JUNE 27, 2023

Approximately 118 researchers from 16 countries across 5 continents came together June 11-16, at Stonehill College in Easton, MA to contemplate the important topic of Consciousness, Anesthesia and Evolutional Biology during the IARS-sponsored Gordon Research Conference. The initial idea for this conference blossomed from a 2018 IARS strategic initiative with an aim to enhance the profile of anesthesiology research through an event that might generate international excitement. Four years later, this Gordon Research Conference has made major inroads towards that goal.

A premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science, this conference was led by conference Chair Max Kelz, MD, PhD, from the University of Pennsylvania, and Vice Chair Ken Solt, MD, from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Kelz was thrilled by the response to this conference. “The personal feedback I received along with the post-conference surveys have been incredibly positive,” he said. “This was the first Gordon Conference focused on a topic that falls squarely in anesthesiology.”

Over the five days of the conference, the attendees presented cutting-edge and unpublished research and prioritized time for discussion after each talk, fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The program included a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The remote location and the global participation helped to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, which will lead to lasting collaborations and friendships.

Below: Conference attendees pose for a group photo.

Row 1: Amy Gaskell, Phil Morgan, Margaret Sedensky, William Wisden, Nick Franks, Chris Connor, Peter Goldstein, Ken Solt, Max Kelz, Matthew Banks, Aeyal Raz, Stu Forman, Yuri Saalmann

Row 2: Logan Voss, Peter Schuller, Aneesh Avancha, Xue-Jun Song, Beverley Orser, Dianshi Wang, Mohammad Mansouri, Slobodan Todorovic, Mike Crowder, Bruno van Swinderen, Diany Paola Calderon, Katie Warnaby, Alexander Proekt

Row 3: Michelle Redinbaugh, Eric Melonakos, Jiang-Jian Hu, Masiel Perez, Kathryn Walder-Christensen, Cameron Bosinski, Zheng Xie, Michael Schäfer, Ranjith Kumar Sivakumar, Yodying Punjasawadwong, Shao-Jun Tang, Jyun-you Liou, Todd Rosen

Row 4: Veronica Zarr, David Schreier, Mark Baron, Indie Garwood, Pilleriin Sikka, Emma Huels, Carla Troyas, Kathleen Vincent, David Obert, Srdjan Dragovic, Joseph Antognini, Devon Applegate

Row 5: Li Li, Boris Heifets, Haya Azaria, Philip Kurien, Joseph Cichon, Andrzej Wasilczuk, Panagiotis Fotiadis, Vasilije Tadic, Diego Davila, Martha Stone, Adeeti Aggarwal, Jordan Wehrman

Row 6: Viviane Hambrecht-Wiedbusch, Christa Nehs (Van Dort), Harry Scheinin, Christian Guay, Louis Irwin, Wei Zhou, Scott Hansen, Railey White, UnCheol Lee, Claudia Heymach, Leonie Link, Eva-Verena Griemert, Dinesh Pal

Row 7: Arianna Lark, Aaron Krom, Allen Braun, Giancarlo Vanini, Jerry Chao, Arjun Bharioke, Andrew McKinstry-Wu, Victoria Bedell, Caroline Weisman, Theofanis Panagiotaropoulos, Xiaoqin Wang

Row 8: Biyu He, Zirui Huang, Jarret Weinrich, Chris Andolina, Alkananda Behera, Zixuan Yuan, Hyerim Kim, Anthony Hudetz, Michael Alkire, George Mashour, Tamara Timic Stamenic