SER President’s Message
It’s almost here—I can hardly wait! Our mid-year meeting is just around the corner, February 9-13, 2026 (cue the confetti, balloons, and streamers ). We’ll kick things off with an exciting keynote plenary on space epidemiology—not spatial epidemiology, but SPACE epidemiology. To infinity and beyond! (Yes, it’s a real field.) The keynote will feature epidemiologists from NASA who study spaceflight and the health effects of living beyond Earth, followed by a panel discussion. And while Colonel Buzz Lightyear will not be joining us, we will be hearing from a real astronaut. Other interesting mid-year meeting session topics include updates on menopause research, creating cultural epidemiology, meta-scientific reviews, tools that measuring neighborhood disadvantage, omics, cardiovascular health, selection bias and many more. There is also a poster session. So much to see and hear! Don’t miss out on this really great conference. If you haven’t already registered for the conference, you can register here. Registration is free for SER members.
Our annual meeting is less than 6 months away. Join us, June 23-26, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ for another opportunity to see your colleagues, learn new methods, see exciting research, and breathe in the fresh, dry, hot desert air. Nothing says summer like June in Phoenix!
Applications are open for both the Course Development and Revision Workshop and the Student Dissertation Workshop which will be held at the annual meeting in June. These opportunities are available to faculty and students in both traditional and non-traditional epidemiology programs. I encourage you to share this information with anyone who might find these workshops beneficial. The application deadline is February 5, 2026.
Did you miss the SER abstract deadline? Results hot off the press? Not to worry, the SER Late Breaker Abstract deadline is February 13, 2026. Submit your abstracts here today.
Hey you! Yes, you. We still need volunteers for the annual meeting. Please sign up here and lend a helping hand.
Do you like BOGOs or a 2 for the price of 1 deal? Okay, so it’s not exactly a BOGO or a 2 for 1 deal but you do get 2 terrific meetings for the price of 2 meetings but at 1 location and the same airfare! Some of you may not know it but we have a “sister” society that holds its annual meeting at the same site just 1 day before the SER annual meeting: SPER – the Society of Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiological Research. Many SPER attendees stay
over for the SER meeting since there are overlapping areas of interest. SPER would love to have SER members who can attend! The meeting starts late afternoon on Monday June 22nd and ends at 5 pm on Tuesday June 23rd. Registration information is available on their website: www.sper.org.
Maybe you’re like me—a fan of murder mysteries, thrillers, and whodunits. Some of these stories revolve around people, places (especially if you enjoy sci-fi), or things that suddenly vanish… and sometimes reappear. In December 2025 and January 2026, SER members reported a real-life mystery of their own: federal grants that inexplicably disappeared, with some later resurfacing just as mysteriously. Like Area 51, the Bermuda Triangle, or who really shot JFK, the full explanation behind these grant comings and goings may never be known, forever buried in government files. If your grant has mysteriously reappeared—congratulations. And if yours has vanished, we hope it, too, makes a surprise return someday soon.
I look forward to seeing you at the mid-year meeting. In the meantime, stay warm, stay safe and keep doing great work.