Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Pre-ACR Anxiety

Yes, the time this message was posted is correct: Middle of the night/morning on Wednesday. Just three more days to go before heading to Washington, D.C. for the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) meeting. I always lose a little sleep before a big trip because of having so many things on my mental checklist, which picks the darndest times to run through my head! One item on my list is to go through all of the press releases starting to inundate my e-mail inbox about presentations at ACR, and I've been doing that in this hour of lost sleep. Lots of news will be coming out of this meeting, but it's all embargoed, which means I can't tell you about it just yet. I promise I will, though, as soon as I ....(1) pick up my drycleaning, (2) pack -- can't forget quart-sized storage bags! (3) turn in some copy to our editor-in-chief, (4) get the final proofs of Arthritis Today's January-February issue to take with me and review, (5) make sure my kids and husband have what they need while I'm gone -- need milk! (6) get some sleep....

OK -- I'll give you one hint. I'll be attending a press conference at the National Press Club on Monday about a very common medication. Can't tell you any more, but you'll want to know! Have any guesses? Send them to me by posting a comment!

2 Comments:

At 7:19 PM, Blogger Beth A said...

Hi Donna. Beth here. I've arrived in D.C. for the meeting as well. I had some trouble getting my Internet connection up and running in my hotel room. But, finally, here I am. I read that you've been receiving press releases for the meeting. Although I also am registered as press, and although I asked to receive e-mail press releases, I haven't received one. I think I have some catching up to do in the press room tomorrow morning.

For all those reading this, let me introduce myself. I'm Beth Axtell, the Arthritis Foundation's Research Communication Specialist. While I'm here at the ACR meeting I'll be attending many of the research and clinical sessions, but a great deal of my time will be spent reading the posters (research abstracts that have not yet been published in scientific journals) and meeting the scientists who performed the research. The American College of Rheumatology publishes a journal entitled Arthritis & Rheumatism; each year that journal publishes a supplement of all those abstracts. This year's supplement has -- get this -- 2131 abstracts!

The Arthritis Foundation funds the research (or some portion of the research) of more than 200 scientists. About 75 of those researchers will have posters at the meeting over the next few days -- many of them have multiple abstracts. I have gone through the abstract book, and I found 68 abstracts of Foundation-funded researchers to visit on Sunday. I hope to meet several of the scientists when they present their posters. Tomorrow night, I'll continue pouring through the book and figure out whose posters I will visit on Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday morning.

I'm getting hungry. I believe it's time to go down to the hotel restaurant and get some soup and salad or some such. The ACR is having a dessert reception later tonight -- but I just don't feel up to going to Union Station for the big to-do. Besides, it's hard enough to eat healthy while on a business trip without subjecting myself to the temptations of a dessert buffet!

See you tomorrow at the convention center!

 
At 7:20 PM, Blogger Beth A said...

Hi Donna. Beth here. I've arrived in D.C. for the meeting as well. I had some trouble getting my Internet connection up and running in my hotel room. But, finally, here I am. I read that you've been receiving press releases for the meeting. Although I also am registered as press, and although I asked to receive e-mail press releases, I haven't received one. I think I have some catching up to do in the press room tomorrow morning.

For all those reading this, let me introduce myself. I'm Beth Axtell, the Arthritis Foundation's Research Communication Specialist. While I'm here at the ACR meeting I'll be attending many of the research and clinical sessions, but a great deal of my time will be spent reading the posters (research abstracts that have not yet been published in scientific journals) and meeting the scientists who performed the research. The American College of Rheumatology publishes a journal entitled Arthritis & Rheumatism; each year that journal publishes a supplement of all those abstracts. This year's supplement has -- get this -- 2131 abstracts!

The Arthritis Foundation funds the research (or some portion of the research) of more than 200 scientists. About 75 of those researchers will have posters at the meeting over the next few days -- many of them have multiple abstracts. I have gone through the abstract book, and I found 68 abstracts of Foundation-funded researchers to visit on Sunday. I hope to meet several of the scientists when they present their posters. Tomorrow night, I'll continue pouring through the book and figure out whose posters I will visit on Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday morning.

I'm getting hungry. I believe it's time to go down to the hotel restaurant and get some soup and salad or some such. The ACR is having a dessert reception later tonight -- but I just don't feel up to going to Union Station for the big to-do. Besides, it's hard enough to eat healthy while on a business trip without subjecting myself to the temptations of a dessert buffet!

See you tommorow at the convention center!

 

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