American Pain Society Holds 31st Annual Scientific Meeting at the Hawai`i Convention Center

Attendees of the American Pain Society 31st Annual Scientific Meeting check in at the HCC lobby. Photo courtesy of Chuck Weber.

The American Pain Society (APS) drew more than 1,000 attendees to the Hawai`i Convention Center from May 16-19, 2012, for its 31st annual scientific meeting.  It is the first time the APS has held its annual meeting at the Hawai`i Convention Center, attracting participants from around the world, including Japan, Australia, Canada, and Europe.

The meeting offered an opportunity for pain management clinicians and researchers, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, basic scientists, pharmacists, and policy analysts, to learn more about the diagnosis, treatment, and management of acute pain, chronic cancer and non-cancer pain, and recurrent pain.  More than 40 in-depth workshops and plenary session talks were offered.

The meeting brought in an estimated $4.7 million in state revenue, with the Center’s hotel partners benefiting from more than 8,000 room nights.

“As the premier conference meeting for the multi-disciplinary pain care community, the American Pain Society’s annual scientific meeting enables attendees to interact with the best and the brightest in pain research and learn ways to translate scientific discoveries into clinical practice,” said APS President Seddon R. Savage, MD.  “Hawai`i has provided us with a top-notch location for our meeting.”

Headquartered in Glenview, Illinois, APS is the leading multi-disciplinary professional organization in the United States dedicated to advancing pain-related research, education, treatment, and team-oriented professional practice.  Learn more at www.ampainsoc.org.

Plant Scientists Examine Alien Species in Hawai`i During APS-IPPC Joint Meeting

The movement of insects, weeds, and pathogens around the world through commercial trade and other means is having a profound impact on agriculture and natural resources.  As trade opportunities grow, so does the possibility of introducing alien species, which can threaten indigenous species unable to defend against such pests.

More than 1,800 plant pathologists – scientists who study plant diseases – from around the world presented their ground-breaking research on combating these invasive threats during the 2011 American Phytopathological Society (APS) – International Plant Protection Congress (IPPC) Joint Meeting from August 6-10 at the Hawai`i Convention Center.

Meeting jointly for the first time in Hawai`i, the APS-IPPC achieved a record international attendance, including delegates from 55 countries.

The meeting brought in an estimated $8.5 million in state revenue, with the Center’s hotel partners benefiting from nearly 14,500 room nights.

“We are so pleased to have our annual meeting in Hawai`i – a place with such natural diversity and exotic plant life,” said John Sherwood, APS President.  “Hawai`i offers a central location for a meeting focused on global issues and easy access for new attendees from the Pacific Rim and Asian countries.”

While he was in town, Sherwood stopped by the Hawai`i News Now Sunrise studios and chatted with business reporter Howard Dicus about the conference.  Watch it here:

American Pain Society Brings 2012 Scientific Meeting to Honolulu

Honolulu is continuing its hot streak as the center for major medical meetings.  The Hawai`i Convention Center will be the site of the 31st Annual American Pain Society (APS) Scientific Meeting from May 17-19, 2012.

It is the first time the APS meeting has been held at the Center, expected to bring more than 1,500 pain management clinicians and researchers, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, scientists, pharmacists, and policy analysts.

Major medical conferences at the Hawai`i Convention Center in 2011 include the BMT Tandem Meetings in February; the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in April; the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in May; and the American College of Chest Physicians Annual Meeting in October.