See Us in Seattle!

Scoliosis Research Society’s 58th Annual Meeting Approaches

The Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) Annual Meeting is quickly approaching, set for September 6-9 in Seattle, WA. Faculty-led instructional course lectures, case discussions and abstract papers will be presented on an array of topics, including adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, growing spine, kyphosis, adult deformity, minimally invasive surgery, machine learning, and mental health considerations.

Dr. Amy L. McIntosh, Pediatric Spine Deformity Surgeon with Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas, Texas, is this year’s Scientific Program Committee co-chair. With the Annual Meeting held in-person once again this year, she says she’s most looking forward to the renewed possibilities for networking and collaboration.

“In-person meetings are just so much more rich in the ability to interact and communicate with your friends and colleagues,” she explains. “We love to sit and talk with one another about the minutiae of spine care, and doing that on a Zoom call was just not as engaging or rewarding.”

Dr. McIntosh says she also looks forward to an influx of esteemed colleagues from Asia, where spine research continues to evolve and whose work is changing the landscape of scoliosis research.

“It's always amazing to learn more about what they're working on,” she says. “It’s awesome to have an open mindset in regard to how the same condition can be treated differently around the world. A theme of this meeting is globalization, and we're trying to have a very global perspective.”

During the meeting, attendees will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the latest scientific research, methods, and techniques in spinal deformity. The four-day event will include a pre-meeting course, scientific program, half-day courses, lunchtime symposia, case-based discussions, industry workshops, and E-point presentations.

Adding to the prestige of the meeting, all abstracts chosen for presentation at the podium have met the highest levels of academic rigor, explains Dr. McIntosh. The abstracts were graded and assessed through a multi-tier system involving well-respected leaders in the field, to ensure attendees enjoy an academically stimulating experience.

“When you get a podium at SRS, it is a privilege to be able to present your data because everyone knows this is as high as it gets in regard to spine research,” she adds. “There are 1100 abstracts submitted but only the best-of-the-best accepted.”

Held at Seattle’s beautiful Hyatt Regency, the Annual Meeting is open to anyone involved in the treatment of spinal deformities including surgeons, residents and fellows, physician assistants, nurses, nonoperative practitioners, and other allied health professionals and researchers.

If you haven’t registered yet, you’re encouraged to do so soon. The world-class accommodations, dining and recreation at your doorstep, as well as the nighttime camaraderie and planned networking events, make this a can’t-miss event.

“If you're going to take time away from your practice, and you're going to invest in one meeting, this is the meeting to invest in,” says Dr. McIntosh. “You’re going to be seeing the best of the best in regard to the research that’s crucial to your practice. And you'll get to collaborate with amazing people from all over the world.

?“We went into the field because we want to help our patients lead better lives,” she adds. “And if you can go to one meeting a year and bring home an “aha” moment, to help you help your patients, then that’s the reason to go.”

For more information about registering for this year’s event, visit srs.org/am23.