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The stem cell field is rapidly propelling forward, with recent research revealing novel insights into developmental and cellular biology, underlying disease processes, and potential therapies to treat life-altering diseases and injuries. Stem cell science is at the leading edge of biomedicine. The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual meetings are key to highlighting the latest in the field: new findings and innovative technologies that advance the field in both basic and clinical research. This year, we are modifying the scientific program at the meeting, with the goal of underscoring the continuum of research between the lab bench and clinical application. Each plenary session in 2019 will be organized around tissue type and will feature speakers who approach questions about development and disease from a variety of angles. For example, researchers looking at the molecular mechanisms of cardiac development might share the stage with those trying to treat coronary heart disease. By connecting the different disciplines, we contextualize the breadth of research for the audience and speakers alike. The new format embraces and highlights the diversity of the ISSCR constituency and allows increased interdisciplinary interactions, which we hope will foster meaningful discussions. The talks will also be shorter to accommodate more speakers and to encourage speakers to present more focused stories. Attendees from diverse specialties will see and appreciate the arc of research from bench to bedside in all major tissue types. We’ve also developed a new approach that will showcase the talents of the next generation of scientists. For the first time, 15 plenary speaking spots will be dedicated to abstract-selected speakers, giving young researchers the chance to share their work with the entire community. With about 135 abstract-selected talks overall, the 2019 meeting will showcase more junior speakers than ever before. We encourage abstract submitters to read an article appearing in this edition of Stem Cell Reports by Andrea Ditadi and Christopher Sturgeon to learn how to most effectively write a scientific abstract and enhance the chances you will be selected to present your work. Researchers at any career stage can do a transformative experiment that changes what we know and reshapes how we think about biomedicine. There is no better example of this than John Gurdon, whose work on nuclear transplantation began when he was a graduate student. Gurdon will be speaking at the Presidential Symposium that opens the meeting, and he’ll be followed by today’s innovative junior and senior scientists who will present throughout the meeting. The meeting will conclude with a keynote speech by Shinya Yamanaka. Stem cells are and will be a powerful tool for understanding human development and treating disease for the foreseeable future. Through the new meeting approach, we hope to ignite inspiration, renew energy, and motivate collaborations. Join us June 26–29 in Los Angeles, U.S., where more than 4,000 researchers from across the globe will gather to explore the clinical applications and fundamental science of stem cells. Let Me Speak! A Reviewers’ Guide to Writing a Successful Meeting AbstractSturgeon et al.Stem Cell ReportsDecember 11, 2018In BriefLearning how to write a great abstract is essential to one’s career and key to being selected as an abstract-selected speaker. As meeting abstract reviewers, we are writing to give you key insights into the abstract review process and tips to help increase your chances of landing on that podium. Full-Text PDF Open Access