2018

Stay up-to-date on all SPER-related news!

Don’t forget to renew your SPER membership for 2018!   Benefits include discounted registration rates for the annual meeting; access to the online jobs and fellowships board; participation in the electronic mailing list; subscription to Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology – and more!   If you would like to join SPER (or know a classmate or colleague who does), please complete the membership application on the SPER website [link here].

Nominations are being sought for President (2018-2021), one Member-at-Large (2018-2022), and SPER Student Representative (2018-2019). All terms will begin at the close of the Annual Meeting (June 2018).  Click here for a description of each position.

Members of SPER are encouraged to nominate themselves or a member of SPER to run for these positions.  Please help our Society achieve continued success through this opportunity for professional service.

Nominations are due by March 1, 2018 and should be sent to Sunni Mumford at mumfords@mail.nih.gov or can be submitted online through the SPER website.

Electronic voting will take place in April 2018.

Explore the SPER jobs & fellowships bank!   It currently has 5 listings, which include advertisements for postdoctoral fellowships and professorships.  This bank often includes postings for local, state, and federal positions as well as training opportunities.  Check back regularly for timely access to these postings!

If you are looking to hire an epidemiologist with expertise in perinatal and/or pediatric health and would like to advertise your position on the SPER website, please submit your information here.

We are looking for volunteers to serve as judges during each of the poster sessions. Judges are typically asked to visit 4-5 posters. If you are able to help, please contact Sunni Mumford at mumfords@mail.nih.gov. Thank you!

Student Prize Paper Award – Nominations due Friday, March 5, 2018

SPER requests manuscript submissions for consideration for the annual Student Prize Paper Award. This competition is open to graduate and medical students, postdoctoral fellows, medical residents, research trainees, and clinical fellows interested in reproductive, perinatal, and pediatric epidemiology. The winner of the award will present the selected paper at the SPER Annual Meeting. An award of $500 plus expenses for travel, two days lodging, and SPER Annual Meeting registration will be given to the author of the selected paper.

Click Here for information on eligibility, how to submit applications, and how the applications will be evaluated.

Heinz Berendes International Travel Award – Nominations due Wednesday, February 28 (DEADLINE EXTENDED)

SPER invites manuscript submissions for the Heinz Berendes International Travel Award. The winner will present the selected paper as a podium presentation at the SPER Annual Meeting.  The winner will also receive an award of $250 plus expenses for travel, 2 days lodging, and SPER Annual Meeting registration.

Click Here for information on eligibility, how to submit applications, and how the applications will be evaluated.

Mentoring Award – Nominations due Friday, March 5, 2018

The SPER Mentoring Award recognizes the importance of dedicated and skilled mentors in the development of reproductive, pediatric, and perinatal epidemiologists at all levels. The nominees will be evaluated based on proficiency in mentoring skills, dedication to mentoring, and attention to advisee development technically, professionally, and personally in the field. Nominees should demonstrate effective people skills, motivate and inspire their mentees to excel, and should serve as a role model, teaching and demonstrating high standards of performance and integrity. A $500 prize is awarded.

Click Here for information on eligibility, how to submit applications, and how the applications will be evaluated.

Rising Star Award – Nominations due Friday, March 5, 2018

This award is to recognize early to mid-career investigators whose achievements and potential set them on a trajectory to become research leaders in the field of reproductive, perinatal, and pediatric epidemiology. Overall research contributors thus far, including publications, presentations, and influence on the field will be considered. An additional important consideration is the candidate’s likely future role, as their career continues to evolve. SPER registration will be covered for the winner and a $500 prize is awarded.

Click Here for information on eligibility, how to submit applications, and how the applications will be evaluated.

Student/Trainee Poster Awards (2018 Annual Meeting)

We are pleased to announce that the 3^nd Annual Student/Trainee Poster Awards will take place the 2018 Annual Meeting.  Anyone who was a student or trainee when he or she completed the presented work is eligible (i.e., undergraduates, graduate or medical students; postdoctoral fellows; medical residents; research trainees; or clinical fellows).  There will be 1 winner and 1 honorable mention per poster session.

As I wish you all a good start to the new year, I am pleased to report that the organization of our Annual Meeting is well underway – now we need your contributions for the final touch. The meeting will take place on June 18-19 in Baltimore, MD, and we expect it to be very exciting.

The events will begin at 2:00 pm on Monday (6/18) with the pre-conference advanced methods workshops. This year, the workshops will feature sessions by Andres Cardenas (Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute) and Sonia Hernandez-Diaz (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). Andres Cardenas will introduce general concepts and methods used in epigenetics for the investigation of fetal programming hypotheses, with a focus on high dimensional DNA methylation data analyses.  Sonia Hernandez-Diaz will discuss how to reduce misreporting of results through the inappropriate use of p-values in our field. She will review basic concepts and common misinterpretations in order to improve interpretation and communication of results while acknowledging random variability.

• The conference will begin at 5 PM on Monday (6/18). The first session will be a panel discussing the role and impact of modern causal inference methods on our discipline. Three panelists, Dr. Penelope Howards (Emory), Dr. Robert Platt (McGill), and Dr. Jonathan Snowden (OHSU) will present their perspective on this topic, followed by a plenary discussion, which I expect will be lively.
• On Tuesday (6/19), our Keynote Speaker will be Merete Eggesbø (Norwegian Institute of Public Health), who will talk about the gut microbiota in relation to neonatal and child health.
• We will have one of the morning roundtables on career advice for trainees and early investigators.
• This year, the winner of the Heinz-Berendes award will give an oral presentation. This is part of our effort to increase our commitment to our colleagues outside North America.
• The meeting will end with our business meeting, from 5:30 to 6:30.
• As a now established tradition, we will present two awards for the best posters presented by trainees (see below).

The Executive Committee, together with Sue Bevan, is working to improve our web presence.  The website will soon feature a new look and have a link for easy access to the online edition of Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology for members. We also plan to video record selected parts of the meeting and make them available online to SPER members.

We are about to poll our membership to gauge their interest in a new initiative that will strengthen SPER’s long-standing commitment to the next generation of researchers. We plan to launch a program of remote mentoring, which will pair mentors and mentees. Please respond to the poll by clicking here to let us know your opinion and whether you would be interested in participating in this program.  We will also send a separate email with this information.

Finally, please let us know if you are interested in becoming more actively engaged in the work of the Society.  We depend on you to continue to grow.  Here are some of the ways in which you can contribute.

• Volunteer to help with the Annual Meeting. We need volunteers to help with judging abstracts and posters, and coordinating one of the morning Round Table discussions. These are all great opportunities to become more involved and get to know colleagues. Email me (olga.basso@mcgill.ca) if you are interested in becoming more involved.
• Nominate a colleague for one of our awards (see below). This is a great opportunity to recognize your colleagues!
• We are also looking to fill three important roles within the society: President-Elect (3-year term), Member-at-Large (4-year term), and Student Representative (1-year term)

I encourage each of you to consider nominating yourself or one of your colleagues for one of these roles.  Engaging with SPER is a rewarding way of shaping the future of our Society and our discipline.

You can also help SPER by pointing out what you think we could do better. All your comments help, and I will reply to all of them (olga.basso@mcgill.ca).

Thank you for your involvement in SPER. I look forward to seeing you in Baltimore this June, as your contribution is crucial to the success of our meeting.

Olga