Conferences and symposia like these can serve a variety of purposes. Students and trainees get the opportunity to showcase their growing inquiries and get immediate feedback from a broad spectrum of colleagues and mentors in poster presentations. Established professionals address large audiences of colleagues, researchers, and other health care providers to shed light on recent discoveries or to give progress updates on long-term efforts. And, of course, all attendees get a chance to connect with associates they may have not seen for a while or form relationships with new ones.
This most recent year was no exception to tradition. This year, however, also saw an addition, serving as a sort of centerpiece to the symposium. A series of presentations on the research and practice of resuscitation, through the lens of a beloved and recently deceased colleague and his particular area of expertise. The Friday morning series on resuscitation in memory of Dr. Richard Kerber was mixed with humor and interesting data. It closed with a few words of thanks from Dr. Kerber’s wife, Linda, and their son, Ross.
As with previous years, the conference was well-attended and well-received. The final presentation from Dr. Theodore Kurtz on hypertension could barely even be considered “standing room only” as that was even in short supply. But what greater evidence that this symposium has room to grow next year. Congratulations to the symposium organizers in the ACRC and the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine on a successful event.