The President's Letter
May 4, 2025
Dear SSCI Fellows and Members,
It is a pleasure to serve as the President of the SSCI for the 2025-2026 term. As I embark on this journey, I reflect back on the many years I have been involved in the Society. As a Nephrology fellow, I remember fondly attending the Southern Regional Meeting in 2002 to give my first oral presentation sharing my research work at the time. I walked away from the meeting energized and grateful for all the support and encouragement I received to pursue my academic career.
Fast forward to 2011 when I was elected a Fellow in the SSCI and, more recently, a Council member. I have witnessed since the steady growth of our society, welcoming new and young members and expanding its reach and scope.
This past year at our Southern Regional Meeting, we hosted 943 attendees including students, residents, fellows and faculty. We saw a record number of abstract submissions (881) across all disciplines. As the lead reviewer of the Renal and Hypertension session, I am proud to say we had the highest number of research abstracts to date that covered a broad spectrum of outstanding science presented. During SRM 2025, the SSCI distributed a total of $43,700 in awards.
The second year of our Tinsley Harrison Scholars program was again a resounding success as we welcomed eight scholars with promising scientific futures. Another great addition to the program was the Show Case of Science during our plenary session that allowed rising stars to share their research work.
The past few years, our society expanded its scope and welcomed Early Career Council members representing exceptional young scientists and educators. We increased our efforts to engage new institutions and new members from our region, and I hope that you would join us and serve as ambassadors for our Society. As we fulfill our mission to "advance medical research and the exchange of knowledge, information and ideas", we have vowed to "mentor future generations of medical investigators and promote careers in academic medicine". We keep our members at the heart of this mission and offer many opportunities for their professional career advancements.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the SSCI. The SSCI is pleased to announce a fundraising campaign entitled the "80 for 80 Club" in recognition of the 80th Anniversary of the SSCI in 2026. These funds will be used support the SSCI FAMe account to permanently endow eight research travel awards for the annual meeting. We are asking for a donation of $800 leading up to the celebration at SRM 2026 that will be held on February 26-28, 2026. Donors will be recognized at the annual meeting of the SSCI in 2026 as well as on the website. Members can join the club by making a single $800 contribution and can be paid in installments if desired.
I hope you join me in New Orleans February 26-28 to celebrate this remarkable milestone. I am confident you would enjoy the scientific presentations but also the camaraderie and connections with like-minded colleagues and friends.
See you soon!
Dana Rizk, MD, FSSCI
President, Southern Society for Clinical Investigation
Anupam Agarwal, MD Endowed Professor in Nephrology
Associate Dean for Clinical Trials, Heersink School of Medicine
Director of UAB Glomerular Kidney Disease Clinic
Director of Clinical Trials Research, Nephrology Division
