Chair's Message

Welcome to the Southern Section of the American Federation for Medical Research. We seek to further the mission of the AFMR “To develop and mentor tomorrow’s leaders in medical research.” AFMR is a unique multidisciplinary society which offers collegial forums in each region for medical students, medical trainees, junior faculty, and others to present their work for feedback from senior faculty and peers. As an S-AFMR member, you will have specific member benefits such as journal subscriptions, discounted meeting registration, and eligibility for awards such as the Henry Christian award. At the meetings, or through the mentorship links and virtual education on the website, participants enjoy the privilege of collaborating and networking with nationally and internationally recognized experts in multiple areas of basic and clinical research. AFMR members also enjoy significant discounts to publish their work in one of our internationally recognized and PubMed, Medline indexed journals - The Journal of Investigative Medicine and Journal of Investigative Medicine-High Impact Case Reports. These journals provide very timely and constructive peer review with very accessible and helpful editorial staff.

The hybrid meeting in 2022 was a success and it was wonderful to once again see everyone in New Orleans. The AFMR National Council meeting in Chicago at Translational Science was full of exciting reports from the regional meetings, research advocacy through AFMR partnerships, and prestigious awards. Dr. Agarwal and I were happy to represent the Southern Section at the National Council and we appreciate Southern’s own Dr. Samrat Das’s leadership during his year as President of AFMR.

There are many opportunities for members to get more involved both at the regional and national AFMR level on various committees. Just like the past two years, 2022 is shaping up to be a year of big changes, and with big changes come exiting opportunities for new collaborations. I hope you will join me in setting the course for the future of the Southern Section of the AFMR.

Stephanie Baer, MD
Chair, Southern Section Council

Gaurav Agarwal, MD Chair-Elect

Sheetal Kandiah, MD Secretary-Treasurer