Dear AAPS members–
Traditions are important, especially in a year like this! The events that bring us together over and over again to talk and share give us stability. And the best traditions have a heart to them-you can change the details, but the strength is in the relationships. Just ask any group of friends who've met year after year.
Or ask the people who are planning the 21st annual Land O'Lakes Bioanalytical Conference for July, which is migrating to an all-virtual event this year. While the bioanalytical community will have to forego some traditions, like evenings by the lake in Madison, Wisc., the tradition of meeting with colleagues for a robust scientific program in July will continue. Registration will open soon. Watch your email and join us virtually by the lake!
One of the new traditions at AAPS that I am very excited about, and that has been a real lifesaver for some of us since March, is the vibrant and growing activity in the AAPS Communities. I'd like to give a shout-out to all the AAPS Community Leaders who are pouring so much good energy and passion into managing the scientific and regulatory dialogue that makes engagement in these forums so rewarding. I joined the monthly Community Forum call earlier this month and was once again impressed by the presentations, the enthusiasm, and the level of engagement. It was a great reminder of how alive the scientific conversation is at AAPS, even when we can't share a conference room or a ballroom. Community life has been steadily growing, and I am happy to announce the latest addition to the fold, the Predictive Modeling Community, led by Immanuel Friedman.
The AAPS Communities will host an important discussion about dealing with change in another aspect of our lives on June 2 when a group of members presents Ask Me Anything in the AAPS Communities: Career Options for Mid-Level Scientists after Company Restructuring and Layoffs. The panel for this conversation includes @Ayman El-Kattan, Ph.D., Kimberly Lentz, @Caroline Lee, @Steven Louie, M.S., and @Daniel Mudra, Ph.D. As part of the AAPS Career Planning Workshop: Navigating the Job Market Today taking place June 1–4, these scientists will discuss their employment experiences, including downsizing and restructuring events. They'll share how they have adjusted to these changes and what approaches they have taken to advance their careers, as well as the career options they found and the advice they received along the way.
Many of you are using your additional time away from the laboratory to write, which I (and I suspect the AAPS journal editors @Robert Williams, @Ho-Leung Fung, and Peter Swaan) hope you turn into a habit! I am particularly excited now about a forthcoming special issue of The AAPS Journal celebrating women in the pharmaceutical sciences. So on behalf of Editor-in-Chief @Ho-Leung Fung, I encourage you to submit papers. Dr. Fung welcomes the submission of high-quality original research, reviews, and commentaries by women in the pharmaceutical sciences. Studies reporting on women's health and gender differences in the pharmaceutical sciences are particularly interesting.
Dr. Fung has lined up three very impressive women in pharmaceutical science as guest editors: Diane Burgess, Marilyn Morris, and Meena Subramanyam . The submission deadline for this special issue is October 30, 2020. There's your summer writing project! Of course, women in pharmaceutical science is not just a seasonal topic at AAPS. You can engage year-round through the vibrant dialogue of the Women in Pharmaceutical Sciences Community.
In other scientific goings-on this week, I hope you will take time to view the recordings of this week's webinar Biomarker Driven Lipidomics in Pharma R&D, as well as the excellent eChalk Talk SARS and Inefectious Disease Update by Meghan Vermillian. The recordings should be posted soon.
I'm looking forward to next week's eChalk Talk as well, presented by Certara on the pressing topic of supply chain. My lunch breaks are full of learning this summer, which is definitely becoming one of my new traditions!
With that, I hope you can begin your summer with a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and forge some new traditions, while still celebrating some cherished ones. Everything is different-but the heart of our traditions remains true.
Tina
Share your thoughts with Tina via the AAPS Community!