Dr Ajay Sheshadri Emphasizes the Power of In-Person Interaction at the CHEST Annual Meeting 2023

Seeing colleagues in person at the CHEST Annual Meeting 2023 is a valued opportunity after the COVID-19 pandemic and provides advantages for all areas of medicine even after the conference ends, explains Ajay Sheshadri, MD, associate professor of pulmonary medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Transcript

Why is it beneficial for chest medicine professionals to meet in person at CHEST 2023?

I think we probably took for granted how great it is to see our colleagues in person before the pandemic. During the pandemic, most of our conferences were virtual, and the engagement with the virtual conference is a lot more difficult. You're not there in person seeing the speakers, you're not able to interact with the speakers, other than through a chat box or perhaps a very closely moderated Q&A, and it doesn't quite feel like you're in a research retreat environment.

So, being around people of like-minded interests really just stimulates your own desire to advance the field forward, and I think gives you a lot of energy to be able to motivate yourself when you come back from the conference. Usually, after the conference, there's a little bit of a buzz as you synthesize all the things that you saw and discussed at the conference. To me, that's been incredibly beneficial. Usually after the meetings, there's a flurry of activity and new collaborations and new ideas, and I think you only really get that when you’re there in person and really in the moment.