Gearing Up for Fellows 2018

As you may know, the 2018 Fellows Symposium in Transplantation will be held September 28-30, 2018, in Grapevine, TX. This meeting provides an exclusive opportunity for fellows to participate in specialized scientific sessions and network with senior faculty in our field. Since this meeting was established over twenty years ago, attendees of the Fellows Symposium have worked up to leadership positions within the AST, including the Board of Directors.

To offer further insights about the meeting, I have invited 2017 Fellows attendee, Ali Ahmadi, to write a guest blog post about her experience.

The meeting will be here before we know it. If you are interested in attending, please register by August 8.

All donations for the 2018 Fellows Symposium help the AST immensely and are greatly appreciated. To contribute to this meeting, visit our Fund a Fellow campaign.  

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Dear Colleagues,

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to register for the Fellows Symposium in Transplantation on September 28-30, 2018, in Grapevine, Texas.

I had the privilege of attending this meeting last year. Initially, I did not know what to expect, but in the end, it turned out to be a great experience for me as a transplant research fellow and probably one of the best conferences I have ever attended.

There are several important reasons why any fellow or trainee who is involved in transplantation from a medical, surgical, or research perspective should consider attending this meeting:

1) This is a very intimate meeting where the most enthusiastic transplant professionals and educators come together to share their knowledge and expertise through an interactive platform. You will have the opportunity to interact with them on a personal level, unlike other big meetings.

2) Experts from different fields will update you about the most recent developments in the transplant world. Transplant tolerance, the role of microbiome in transplantation and many more topics were discussed. By the end of the meeting, you will gain a solid understanding of the different developments within the field.

3) Transplant Immunology can be difficult to understand, especially if your focus is usually on clinical research. I was impressed by the speakers’ ability to break down the material in a way that allows any beginner to understand the core principles. Challenging concepts and techniques, such as flow cytometry, mixed lymphocyte reaction, and Elispot assays were explained in detail.

4) Depending on your interest, you can choose to attend a variety of small breakout sessions where you can deepen your knowledge of particular topics; these sessions can be either clinical or research focused.

5) One of the sessions I really enjoyed was about writing grants and manuscripts. You will get to familiarize yourself with the Do’s and Dont’s of writing grants and manuscripts. This session is especially important and useful for young researchers.

6) This meeting would not be the same without its social program. After the hard work, you will get to relax and interact with faculty in a tennis or soccer match. One of the highlights of this meeting was the Texas-style dinner and dancing. It is a great way to get familiar with Texan culture and network with other fellows and faculty.

If you were unsure about attending this meeting, I hope I have been able to convince you to do so! If you decide to go, I am certain that it will prove to be a valuable experience.

Registration for Fellows 2018 closes on August 8. Register now!

Sincerely,

Ali Ahmadi

Attendee of the 2017 Fellows Symposium in Transplantation