SIR and AHRA have canceled their events amid the risks and fears over the transmission of the coronavirus
SIR and AHRA call off meetings in wake of coronavirus
March 09, 2020
by John R. Fischer, Senior Reporter
The Society of Interventional Radiology and the Association for Medical Imaging Management have joined the list of organizations canceling events worldwide in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic.
SIR made the decision to cancel its 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting, which was scheduled to take place from March 28 – April 2 in Seattle, based on recommendations of the CDC and WHO, both of which advise against hosting large public gatherings at this time.
“SIR and SIR Foundation leadership have made the difficult, but necessary and responsible, decision to cancel the SIR 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle,” said Susan E. Sedory, SIR executive director and Dr. Laura Findeiss, SIR president, on behalf of the SIR executive council and SIR 2020 Annual Meeting Committee, in a statement. “We have given the situation deep consideration and want to provide all attendees with ample opportunity to manage air travel, hotel reservations and personal schedules. We also want to respect our physicians’ need to be on call back in their own communities and countries.”
AHRA, likewise, will not move forward with its 2020 Spring Conference between March 26 and 28 in San Diego, with President Chris Tomlinson saying the basis for the decision is the latest scientific evidence on the risks of transmission of COVID-19, as well as numerous travel restrictions implemented by companies and medical organizations as safety precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
“The health and well-being of our meeting attendees, staff, vendors, and the AHRA community are our primary concern,” he said in his organization’s own statement. Additionally, many AHRA members who are frontline medical imaging managers and critical to their health organization’s operations, are not permitted any nonessential travel at this time. We believe it’s important that key healthcare leaders aren’t displaced during a critical time.”
The cancellations by SIR and AHRA come just days after the postponement of the European Congress of Radiology (ECR), one of the largest annual conferences in the field of medicine that is hosted by the European Society of Radiology (ESR) every year in Vienna. Initially scheduled for March 11 – 15, the event has been moved to July 15 – 19.
Other organizations that have cancelled upcoming annual conferences include The American College of Healthcare Executives, America's Health Insurance Plans, and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, according to HealthLeaders Media.
Another big one is the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), which canceled its annual meeting in Orlando, Florida this past week, just three day before it was set to commence. U.S. President Donald J. Trump was scheduled as a last-minute speaker at the event, but pullouts from a number of vendors out of concern for the virus and travel restrictions ultimately led the society to call off the gathering for the first time in 58 years.
“We recognize all the hard work that so many have put into preparing for their presentations and panels that accompany every HIMSS conference,” said Hal Wolf, president and CEO of HIMSS, in a statement. “Based on evaluation of evolving circumstances and coordination with an external advisory panel of medical professionals to support evidence-based decision-making, it is clear that it would be an unacceptable risk to bring so many thousands of people together in Orlando.”
SIR registrants will be refunded for registration and additional fees, including guest badges, networking lunches, hands-on workshops, stroke courses, RPVI and/or IR Domain. Those who booked within the official SIR hotel block will receive cancellations for their hotel reservations but individual travel and flight costs will not be reimbursed. Exhibitors will also be refunded for registration, and upon written request, for exhibit space rental.
Registrants for the AHRA Spring conference can opt for a refund or exchange their registration for the AHRA’s Annual Meeting & Exposition, which is scheduled to take place July 12 – 15 in Boston.
SIR made the decision to cancel its 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting, which was scheduled to take place from March 28 – April 2 in Seattle, based on recommendations of the CDC and WHO, both of which advise against hosting large public gatherings at this time.
“SIR and SIR Foundation leadership have made the difficult, but necessary and responsible, decision to cancel the SIR 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle,” said Susan E. Sedory, SIR executive director and Dr. Laura Findeiss, SIR president, on behalf of the SIR executive council and SIR 2020 Annual Meeting Committee, in a statement. “We have given the situation deep consideration and want to provide all attendees with ample opportunity to manage air travel, hotel reservations and personal schedules. We also want to respect our physicians’ need to be on call back in their own communities and countries.”
AHRA, likewise, will not move forward with its 2020 Spring Conference between March 26 and 28 in San Diego, with President Chris Tomlinson saying the basis for the decision is the latest scientific evidence on the risks of transmission of COVID-19, as well as numerous travel restrictions implemented by companies and medical organizations as safety precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
“The health and well-being of our meeting attendees, staff, vendors, and the AHRA community are our primary concern,” he said in his organization’s own statement. Additionally, many AHRA members who are frontline medical imaging managers and critical to their health organization’s operations, are not permitted any nonessential travel at this time. We believe it’s important that key healthcare leaders aren’t displaced during a critical time.”
The cancellations by SIR and AHRA come just days after the postponement of the European Congress of Radiology (ECR), one of the largest annual conferences in the field of medicine that is hosted by the European Society of Radiology (ESR) every year in Vienna. Initially scheduled for March 11 – 15, the event has been moved to July 15 – 19.
Other organizations that have cancelled upcoming annual conferences include The American College of Healthcare Executives, America's Health Insurance Plans, and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, according to HealthLeaders Media.
Another big one is the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), which canceled its annual meeting in Orlando, Florida this past week, just three day before it was set to commence. U.S. President Donald J. Trump was scheduled as a last-minute speaker at the event, but pullouts from a number of vendors out of concern for the virus and travel restrictions ultimately led the society to call off the gathering for the first time in 58 years.
“We recognize all the hard work that so many have put into preparing for their presentations and panels that accompany every HIMSS conference,” said Hal Wolf, president and CEO of HIMSS, in a statement. “Based on evaluation of evolving circumstances and coordination with an external advisory panel of medical professionals to support evidence-based decision-making, it is clear that it would be an unacceptable risk to bring so many thousands of people together in Orlando.”
SIR registrants will be refunded for registration and additional fees, including guest badges, networking lunches, hands-on workshops, stroke courses, RPVI and/or IR Domain. Those who booked within the official SIR hotel block will receive cancellations for their hotel reservations but individual travel and flight costs will not be reimbursed. Exhibitors will also be refunded for registration, and upon written request, for exhibit space rental.
Registrants for the AHRA Spring conference can opt for a refund or exchange their registration for the AHRA’s Annual Meeting & Exposition, which is scheduled to take place July 12 – 15 in Boston.