MSACL 2008

November 1-5, 2008
Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa

MSACL 2008 SESSION PROGRAM with Abstracts
USER: msacl
PASS: 12345

MSACL 2008 Stats
270 Attendees
10 Exhibitors

The inaugural year. The MSACL conference, through the generous support of industry donors and many individuals, was successfully launched. Surprisingly, for the first year of a conference, over 270 individuals were in attendance.

The conference opened on Saturday November 1, 2008 with a weekend of short courses providing both introductory and advanced tutorials on usage and applications in mass spectrometry. Dr. Deftos opened the main session Sunday evening with his entertaining and informative keynote presentation on Vitamin D. The following three days were an immersion in mass spectrometry with two tracks each day -- over morning and afternoon sessions -- covering a multitude of topics regarding applications in the clinical lab.

A benefit of this first conference was its retreat-like quality: a serendipitous result of the right mix of the right people in comfortable surroundings. While there was plenty of opportunity for interaction with other attendees there was just as much opportunity to focus on one's own thoughts while meandering along the footpaths around Mission Bay. And with session rooms immediately adjacent to one another, and the Exhibit Hall just down the corridor, the next presentation or event was merely steps away.

Besides a relaxing locale, stimulating presentations, and an inquisitive, knowledgeable and interactive attendee base, an aspect that will be a hallmark of MSACL for years to come is the selection of fine wines available at the conference receptions. It really is the only way to balance out the host of engaging presentations that make this successful meeting.

The conference closed on Wednesday night with a Mexican Fiesta at the University of California San Diego Birch Aquarium. Situated in the heart of the aquarium, attendees mingled and drifted through the aquarium exhibits in an unusual opportunity to enjoy a private viewing of the aquarium's sea life.

I had a great time and I'm looking forward to the next MSACL meeting in 2010 at the Hyatt Mission Bay in San Diego. Hope to see you there!

Dave Herold, MD, PhD
Conference Chair and Founder