Thank you for joining us for a great week of sessions, discussing cases from around the world, and reconnecting with friends and colleagues.
The program kicked off on Thursday, April 14th with the “Update on Diagnostic Advances in Primary Immunodeficiencies” Pre-Conference. Over 260 were registered for the pre-conference, led by organizers Roshini Abraham, PhD and Troy Torgerson, MD, PhD. Several of the sessions on Thursday were interactive, including audience polling participation – a first for CIS - panel discussions, and question and answer sessions. There were a total of 15 speakers and 4 oral abstracts during the pre-conference.
Thursday sessions concluded in the evening, leading into the Welcome Reception and the official start of the 2016 Annual Meeting. Following the welcome from 2015-2016 CIS President, Luigi Notarangelo, MD, invited speaker Alain Fischer, MD, PhD gave the Robert A. Good Lecture entitled, “Immune Response Genes and Human Diseases.”
Following the Thursday night lecture, attendees gathered in the exhibit hall for the opening reception. During the opening reception, attendees were able to network with each other and representatives from different industries. The CIS meeting brought in close to 20 different sponsors and exhibitors that each contributed to the success of the meeting.
Friday morning began with a plenary session, followed by the first of two Guided Poster sessions, in which those with top abstracts present in an e-format to a small group of attendees. The “Tales from the Listserve” took place Friday mid-afternoon, which is an interactive session where attendees are able to weigh in on cases originally discussed over the Listserve. Presenters, Joshua D. Milner, MD and Juan Carlos Aldave, MD were able to incite lively discussion and provide updates to their cases previously presented on the CIS-PIDD Listserv.
During the week, posters prepared by attendees were displayed for viewing. The CIS meeting saw an increase in poster presentations – almost double from 2015 - with 190 accepted abstracts. Overall attendees heard 37 different speakers, and 12 oral abstracts.
The CIS Fahey/Rose Founders Lecture also occurred on Friday evening, presented by Steven Holland, MD, who spoke of emerging infectious diseases. Following Dr. Holland’s lecture was the Friday night Dinner Symposium, sponsored by Baxalta. Mark Ballow, MD, FAAAAI, Nicholas Rider, MD, Jennifer Puck, MD and Juliana Mazzucchelli, MD spoke during this dinner in a session entitled “Measuring Quality, Patient-Centered Outcomes and Special Populations in Primary Immunodeficiencies.”
After Friday’s sessions, the Early Career Immunologist (ECI) Committee gathered together over drinks in the Tamo Loft Room in the Seaport Hotel to talk about their careers, CIS, and network with new and old colleagues. The ECI Committee is dedicated to bringing more events like this into the Society, and creating a forum for members in the early stages of their career.
Saturday presented different topics of discussion, beginning with the plenary session “HCT in PID- Old & New Indications.” The CIS Annual Business Meeting also took place in the morning where exciting changes within the Society took place. Guided posters and alternative plenary sessions occurred throughout the day, concluding with the Richard Schiff Lecture. Raif Geha, MD from the Children’s Hospital Boston, spoke about, “An Approach to Novel Immune Deficiencies.” After Dr. Geha’s lecture, attendees participated in the CIS Closing Reception.
Sunday held a brief schedule with two separate plenary sessions entitled “Hot New Defects!” and “Hot New Treatments!”
The Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, MA was a great host to the 2016 CIS Annual Meeting. The CIS leadership is looking forward to another successful program at the 2017 Annual Meeting in Seattle Washington. Stay tuned for more details!
2016 Annual Meeting Program Committee
Co-Chairs:
Luigi D. Notarangelo, MD - Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD - Baylor College of Medicine
Committee:
Roshini Sarah Abraham, PhD - Mayo Clinic
Steven M. Holland, MD - NIAID, NIH
Donald B. Kohn, MD - University of California, Los Angeles
Kathleen E. Sullivan, MD, PhD - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
View 2016 Annual Meeting Program View 2016 Virtual Meeting
View 2016 Pre-Conference Program View 2016 Pre-Conference Virtual Meeting