What are your biggest goals for the SIR 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting?
Baljendra Kapoor, MD, FSIR
Baljendra Kapoor, MD, FSIR: Since SIR 2022 was held in June, we had 3 months fewer than usual to plan, so my number-one goal was to create the comprehensive and inclusive program the community has come to expect despite the short amount. And I believe we’ve been able to do that, because of the amazing individuals I work with on the Annual Meeting Committee (AMC) and beyond. I’m excited about the progress thus far and very much look forward to delivering an outstanding program.
Another major goal for this year was to involve our Clinical Specialty Councils (CSCs) in the program development, to get more brains involved in the creation of the program. They have been phenomenal partners and have been outstanding in creating and reviewing the entire program.
How does the rotations as scientific chair and workshop chair prepare you to become the overall meeting chair?
BK: I think there are several components. One is learning from those who were part of the AMC ahead of me. The earlier roles also help you understand how those elements of the meeting come together—that is, the work on developing and ensuring strong delivery of the scientific program, and then learning the following year about how the workshops are provided. By the time I became overall chair for the meeting, I was better positioned to help guide my outstanding colleagues who are now the special programs chair, scientific program chair and workshop chair. Not that they need help, but I’m happy to be there for them.
You’ve said that multidisciplinary approaches involving other clinical disciplines are highly Important to you. Does the program reflect that belief?
BK: To a good extent, yes. As we reviewed and planned the sessions, we deliberately added more representatives from different disciplines. The collaboration with the CSCs certainly helped ensure we had a strong mix of different disciplines within IR. Going forward, I see that relationship getting stronger and becoming ever more important for the creation of the annual meeting—it’s just so integral to ensuring balanced programming across the different areas of the IR domain.
What efforts have you made to keep programming relevant to IRs around the world?
BK: In the past, we relied on our international colleagues to submit their proposals for our consideration. This year, we’re starting a new series, “Global Connections,” in which we proactively reach out to them to submit sessions.
The involvement of IRs around the world is so important for exchanging information, ideas and lessons learned. It’s not only a one-sided process—we learn from each other. What treatments are other IRs performing? What are the things we can do better? Because many times, certain rules, regulations allow those outside the United States to develop procedures more quickly than we can. So they come here, and we learn from each other. It’s a very active bilateral process.
What changes are you most excited about for SIR 2023?
BK: I initially started on the AMC as the scientific chair for 2020 in Seattle, and then of course COVID hit. Pivoting to virtual meetings that year and in 2021 was tremendous, and I’m so proud of all we accomplished.
But it’s so wonderful to see everyone coming back together and going in the same direction. Nadine did a fantastic job in Boston, and I’m hoping SIR 2023 will continue the positive trajectory. I so look forward to meeting in person, and seeing all of our collaborators, colleagues, friends and corporate partners. All the networking has tremendous psychological benefit coming out of the past few years. I think meeting in person remains an incredibly important component, along of course with the impactful education and research.
What would you tell members of the IR community who have not yet registered for SIR 2023?
BK: I think it’s going to be a great meeting in Phoenix, which should be beautiful in early March—coming out of the cold of winter to enjoy the Arizona landscape and time with your friends. And there will be so much great research and new products to see from our corporate partners! Really, there’s every reason to attend and so much to look forward to.
