Call for Symposia & Speaker Suggestions

The SSIB Program Committee invites SSIB members to submit symposia proposals and/or speaker suggestions for our 32nd annual meeting to be held in Oxford, UK on July 28 - August 1, 2025. To be considered for inclusion in the program, proposals should be submitted no later than WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6.

Call for Symposia

Symposia make a major contribution to the overall quality of our Annual Meeting. They serve to inform our membership of recent advances in the fields that contribute to our collective science and they are an important mechanism to recruit new members.

• Symposia suggestions should have a clear theme or goal; the collection of talks should compliment each other. Of particular interest are sessions that bridge basic science and clinical applications or animal models and human subjects research. Topics that were covered at the most recent SSIB meeting will be given lower priority; last year’s symposia can be found here. You can view a list of recent topics and speakers here.
• A symposium suggestion must include 3-4 potential speakers, the topic, a brief description of the focus or theme of what will be discussed, and how the symposium relates to the goals and focus of the SSIB meeting (i.e., the rationale behind the proposal).
• We encourage, but do not require, the inclusion of at least two SSIB member speakers. You can view the membership list by logging into your SSIB account and selecting "Member Directory" under the Member Resources section of the menu.
• NOTE: The Program Committee often modifies or combines symposia suggestions to create a balanced and dynamic meeting (see additional details below). For this reason, you do not need to obtain commitments from potential speakers at this time.
• SSIB membership is encouraged, but not required to submit a proposal. However, the submitter is required to become a member if they are chosen to speak or if their proposal is chosen.

We thank you for taking time to put together your submissions. They give the Program Committee a perspective on what the membership is interested in learning about at the annual meeting, and help us to select outstanding speakers representing the latest and greatest in our field.
To be considered for inclusion in the program, proposals should be submitted no later than WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6.

Program Ballance

The Program Committee is committed to creating a balanced scientific program that is representative of the broad SSIB community. This includes topic, track, gender, and geography, while also staying within our budget (i.e., there are a limited number of non-member speaker invitations that can be made). Accepting proposals “as is” is rare given these considerations, and given that we often receive several outstanding symposia suggestions on similar themes. In practice, this means that a suggested symposium topic might be chosen, but some of the speakers replaced, or that two suggested symposia might be combined. Thus, you will not be given notice that your symposium was selected or not, but you may still see your ideas/topic reflected in the program. Finally, we cannot provide feedback on symposia submissions.

Call for Speaker Suggestions

Speaker suggestions will be used to supplement symposia suggestions. Self-nominations are allowed, but individuals that have spoken at SSIB within the last 3 years are not eligible. You can view a list of recent topics and speakers here.

• A detailed talk abstract is not necessary.
• Suggestions should include a description of the topic or question to be addressed, what type of information/results will be discussed (200 words max) and how the research relates to the goals and focus of the SSIB meeting (i.e., the rationale behind the suggested speaker; 100 words max).
• Topics that were not heavily addressed in last year’s meeting will be given priority.
• Self nominations are accepted.
• SSIB membership is encouraged, but not required to submit a proposal. However, the submitter is required to become a member if they are chosen to speak or if their proposal is chosen.

To be considered for inclusion in the program, proposals should be submitted no later than WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6.

The International Foundational Fund

The International Foundational Fund was established through a gift from Dr. Harry R. Kissileff in honor of Drs. Jacques Le Magnen (France), Anton Steffens (The Netherlands), Jacob Steiner (Israel), and Steven Cooper (The United Kingdom). It provides financial support to scholars currently conducting research in these countries to participate in the meeting (e.g., as symposia speakers). It is awarded at the discretion of the Program Committee.

Questions?

Please address any questions to:
Carrie Ferrario, Program Chair
[email protected]
SSIB 2025