VOLUME 26, ISSUE 4 • DECEMBER 2022 Full issue »
Young Members Group brings fresh ideas to Congress
After two years of virtual meetings, the MDS congress has finally returned to the in-person format. Interestingly, the first official, opening happening of the Congress was the Young Members Group (YMG) Networking event the night before the actual sessions started.
It was a grand success, attended by many young members from around the world. The event allowed for a relaxed and informal reunion with the participation of young and — as pointed out by the President of the Society, Prof. Francisco Cardoso, during his talk — not-so-young members! This ceremony was the first of a series of YMG events and sessions throughout the Congress that allowed young members to get together and talk about current and future activities.
During the first day of the actual Congress, the YMG also inaugurated another nice part of the meeting: The MDS Theatre. In the YMG talk at the MDS Theatre, the crowd was invited to participate in an open conversation with the Steering Committee on the needs of the young members for the years to come. As co-chairs of this group, it was a pleasure to see the active participation of our colleagues, as well as the diverse background of our young members, with people joining from all the continents and with different positions (basic scientists, allied healthcare professionals, medical students, residents, fellows, professors…). It was very enriching to see people share their experiences and ideas in such an enthusiastic manner.
On the same day, the YMG business meeting was in one of the main conference rooms. This gave the Steering Committee the possibility to have a discussion about the tasks that have been completed since the creation of the group, and to have new ideas on other potential activities for the upcoming years to keep responding to the needs of the young members. Apart from discussions on the regular YMG activities and opportunities, the need to evolve communication strategies, especially with respect to social media, was discussed extensively.
To sum up, the main highlight of the meeting for the young members was that we were able to see each other again in person, and to actively connect with a large number of colleagues from several parts of the world who will very likely contribute to the future of our Society and of the movement disorders scientific community. The many ideas received from our colleagues put us to work as soon as the congress finished, but we happily did so considering how energetic and eager to participate they were.
Once again, we are humbled and inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of our young members, who have reinforced our positive vision of the future and renewed our strength to keep supporting an engaged young community that will continue and better our current work.
Learn more about the MDS Young Members Group and their ongoing work.
Read more Moving Along: