April 25, 2022

Hello IVUSS members and friends, 

The board members have been spending much of our time this past week discussing and contemplating the best decision for our conference in the fall. The on-going crisis in Eastern Europe saddens and worries us and there is no way to know how long it will continue.  Many of our colleagues and members from around the world, as well as our contacts Alice and Adrian in Romania, expressed concern about holding our conference in Bucharest as originally planned. We want to host a wonderful conference and have the ability to travel around that beautiful country with free minds and hearts.  It is very possible that the situation will continue into the fall, so being close to the conflict creates a difficult situation.  Also, as is the case in Poland, it is possible that Romania will require our hotel space to assist the refuges making their way to safety.  There are enough unknowns that we have decided we must change the venue for our conference in September.

And we have found a wonderful substitute!  We will be holding our conference at the Spruce Point Inn, Boothbay Harbor, Maine (www.sprucepointinn.com).  We are still working on the details of the meeting, but the dates have been confirmed:  Check-in and opening reception Sunday, September 25^th, and the meeting will be Monday the 26^th through Wednesday the 28^th.   Dr. John Bonagura will still be our cardiology speaker, but Dr. Audrey Petite will not be able to make the trip from England and we are working on an alternate speaker.  We probably will not be holding a lab this year.  More details will be announced by email and on the IVUSS website as they develop.  

Boothbay Harbor is a spectacular location.  Maine's rugged coastline is one of the most scenic places in the entire country.  With picturesque harbors, rugged mountains, and secluded islands, the coast of Maine offers some of the most spectacular scenery in America.  A two and a half hour drive north up the coast from the Spruce Point Inn will take you to Acadia National Park, which is a 47,000 acre Atlantic coast recreation area primarily on Maine’s Mount Desert Island.  Its landscape is marked by woodland, rocky beaches and glacier-scoured granite peaks, such as Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the United States’ East Coast.  Among the wildlife are moose, bear, whales, and seabirds.  So, lots to do and see! 

Please keep checking the website for more information, and members will, of course, receive notifications first.  Registration details will be available once we have clarified specifics.  Once registered, you will be provided a code which will allow you to make discounted reservations at the Inn.  There are a limited number of discounted rooms in our block, so be sure to register early!  

We were required to cancel our in-person meeting because of Covid the past two years.  We are all longing to meet again and be together, not only for the excellent scientific meeting, but to enjoy each other’s company as we have a good time in a wonderful place.  We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at this year’s meeting.  

Pam

Pamela Harrigan, RDCS, President, IVUSS