ISSTD News

Special Interest Groups

Research Special Interest Group Update

The Research Special Interest Group (SIG) launched in early 2023 as a place for researchers to interact and collaborate. We welcome all levels of experience, from those established in their fields, to early career investigators, students, non-ISSTD members, and anyone interested in learning more about research. Since the SIG’s inception, we have offered quarterly presentations, both via Zoom and in-person (at the annual conference).

We are grateful to the top-tier presenters who have graciously donated their time and energy to share their important work with attendees. Over the past year, we have welcomed Breanne Kearney, Ben Israel, Lauren Lebois, and Negar Fani (thanks to our moderator, Sherain Harricharan, for convincing Negar to present). Presentations have become increasingly popular, with up to 51 attendees at a recent event. Not only are these presentations valuable in keeping ISSTD members up to date on cutting edge research, but by offering a discount code during the presentations, we have observed their effectiveness at converting a number of attendees into first-time ISSTD members. 

As the SIG continues to draw increased interest, we feel excited to host an event that we have discussed since our first executive committee meeting. On Friday, December 6, from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM US Eastern Time, we will have our first student and early career researcher brainstorming session, where newly-developed ideas will be briefly presented to established researchers for feedback and encouragement. To receive zoom information for the event, please email SIG chair, Jon Cleveland, at jcleveland@mycordell.com.

If you or a colleague are interested in presenting at this unique event, please message SIG chair, Jon Cleveland, at jcleveland@mycordell.com, with a short description of your research and brief bio. We are also hoping to identify 3-5 established researchers willing to attend and discuss ideas with these student/early career presenters. If you are interested in volunteering, we would love to hear from you!

To join the research SIG: please send an e-mail to our secretary, Juliann Purcell at jpurcell1@mclean.harvard.edu She will reply with a brief form for you to complete.