred on The Society’s charitable objects, including the AGM with record attendance noted at the Dublin meeting.

Thus it is evident the desire for change took hold of The Society’s senses some time ago. What’s more, it is pervasive. The current Committee, with yours truly in the Chair, have demonstrably been keen to revel in revolution. Building on the predilections of our predecessors, we have established new partnerships and alliances endeavouring to place physiology front and centre at home and on the international stage. In the light of a full moon, we determined that topic meetings afforded opportunity to develop cross-disciplinary events of public interest with opportunity too for The Society to seek new venues, the crazed circus thus far visiting Newcastle, Nottingham and Warwick, with plans for Leeds, Exeter and Portsmouth in the offing complemented by visits to old haunts of Edinburgh and Birmingham. Our blossoming relationship with the American Physiological Society culminated in the wild successes of Physiology 2016 in Dublin, where we really lost the run of ourselves, celebrating novices to Nobel laureates, broadcasting our advances to the world. However, the exemplar of our chaotic collaborative efforts internationally is the symbolic show of support for the Brazilian Physiological Society and International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS), ahead of the Congress later this year. One wonders what physiologists from around the globe will make of The Society’s midsummer madness? Imagine: The Society’s President, David Eisner, will deliver the annual lecture of The Society in Rio de Janeiro, the beating heart of Brazil, emblematic of our common mission with IUPS for the advancement of the physiological sciences, and their central tenet of physiology without borders. Future plans extend to adventure with the Scandanavian Physiological Society, Deutsche Physiologische Gesellschaft and the Federation of European Physiological Sciences with the introduction of the Europhysiology series (2018-2022). Further folly can be found in friendships forged with the British Neuroscience Association (Festival of Neuroscience 2017), and soon it is hoped with the Biochemical Society and British Pharmacological Society on one or more initiatives. All of this in addition to continued support for physiology in Africa, China and South-East Asia. These promising plays appear to be drawing more members than ever before, a risk that this silliness might yet be further perpetuated. It beggars belief!

Of course, all lingering criticisms carry some inconvenient truths echoing our own ideals. To be fair, my learned colleague’s principal gripe in correspondence to me was well-intentioned concern at the apparent erosion of a revered cornerstone of PhySoc meetings – oral communications of the classic 10+5 minute style. The value of that time-honoured tradition has not escaped our fragile faculties. Indeed, our ambition to better celebrate and promote early career members by way of a topic meeting towards the tail of 2017 will see an abundance of this favoured format, a platform for the future of physiology with an eye on the past. It is recognised too that this platform for all members ought to be a visible mainstay and centrepiece of all Society events, whatever their mad ambition!