SER President’s Message
Happy September, SER!
I want to begin by thanking you all for entrusting me to lead this amazing organization. SER has been an important part of my professional life, and it is truly the honor of my life to serve as your President. I look forward to the work ahead.
A big shout out to our Texas members for welcoming us all to Austin last June. And what an impressive meeting it was! Over 1,300 attendees participated in over 20 workshops, 24 symposia, and numerous oral abstract sessions, lunchtime discussions, and professional development sessions. In true SER fashion, there was something for everyone.
As SER President and a native Bostonian, it will be my pleasure to welcome SER back to my hometown. The 2025 meeting will be the “reschedule” of the Boston 2020 meeting up-ended by the pandemic, and will be the fourth convening in Boston (previous meetings were held in 1996, 2007 and 2013). For those who’ve never been, Boston holds a unique place in U.S. history. Known as the “birthplace of the American Revolution”, Boston is home to the country’s oldest school (Boston Latin School, est. 1635); the oldest health department (once led by a local guy named Paul Revere); the first medical school for women (est. 1848); the first municipal hospital (est. 1877); the oldest publicly-financed subway system (est. 1897 and too often runs like it); and Fenway Park (let’s go, Red Sox!) the oldest major league baseball venue (est. 1912). The greater-Boston area is also home to over 20 hospitals, 20 community health centers, and 36 colleges and universities. What can I say? I love my city, and I hope you will too! Please plan some time to explore when you’re here.
In the meantime, the planning for the June meeting is officially under way and there is much to do over the next 10 months. Submissions for symposia, workshops, breakfast and lunchtime sessions are open until September 20th, and abstract submissions will open on November 18th. Let’s “light up” the 2025 meeting by sharing your expertise, ideas and research.
As we turn our attention to 2025, there are a few important updates to share. First, we are pleased to officially welcome the Mexico Chapter to the SER family. The establishment of this Chapter is the culmination of many years of participation and collaboration in SER meetings and programming by our growing membership from Mexico. We are grateful for their many contributions to SER over the years, and look forward to the expansion of SER into Mexico and beyond.
Save the date! The SER Mid-year meeting will be held February 10-14, 2025. Unlike previous years, this year’s meeting will be entirely virtual featuring a keynote address, symposia, poster sessions, and networking events. Most importantly, registration is free for SER members! Abstract submissions for the mid-year meeting will open on September 23rd and close on November 15, 2024.
The 2025 Annual meeting will see the return of the SERvisits program. Funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, SERvisits supports SER researchers to visit a diverse range of institutions, engaging with their faculty and students. In turn, these institutions select epidemiologists-in-training from under-represented backgrounds to attend the annual meeting. The 2023 meeting hosted nearly 60 students from across five institutions. Join me in extending a big “Thank You” to former SER President Jen Ahern and Director Sue Bevan for securing the resources to continue this important program. I encourage you to learn more about SERvisits and consider getting involved!
I appreciate all that you do to make SER the great organization that it is, and look forward to working with you all in the months ahead. My door (i.e., inbox) is always open. Feel free to reach out to me (yvettec@bu.edu) or Sue Bevan (sbevan@epiresearch.org) with any questions or suggestions.
SER 2025 is going to be lit!
Yvette Cozier
President, Society for Epidemiologic Research