My first #shockcon
In today’s blog post, our current Treasurer and 2023 President elect Dr. Melanie Scott shares some reflections on her first #shockcon – and to tells us what she’s looking forward to most at #shockcon 2022.
Tell us a little about yourself:
MS: I am currently Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. I am also currently Treasurer of the Shock Society and have been a member since I was a research fellow. My research interests include innate immune pathways and cell death pathways in trauma/hemorrhagic shock, with a focus on effects of inflammatory caspases and inflammasome.
Tell us about your first #shockcon:
MS: The first Shock conference I attended was held at Marco Island in Florida. I was a research fellow in Dr. Bill Cheadle’s lab and had done less than a year of research, so it was really exciting to go to this meeting and meet many researchers working on sepsis and trauma. I had a poster presentation and I was really impressed at how well attended the poster sessions were at shock and how many questions I got from both junior and senior people at the meeting. This was one of the first places that I really felt like my research mattered and was making an impact in the field. Presenting at Shock and getting lots of feedback from other members was inspiring and helped me be even more motivated to pursue a research career. My prevailing memory of the meeting (apart from the beautiful beach location!) was the friendships I forged, many of which are still continuing. This makes it all the more fun to go back year after year and visit with all those friends.
What does the Shock society mean to you?
MS: The Shock Society has been a major force behind my research career. I found like-minded colleagues and friends in the society, which is a perfect mix of basic research and translational/clinical science. I was able to get lots of good advice from mentors I found in the society and this has been one of the most important effects of being a Shock member. I’m delighted to be able to now be providing advice to more junior members and to keep the legacy going! I always come away from the annual meeting enthusiastic about future projects, with a list of potential collaborators to contact, and with new ideas spawned from late-night discussions. I highly recommend joining the community of Shock members as I am positive that you will gain more than you give!
What are you looking forward to most about this years’ meeting in Toronto?
MS: I am really looking forward to seeing my old friends in person at this year’s meeting in Toronto, and making some new friends now that we can finally see each other face-to-face. The program put together by Dr. Jenny Kaplan and the program committee is truly outstanding and has lots of events for trainees and junior faculty, as well as incredible science being showcased that will be of great interest to more seasoned Shock members like me! The location looks fantastic, and on a personal note I’m also looking forward to visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame on our afternoon off!