December 2024 President's Message

Dear Colleagues,

I trust this finds you all well. I am writing this President’s Message on December 12th – World Swallowing Day. Earlier today, I had the privilege of participating in a World Dysphagia Coalition webinar, hosted by the Latin American Society for Dysphagia. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear about the mission and vision of different dysphagia related societies around the world, and to discuss perspectives on the current hot topic: seeking consensus on a definition of dysphagia. 

As the end of December approaches, we are excited about the plans for DRS in 2025. Here are a few highlights for you to note: 

1. Membership Renewals: Please remember to renew your membership in the society. As a reminder, in order to update our membership information, we are not using the auto-renewal process this year. The rates for 2025 are: $225 for full members; $75 for members from low- and middle- income countries, as defined by the World Bank; and $75 for trainees. 
   
   
2. DRS Election: This year, we will be electing a new secretary-treasurer, and two councilors. The nominating committee has decided that one of these councilor vacancies will be reserved for a non speech-language pathologist, to ensure that we have a diversity of professional representation on our board of directors. Please watch for election materials at the beginning of January. The election will close on February 6, 2025.  
   
   
3. DRS Annual Meeting: We are very excited about our upcoming 33^rd Dysphagia Research Society Annual Meeting, to be held in Philadelphia from March 25-28, 2025. There are a number of exciting updates regarding the conference: 

1. We are thrilled to announce that we received a record number of abstracts this year: 25% more than last year! We are delighted to report that a total of 244 abstracts were accepted for presentation at the meeting, with 40% coming from 19 countries outside North America!
   
2. For those who are new to attending or presenting at the DRS Annual Meeting, our Trainee Advisory Committee will be offering a free webinar in February featuring tips and advice. Stay tuned for more information about the date and how to register.
3. Our pre-conference on March 25, 2025 will feature two parallel tracks of content and is not to be missed! We will also have parallel tracks for part of the main conference. 
4. A very key development this year is our decision to offer both live and virtual registration options. We really hope that a large number of people will attend in person. But, we recognize that distance and travel costs may be a barrier to in-person attendance for some people, particularly our international members. For those who choose to register for the virtual option, we will feature live-stream delivery. Additionally, we will be recording the keynote and invited lectures for on-demand access, with auto-captioning and auto-translation. The on-demand program will be available for 30 days after the meeting. For those who attend in-person, picking up additional professional development hours from the recorded on-demand content will be an option. 
5. We have prepared a promotional letter regarding the conference, which can be downloaded from our website. If you are in touch with colleagues, workplaces or other societies who may be interested in the meeting, we encourage you to share this letter.
6. Another key development this year is our decision to offer reduced registration fees to members from low- and middle-income countries. 
7. Our popular Meet the Mentors luncheon (organized by our Trainee Advisory Committee) will be returning on Thursday, March 27, 2025.  Be sure to register early for this optional event, which is sure to sell-out!
8. In addition to the pre-conference and main-conference, are excited to feature two new events at this year’s meeting:
   • We will be organizing drop-in networking opportunities over the 2-hour lunch breaks on March 26-27, 2025. These will focus on pediatric dysphagia research, international practice, and clinical decision making for challenging cases. 
   • Learning Labs, offering an opportunity for interactive, applied learning regarding videofluoroscopy, endoscopy, or high-resolution pharyngeal manometry will be offered as an optional add-on for in-person attendees on Thursday, March 27, 2025, from 16:00-17:30 hours. Space for these labs is limited.
9. Mark your calendars and be sure to register for this year’s President’s Reception and DRS Annual Awards Ceremony, to take place in the evening on March 26, 2025. In addition to recognizing our Dodds Donner Lecturer, Dr. Kate Hutcheson, I am delighted to announce that we will be presenting the DRS Gold Medal to three very deserving recipients this year: Dr. Joan Arvedson, Dr. Kulwinder Dua, and Dr. Susan Langmore. This event will also celebrate the first and second place winners of our DRS New Investigator award. Please plan to join us to celebrate these wonderful colleagues!

I hope this list of highlights leaves you as excited as I am about the meeting! Remember that the deadline for registering at early bird rates is February 6, 2025 and be sure to watch for additional details and announcements.

I wish you all the very best for the holiday season and for a happy New Year!