Kyle Kemp, PhD, and Robert Klaassen, MD FRCP(C)
2023 Annual Conference Co-Chairs
We are much honored to be the Scientific Program Co-Chairs of the ISOQOL 30th Annual Conference. This year’s conference will be held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from October 18-21, 2023 and features the theme “30 Years of ISOQOL: Quality of Life – making it relevant.” We have a stimulating scientific program featuring four plenary sessions that explore the use of PROs in day-to-day patient care.
On Thursday, our first plenary entitled “Engaging Under-Represented Populations in HRQL Assessment” explores strategies to engage populations who, for a variety of reasons, may be resistant to complete PROMs and/or enroll in research. The second plenary session, also on Thursday, will feature “Cutting Edge Research” – some of the most innovative and highest ranked research submitted to ISOQOL this year.
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of quality of life measures. These may be novel tools to address new clinical areas, or ones which were developed to improve upon existing legacy tools. On Friday, in a debate-style plenary, “The role of legacy tools: is newer always better?”, the speakers will address the pros and cons of moving from legacy tools to more modern ones.
On Saturday, in our final plenary entitled “Success stories in PRO implementation”, we will see examples of successful implementation of PROs at the micro (patient), meso (health system), and macro (policy) levels.
Before the plenary sessions kick off, on our pre-conference day, two full-day and six half-day workshops are offered. These workshops cover a range of topics, from technology-reported outcomes to designing and reporting research for publication. Tickets will be sold at the registration desk onsite, if available.
This conference will also feature many of the same exceptional programs from prior years that encourage networking and camaraderie. ISOQOL is continuing our SIG Meetings, which provide members an outlet to collaborate with others who share similar interests. The Mentor/Mentee Reception and roundtables provide an informal setting for attendees to interact with major field influencers.
New to 2023, the ISOQOL Awards and Member Business Meeting will be held on Saturday during lunch. Since membership dues are included in registration, all conference attendees are welcome to attend and engage with the presentation of annual awards, leadership transition, and official ISOQOL business.
Thank you to all who were involved in the conference planning, including reviewers, judges, moderators, and the Annual Conference Scientific Program Committee. This conference would not have been possible without your dedication and involvement.
We hope you have an enjoyable and stimulating time in Calgary with colleagues, old and new!
This newsletter editorial represents the views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ISOQOL.
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The International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL) is a global community of researchers, clinicians, health care professionals, industry professionals, consultants, and patient research partners advancing health related quality of life research (HRQL).
Together, we are creating a future in which patient perspective is integral to health research, care and policy.