I am excited to see our country opening back up and beginning to enjoy again the many things we took for granted before the coronavirus pandemic. Attending medical education symposiums involves travel and staying in hotels while meeting and socializing with new and old friends and colleagues. All of that changed last year as in-person meetings came to an abrupt halt. The International Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Nurses (ISPAN) Scientific Sessions Planning Committee implemented a novel approach for our ISPAN 2020 Meeting by conducting the meeting virtually. The virtual meeting was a great success and very well "attended" with more than 300 participants!
The ISPAN 2021 Meeting was originally scheduled for early October in Toronto, Canada. As plans for this meeting were nearly completed, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) decided to change the ASPS 2021 Meeting dates from early October to October 28 through October 31 and to change the meeting venue from Toronto, Canada, to Atlanta, GA. The ASPS made this decision because of closings at the United States and Canadian borders and strict and frequent lockdown in Canada. Because the annual ISPAN meetings are traditionally held in conjunction with the ASPS meetings, the ISPAN Board of Directors decided to also change the ISPAN meeting dates and location to coincide with the ASPS Meeting dates and location.
Once the Board decided to move the ISPAN 2021 Meeting to Atlanta, GA, they also decided to make it an "in-person" meeting. This means that there will be workshops and scientific sessions as there has been during past meetings. I am excited about the planned agenda and the amazing speakers lined up for this meeting! The session topics are cutting edge, and we will also address a number of hot topics. If you have not yet registered or reserved your hotel room for the meeting, you might want to put this on your to-do list so you don't miss out. I hope you enjoy the summer and I look forward to seeing you at the in-person ISPAN 2021 Meeting, October 29 through October 31, in Atlanta, GA!
Warmest regards,
Gerrie M. Obi, MSN, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, CPSN, ISPAN-F
ISPAN President-Elect