29th Annual Meeting Summary
Ananda B. Amstadter, PhD, and Nicole R. Nugent, PhD
November 26, 2013
Photo: Annual Meeting co-chairs Ananda Amstadter (left) and Nicole Nugent (right) with then-president Karestan Koenen (center).
Thank you to everyone who participated in the ISTSS 29th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. More than 1,300 attendees contributed to making it the largest traumatic stress studies conference in the world.
Keynote speaker and author Amanda Lindhout received a standing ovation for her inspirational story about resilience in the face of extreme tragedy. Dr. Steven Southwick, MD chaired a panel of some of the most influential researchers in the field, Drs. Rachel Yehuda, PhD, George Bonanno, PhD, Ann Masten, PhD, and Catherine Panter-Brick, DPhil, who generated exciting discussion about the ways that we define, understand, study and promote resilience. Amanda's examples, and the ideas generated by the panelists, were referenced numerous times throughout the meeting.
The closing plenary session delivered by Dr. Dennis Charney, PhD, was an excellent conclusion to the scientific plenaries, as he used real-world examples to illustrate his research on the neurobiology of resilience. The remainder of the program was comprised of inspiring symposia, panel discussions, paper sessions and poster presentations given by attendees. These excellent presentations underscore the depth and breadth of the ISTSS membership.
Friends and colleagues had opportunities to catch up with each other and forge new relationships with other members while enjoying the lunchtime movies and Etty, the one woman play. And our growing student and young professional community had the invaluable opportunity to come together and learn from some of the most highly respected experts in the trauma field.
If you were unable to attend this year’s conference, we missed you and hope you will mark your calendar for November 6 – 8, 2014 for the ISTSS 30th Annual Meeting in Miami! Abstract submissions open February 4, 2014.
Find new titles from our keynote and plenary speakers in the ISTSS Amazon store: