 A MESSAGE FROM THE SOCIETIES Dear Colleagues and Friends: New Orleans will host our 1998 meetings, May 1 – 5 at the Convention Center. We have organized an innovative and exciting program we hope you will find scientifically invigorating. In addition, our meeting coincides with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival which will offer you with a unique cultural experience. We strongly encourage you to plan ahead this year! Book your airline and housing reservations soon. If you wait, you will have limited choices. New Orleans will be busy! And, for the first time, we offer an "early bird" meeting registration fee which offers substantial savings if you register for the meeting by March 6th. Please take a few moments to review the program highlights outlined in this brochure. Special features of the program include exceptional state of the art sessions and topic symposia. These programs include speakers who are international leaders in their fields and focus on new areas of discovery scientific development and public policy. The mini courses are a new exciting initiative which are jointly sponsored with our colleagues in the American Academy of Pediatrics. Each mini course will explore specific topics that are timely and controversial and weave within a common theme. The interactive format of the courses are designed to provide in-depth learning experiences on current issues important to both the practicing and academic pediatrician. The hot topics which are scheduled on Tuesday, May 5 were extremely successful new additions to the program in 1997 and focus on controversial issues that seek to stimulate new areas of research or interactions from participants. The educational seminars on Friday, May 1 and Sunday May 3 (previously known as educational workshops) are specifically designed for trainees and young faculty. The program will also include presentations of over 1800 abstracts in all disciplines of pediatrics. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is a 10-day event where more than 4,000 musicians play for over 450,000 people. Experience music ranging from jazz, zydeco, and Afro-Caribbean to folk, blues, and gospel. Visit the JazzFest web site at http://nojazzfest.com for more details. We anticipate an attendance of over 4500 of your colleagues. We will offer child care and welcome you and your family to the spring meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies! |