Get Ready for Neuroscience 2017

Year after year, tens of thousands of neuroscientists attend SfN’s annual meeting to discover emerging science, learn from renowned experts, establish connections, and develop their careers. This year, nearly 30,000 neuroscientists, clinicians, and advocates are expected to convene for Neuroscience 2017 from November 11-15 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.

“It’s my favorite conference I’ve been to so far, particularly because of the wide range of options, and all of the symposia and posters that you get to see,” Evan Lutton, an MD/PhD student from Temple University, said during last year’s annual meeting. “I’ve loved being able to explore neuroscience from both a translational and clinical perspective, as well as seeing the work that’s going on at the bench and in basic science. I highly recommend SfN’s annual meeting to anybody interested in neuroscience — both students and professionals alike — and I can’t wait to come back.”

At the meeting, attendees can take in the breadth of the field by viewing thousands of poster presentations and participating in lectures and workshops. Networking opportunities also abound, enabling neuroscientists to partner with and learn from peers from around the world.

“Neuroscience 2017 is shaping up to be another incredible event full of dynamic sessions,” said SfN Program Committee Chair Diana Bautista, an associate professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of California at Berkeley. “This year’s annual meeting will continue in the tradition of providing numerous exciting opportunities for scientists to connect, learn, and experience amazing science.”

Visit the annual meeting page to stay up to date on the latest developments and to sign up for Neuroscience 2017 e-Alerts.

Learning about the career paths of veteran scientists can give researchers — especially early-career scientists — valuable insight into methods of building a foundation for a strong professional journey.

At Neuroscience 2017, a new panel session will focus on this concept of personal storytelling, with speakers relaying inspiring anecdotes about their nontraditional career paths. The goal is to help attendees gain insight into career development paths they may not have known about and draw parallels to their own journeys. The creation of this panel stems from the positive response to similar storytelling at last’s year Cognitive Neuroscience Social that showed neuroscientists have a strong interest in hearing the personal narratives of their peers.

SfN President Eric Nestler developed this year’s Presidential Special Lecture series around the theme of expanding the boundaries of neuroscience.

“While all of the participating speakers study molecules, cells, or circuits in the nervous system, their work takes advantage of exciting discoveries in other disciplines to reveal new insights into brain function in health and disease,” Nestler said. 

This year’s Presidential Special Lecture speakers: 

• Jeffrey I. Gordon is the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Gordon is a gastroenterologist who is characterizing the influence of the gut microbiome on organ function, including its control of the brain and behavior. His research lab focuses on addressing the global health challenges of obesity and childhood undernutrition through new comprehension of the interactions between diets and the gut microbiome.

• Erich D. Jarvis is a professor and head of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language at The Rockefeller University and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Jarvis’ research currently focuses on identifying the evolutionary factors that permitted birds and humans to learn a range of vocalizations. Jarvis uses studies of birdsong to provide insight into evolution and the property of vocal communication.

• Pamela Sklar is chief of the Division of Psychiatric Genomics and professor of psychiatry, neuroscience, and genetic and genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Sklar brings human genetics and heredity to the study of severe mental illness. Her research focuses on schizophrenia and generating multiple data types (DNA and RNA sequencing, genotyping, histone modifications) across brain regions.

• Xiaowei Zhuang is the David B. Arnold Jr. professor of science, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology, and professor of physics at Harvard University. She is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Zhuang develops novel imaging tools to study the molecular constituents of nerve cells. Her research is aimed at developing imaging methods to understand molecular interaction in cells and applying them to problems of biomedical interest lab.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and physician Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee will give this year’s Dialogues Lecture, an annual event that explores the ways in which neuroscience intersects with the world around us. Mukherjee, an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and staff physician at Columbia University Medical Center, wrote the book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, which was awarded the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The book discusses Mukherjee's work as a hematology/oncology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, combining details about his experience with a discussion of the history of cancer treatment and research. Mukherjee’s recent book, The Gene: An Intimate History, focuses on genetic predisposition to mental illness, weaving together personal narrative, science, and social history.

After the success of Neuroscience 2016’s inaugural Basic-Translational-Clinical Roundtables, the sessions will continue this year with three panels on the following topics: 

• Advances and Challenges in Deep Brain Stimulation

• Biomarkers and Neuroimaging to Effect Treatment Efficacy: Functional Connectivity and Other Aspects of Imaging

• Hearing Loss, Brain Function, and Healthy Aging 

Designed for clinician-scientists at all levels, as well as students in MD and PhD programs involved in disease-oriented research, each roundtable features four speakers who will introduce their science and then hold a panel discussion. SfN’s Program Committee strives to choose topics that will encourage debate, and the event is structured such that attendees will hear a variety of different perspectives on the topic.   

These presentations are just a sampling of the many lectures, events, and workshops planned for this year’s annual meeting. The SfN annual meeting remains one of the best values in science, with deep discounts for members and opportunities to save on room expenses through the online roommate matching forum and other assistance.

Members who renewed membership by January 31 are eligible to register and secure housing one full day before the opening of standard advance member registration. Sign up for annual meeting e-Alerts to get updates about registration and housing for Neuroscience 2017. See you in Washington, DC!