Dear Members and Friends,
On behalf of the International Society for the Advancement of Respiratory Psychophysiology (ISARP), I wish all of you a healthy, happy and productive New Year 2009.
When I look back to the year 2008, one of my best memories is that of another successful ISARP meeting in the fall, which was very well organized by Nick Giardino and his program committee in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Continuing with the trend of recent meetings, we enjoyed many highly interesting papers and posters, which again were of high scientific quality. These covered a vast variety of topics in respiratory psychophysiology and closely related fields, spanning from research on basic mechanisms and principles to applied clinical interventions. In this regard, the important presentations on biofeedback techniques, almost a traditional ISARP topic, might be mentioned as rather clinically oriented examples in the context of treatments for anxiety symptoms. The reports on using rather new methodological approaches, such as neuroimaging techniques, for research on basic neuronal mechanisms of respiration, were similarly exciting.
The range of populations examined across all presentations, including healthy participants of different ethnic backgrounds, patients with asthma, COPD or anxiety disorders and even experimental animals, only added to this exciting meeting agenda.
Most importantly, all attendees could once again testify to a great social atmosphere in the symposia as well as the get-togethers in between, which allowed for plenty of critical scientific discussion and stimulating exchange about research interests, all aimed at advancing the wide field of respiratory psychophysiology. Once again, this conference provided great opportunities to learn from each others work.
Personally, it is exactly this open minded and collegial atmosphere of professionals from various backgrounds at ISARP meetings that has fascinated me ever since my first visit. I know that many members share this view. Indeed, I cannot remember a single meeting after which I have not headed home with exciting new research ideas in mind.
Therefore, I am really looking forward to seeing all of you again at this years ISARP meeting, which will take place in October in Berlin. Ilse van Diest and the program committee are already actively preparing the program and social events to guarantee another exciting conference. Details can be found below in the attached call for abstracts as well as on our ISARP website (http://www.ohio.edu/isarp).
In the tradition of our recent meetings, the agenda will again combine high quality presentations on both basic research and clinical interventions, thus bringing together interested people from different backgrounds.
I would specifically like to encourage our members to also motivate interested students to come to Berlin in order to promote our junior scientists in respiratory psychophysiology. I promise another fascinating meeting in a great scientific as well as social atmosphere.
Sincerely,
Andreas von Leupoldt, PhD
ISARP President, 2009