No longer from Atlanta, it’s global: AMSSM 2020
April 14, 2020
In periods of crisis such as this unprecedented time we are all experiencing, there are opportunities for innovation, experimentation…..even revolution.
As was true for so many of our readers, CJSM was looking forward to the annual meeting of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) to be held in Atlanta April 25th – 29th. In what should be filed under the “Not Breaking News” category, a novel virus called COVID-19 has spread globally, and in the wake of this pandemic sports and sports medicine has gone dark in a way none of us has ever experienced. The IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury & Illness in Sport re-scheduled to 2021, the AMSSM and after it the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM) canceled their 2020 annual conferences, and these represent just a few of the shifts in our world that have occurred since February.
The good news in all of this is that the AMSSM is moving forward with a virtual conference April 25-29th — just like many of us are working through the kinks of telemedicine as we try to serve our patients in the era of COVID, the AMSSM is putting on the first virtual conference in its history, the details of which can be found here. CJSM has always published the abstracts for the AMSSM proceedings, and we will be making them freely available to all during the period of April 25th – 29th.
Leading this revolution is our Jr. Associate Editor Jason Zaremski, MD, who just so happens to have been THE organizer for the content of AMSSM 2020. I can tell you he had a simply fantastic program set up for Atlanta, and among the events I am personally grieving this spring I include this: Dr. Zaremski put an untold amount of time and energy into bringing together what would have been a memorable physical conference. And he has carried on and is determined to make this virtual experience one we will never forget.
We all should have been giving him a rousing standing ovation in Atlanta as we enjoyed the fruits of this labor. Members of the sports medicine community in general, and AMSSM specifically (myself included) owe him a huge debt of gratitude, and we should all remember to give him, and the entire programming committee, a shout out when we next meet, face-to-face, at some conference in a post-COVID future.
And now, Dr. Zaremski will share his thoughts about AMSSM 2020, the virtual experience.
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As no doubt nearly all of our readers of the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, COVID-19 has impacted our personal and professional lives, as well as the lives of everyone around us. Our daily routines have changed, our job descriptions might have changed, and we are in a new normal at this time. However, it has been humbling to see so many individuals pull together for the greater good in our communities locally, as well as in our regions and countries from around the world. From the perspective of sports medicine clinicians, we are trying to find the right approach of how to best serve our patients, communities, and teams. Furthermore, our responsibilities to continue to teach our next generation of sports medicine providers must continue. With that in mind, the AMSSM Annual Meeting was converted to a free virtual non-CME version of the 2020 AMSSM Annual Meeting over the original dates of the Annual Meeting from April 25-29.
With that said, our team has put together webinar type online meetings for what we feel are opportunities for continuity in our team physician, special interest group, committee and fellowship meetings help drive our organization and our profession. AMSSM will be using the virtual platform of Big Marker (https://www.bigmarker.com/). Big Marker allows up to 1,000 attendees per session, and playback of each session will also be available afterwards. We will also have select talks will be placed on AMSSM’s YouTube channel.
Please see the online schedule (2020 AMSSM Annual Meeting) for what’s being planned between April 25-29. Registration for all webinar sessions will open on Thursday, April 16 on the Virtual Annual Meeting page.
Some highlights of the AMSSM Virtual Meeting will include:
AMSSM Collaborate – The new AMSSM Collaborate online community will launch on Thursday, April 16. AMSSM members will receive an email that morning to register for the community. In addition to sections for Team Physician Groups, Special Interest Groups and Committee discussions, the AMSSM Referral listserv will be migrated here, and a section for Complicated Cases will be available to help get answers to your clinical questions. AMSSM Collaborate will also be the platform for Case and Research Presentations, the Virtual Fellowship Fair and the hub for the Fellows Learning calendar.
Case and Research Presentations – The new AMSSM Collaborate online community will be the platform that will be used for posting the 703 Case presentations and 218 Research presentations that were submitted for the 2020 Annual Meeting. Those selected to present will be able to upload their presentations between April 16 and April 23.
Please note that the ABSTACTS in the March Issue of CJSM will have FREE access from April 24 – April 30th
https://journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/Citation/2020/03000/2020_AMSSM_Case_Podium_Presentations.7.aspx
Virtual Fellowship Fair – We’re recreating this popular program for Residents and Fellowship programs in a virtual format through the AMSSM Collaborate online community that will launch on April 16. Residents and Students will be able to sign up to receive posts and conversations for any of the regions they’re interested in with a dedicated time for dialogue within AMSSM Collaborate between 8-10:30 pm ET on Wednesday, April 29.
CAQ Prep Talks – Slides from these original talks that were planned for AMSSM/ACSM CAQ Prep session will be posted on the Virtual Annual Meeting page.
Saturday Presidential Talks – Chad Carlson, MD, FAMSSM will deliver his outgoing presidential address and Tracy Ray, MD, FAMSSM will deliver his incoming presidential address on Saturday, April 25.
Tuesday Keynote Talks – On Tuesday night, April 28, Fran O’Connor, MD, MPH, FAMSSM and colleagues will present a session on leadership during crises. And Margo Mountjoy, MD, PhD will present a keynote on mental health in athletes during the time of COVID-19.
We hope that this virtual conference will provide continuity for our organization, as well as sports medicine as a field.
Humbly,
Jason L. Zaremski, MD
2020 Program Planning Committee Chair
CJSM Junior Associate Editor, AMSSM Representative
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