The lawsuit should person been glorious. Beginning connected October 30, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) held its first, in-person meeting since 2019. As 4,200 attendees from 115 countries registered, waved, and adjacent hugged portion astir apt wondering (as did I) if we truly needed to deterioration an N95 disguise portion afloat vaccinated, I felt the aforesaid anxious anticipation that marked my archetypal ASTMH huddle astir 4 decades earlier.
Back then, aft I had returned from London with a grade successful tropical medicine nether my belt, my then-medical brag successful Boston kindly gave maine 3 days disconnected to alert to New Orleans and portion my capable of breaking intel connected parasites and plagues. Looking back, I tin lone marvel astatine the planetary scourges we've since battled, the lessons we've learned, and the challenges we inactive face. That said, backmost to the gathering this twelvemonth successful Seattle.
My archetypal symptoms -- a mild sore pharynx and fatigue, thing much -- began during the opening keynote. I fretted, contempt being riveted by a speech by Mauricio Barreto, MD, PhD, MPH, entitled "Poverty, Inequalities, Social Justice, and Health: Notes from Brazil" (which thrillingly concluded with "just-in" quality of who won Brazil's statesmanlike election). Nonetheless, since my COVID-19 antigen trial work negative, I attended 3 much stimulating symposia the adjacent day. The first, covering antithetic aspects of malaria, honored the precocious Colonel Alan Magill, MD, a workfellow who served with favoritism arsenic a clinician, researcher, and subject advisor, past led the malaria programme astatine the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The 2nd league dealt with contiguous and aboriginal threats from ticks and mosquito-borne viruses successful a "warmer, wetter" world. My last prime was an earthy dissection of failing sanitation and intestinal parasites successful impoverished pockets of the rural, confederate U.S. I past went to 1 of my favourite fetes -- the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's yearly reception for its mini-U.N. of alumni -- and polished disconnected the evening with a meal with friends.
What tin I say? Our Halloween repast of pome crockery and seafood paella connected the rooftop platform of Terra Plata was delightful, arsenic was the evening's speech shared with a writer and Lisa Frenkel, MD, a pediatric infectious diseases specializer whose dada famously discovered the beingness rhythm of Toxoplasma gondii. But erstwhile fitful coughs interrupted that night's sleep, I could nary longer blasted my illness connected the hotel's arid air. Instead, a agleam magenta enactment connected a 2nd trial kit from a biodegradable container sporting ASTMH's motto -- "Advancing Global Health since 1903" -- told an all-too acquainted tale. (Thankfully, I was aboriginal capable to corroborate nary of my friends astatine meal contracted it.)
I past entered COVID-19 lockdown for the remainder of the conference.
Reflections From the 33rd Floor of the Sheraton Grand
As an ASTMH lifer, I person agelong cultivated ways to debar the, "Stop the madness! My encephalon is full!" feeling that the yearly gathering tin trigger, whether attended in-person oregon online. I simply can't get capable of the content. As a result, this twelvemonth successful particular, I gully comfortableness from my year-long entree to recorded sum of each plenaries, symposia, and technological sessions. In my aboriginal "Of Parasites and Plagues" columns successful MedPage Today, I volition nary uncertainty gully connected this contented successful summation to breaking aesculapian news.
But bash I rue having traveled from Los Angeles to Seattle lone to walk 5 surreal days and nights successful self-imposed incarceration? Hardly. Simply showing up and seeing long-time friends, adjacent retired of the country of my oculus -- past receiving caring inquiries astir my wellness -- reinforced the joyousness of assemblage successful an epoch erstwhile healthcare professionals and "workers-in-the-field" often consciousness discouraged and alone. As 1 (admittedly biased) person wrote of ASTMH connected the time of my departure, "there is nary amended welcoming nonrecreational home!"
This leads maine to thing else. Yes, the civilization of medicine has changed implicit time; to some, lifelong allegiance to a nonrecreational nine present seems passé. But passim my years arsenic a doctor, teacher, and journalist, my engagement with ASTMH, an ever-growing planetary tribe, has been an unthinkable touchstone and anchor.
So, what awaits the adjacent generation? I began to wonderment successful lockdown. Will it beryllium a aboriginal successful which different respiratory blights slam the doorway connected large, in-person meetings? I surely anticipation not (plus, I didn't declaration COVID-19 astatine this year's ASTMH but apt earlier leaving home, since my hubby tested affirmative successful California the aforesaid time my trial turned pink). On the different hand, today, nary planetary nine tin disregard the outgo and c footprint of long-distance travel. So adjacent though the determination is not excavation to make, I expect much hybrid confabs and determination sub-meetings successful ASTMH's future, which some pass and link consequent waves of devotees.
My last penetration stemming from COVID-19 lockdown was acold much personal.
A Closing Epiphany
In my mid-to-late 30s, I realized that definite friends and mentors were existent "collectors." Some were drawn to exquisite pens, others to aged aesculapian instruments, others to antique books. Great! I thought, astatine the aforesaid clip concluding that I didn't stock their passionateness for acquiring 1 definite "thing."
But this year's first-ever "Story Slam" astatine ASTMH (which I was expected to co-moderate) reminded maine that I bash cod thing of inestimable value, arsenic bash astir of america successful medicine. Hand-picked from communicative essays published successful the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the tales presented wove unneurotic not conscionable melodramatic events but feelings forged successful sadness and joyousness and intimate truths astir the quality information the satellite over.
Authentic, heartfelt stories and feelings. What a caller enhancement to immoderate aesculapian gathering, whether a beloved yearly gathering oregon an advertisement hoc get-together of professionals backmost astatine home. And so, feeling afloat restored aft 5 days of remainder and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid), I yet near lockdown with a renewed appreciation for in-person aesculapian meetings and the anticipation of enjoying them for years to come.
Claire Panosian Dunavan, MD, is simply a prof of medicine and infectious diseases astatine the David Geffen School of Medicine astatine UCLA and a past-president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. You tin work much of her penning successful the "Of Parasites and Plagues" column.
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