About us
The Boston Ithaca Islet Club was established in 1992 as an effort to attract scientists researching pancreatic islet function, development, growth, immunology and transplantation and their implication in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Participants include graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and established investigators from across the Northeast US and Canada.
Through the years, the BIIC has proven to be an invaluable opportunity for scientific discussions and interactions that have strengthened many collaborations and friendships. Historically, this meeting has ensured an excellent turnout, allowing senior faculty to cement relationships and junior trainees to boost their careers. Indeed, one of the main focus of the meeting are trainees; the vast majority of presentations are from graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. In this way, the BIIC has contributed to forming of several generations of islet biologists, many of which are now Principal Investigators involved in the organization and running of this meeting.
The initiative to form this warm and collegial event originated from a letter that Dr. Geoffrey Sharp (Cornell University) sent to Dr. Susan Bonner-Weir and Dr. Weir (Joslin Diabetes Center), Dr. Barbara Corkey (Boston University) and Dr. Aubrey E. Boyd (Tufts New England Medical Center) where he encouraged “good scientific discussion, informal presentation of research, free sharing of ideas and current data, development of research collaborations, general good fellowship and activities that bring people together”.
And the rest is history! This year marks the 31th meeting of the BIIC and we look forward to many more.
A note from founding member Dr. Geoffrey W. G. Sharp:
The Boston-Ithaca Islet Club was founded in 1992 when the first meeting was held at the Joslin Diabetes center with more than 70 attendees.
Dr. Sharp wrote the following as to how the Club came into existence:
“At a time when I was going backwards and forwards between Ithaca and Boston, collaborating with Mark Donowitz at Tufts, I noticed that eminent pancreatic islet and b-cell researchers had either migrated to, or were migrating to Boston.
Susan Bonner-Weir and Gordon Weir moved from the Medical College of Virginia to the Joslin and Harvard. Barbara Corkey came from the University of Pennsylvania to Boston University. Chris Boyd arrived from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston to join Tufts. Chris was the latest of these arriving researchers in 1990. It seemed like a wonderful opportunity to develop some collaborations. This was especially true for me as I was essentially isolated in Ithaca! (“When you set out on your journey to Ithaca, pray that the road is long”). After talking and e-mailing with Susie, Gordon, Barbara and Chris, I pushed for an initial meeting at which we would present our work and that of anyone else who would like to participate. The result was amazing.
The first meeting was held on April 3rd, 1992. Remarkably, over 70 people participated in the meeting. Meetings have been held once or twice each year, with enthusiastic participation by senior and junior researchers alike. Attendance has ranged from over 70 at the first meeting, to sometimes over 100, with the usual being between 80 and 100. Participation in the meetings has expanded from the founding group in Boston and Ithaca and has included participation by groups from Buffalo, Montreal, Toronto and Quebec, New Haven, Syracuse, Washington, New York, Worcester and occasional participants from Philadelphia, Richmond, and other places. Clearly, the club was filling a real need.
The goals of the club have been constant from the outset. In 1992 we determined that our goals should include “…informal presentation of research, free sharing of ideas and current data, the development of research collaborations and general good fellowship.” All of these have been achieved. In addition, the club has emphasized the development of young researchers. At our meetings, new and unpublished data are discussed freely, and young researchers present their findings to a critical yet friendly and supportive audience. As a direct result of these meetings, collaborative research efforts have blossomed.
Existing for more than 30 years and still going strong is a great achievement.”