Transcript
Page 1: 36th ISPNE Annual Meeting 24–27 September 2005, Montréal, Canada

ANNOUNCEMENT

36th ISPNE Annual Meeting24–27 September 2005, Montreal, Canada

TheXXXVIAnnualMeetingof the International Societyof Psychoneuroendocrinology—ISPNE, will be heldSeptember 24–27, 2005, in Montreal, Canada. Mon-treal is North America’s French city, and in bothculture and politics provides a truly unique blend ofNorth America and Europe. The timing of the meetingwill provide an opportunity to enjoy the beautifulCanadian autumn, with maples of Mont Royal in fullcolour. Late September is the time of “IndianSummer” with sunny warm days, spectacular sunsetsand cool, fresh air in the evenings. The campus ofMcGill University will serve as the meeting locationand lies in the heart of the city. Access to Montreal’sworld-famous cuisine is at the doorstep of themeeting venue, and the old city is but a short way.McGill lies at the foot of Olmstead’s Mont Royal Park,with long walking/jogging trails covering the moun-tain that defines the centre of the city. Montreal ishome to the Cirque du Soleil, the world’s largestfestivals for comedy and jazz, and Formula 1 racing,so entertainment options are plentiful. The confer-ence location is within walking distance of majorareas for nightlife (the Princeton Review has annuallyselected Montreal as the #1 location in North Americain which to be an undergraduate student - and wedon’t believe they were considering the Museums).

Montreal was also the home of Hans Selye, WilderPenfield, and Donald Hebb, so science is as much apart of our tradition as cuisine and entertainment.The 36th annual meeting will focus on the theme ofpsychoneuroendocrine mediators of the relationbetween socioeconomic status (SES) and health.The choice seems logical for ISPNE. SES verysignificantly influences the risk for multiple formsof chronic illness. Epidemiological studies revealeffects of SES during both early development and inadult life, as well as interactions between sucheffects. The critical question is how effects of socialand economic forces become “biologicallyembedded’ and thus influence health. Studies withthe Whitehall cohorts suggest that SES effects are, in

0306-4530/$ - see front matterdoi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2005.02.005

part, mediated by cognitive-emotional states thatare influenced by the quality of the workingenvironment and include locus of control and self-esteem. Recent neuroimaging studies provide abiological basis for these cognitive states, whichare known to influence endocrine function. Epide-miology has also revealed independent effects of SESin early childhood on adult health, including mentalhealth. Perinatal adversity results in the ‘program-programming’ of neuroendocrine systems in amanner that increases vulnerability for multipleforms of chronic illness. Psychoneuroendocrinologywould therefore seem to be ideally positioned toaddress the challenge of identifying the criticalpathways through which social and economic factorsdetermine health outcomes, and to thus provide ascientific bridge between epidemiology, biology andhealth. While the meeting will not focus exclusivelyon SES, we feel that an emphasis on this themeprovides an opportunity to more fully exploretraditional ISPNE topics and expand the breadth ofour meeting by inviting speakers and attractingparticipants that might not otherwise have theopportunity for interaction with our society.

We invite you to come and enjoy the MontrealISPNE, September 24-27, 2005.

For more information, please contact the Con-ference Organizers:

Josie DiorioDr Nicole CameronAbdoul Karim Sow

Perry E-4107Douglas Hospital Research Centre

6875 LaSalle BoulevardVerdun, Que. H4H 1R3

CanadaTel.: C1 514 761 6131x2387;

fax: C1 514 888 4081E-mail: [email protected]

Psychoneuroendocrinology (2005) 30, 613

www.elsevier.com/locate/psyneuen

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