Abstract
Decluttering has many advantages. In a few months we will move into a smaller house, and that also means sorting through piles of papers and, at the same time, recollecting memories. The first Newsletters of the Academy, made by Anne Eglash, the first email exchanges with some members, and then, the paperwork of my first conference, October 2001 in Washington D.C. Of course it was a very special conference, shortly after 9/11, with many cancelling their journey. But my colleague Skadi Springer and I decided to go, and shared a room, together with two others in two queen size beds, to save costs.
Everything was new and exciting: the preconference on the scientific background of breastfeeding medicine, presented by Dr. Miriam Labbok, the conference with, for me, brand-new research and thoughts, not yet found in books or journals, the reception, where I had the honor to shake hands with the then Surgeon General, David Satcher, the tour through Washington D.C. with all the monuments, and the contact with so many participants, who had the same passion for breastfeeding medicine. Some of these contacts still last, and from that moment I knew, that it was not strange to be passionate about breastfeeding medicine—that this was the preventive medicine I wanted to serve.
Many conferences followed, each with their own experiences, like the first lecture I heard (2003) on self-attachment of an infant, held by Dr. Tina Smillie, the impressive information about Breast Milk Jaundice by Dr. Vinod Bhutani (2012), or the lecture on breast masses by Dr. Katrina Mitchell. The founders lectures, the Top 10 Hitparade (now Top 5) of Dr. Arthur Eidelman, the abstracts from so many colleagues, the platform discussions and above all, the intensive exchange with our colleagues to bring our field forward and to encourage each other are the central elements of each meeting.
These conferences also inspired to start regional and national meetings in Europe and Australia/New Zealand, in Israel, and Ukraine. And other smaller-scale physician-oriented conferences will follow, to offer more colleagues easy access to breastfeeding medicine and to the discussions on a broad range of topics that are interesting for many medical specialists.
During the COVID pandemic, it was not possible to have live conferences, so we started the virtual meetings. And although these meetings have completely different characteristics, they also offer us new opportunities, we can reach out to all our members and colleagues, even if they cannot attend a conference in person due to financial or time constraints. The last conferences were in hybrid form, but this has the disadvantage that the live stream is only available at suitable times for U.S. participants.
The Board of Directors has now decided to go new ways. After careful thought and data-driven analysis, ABM has decided that the 2025 Annual Meeting will be a fully virtual experience, taking place during the second week of November. This decision reflects our commitment to financial sustainability, global accessibility, and high-quality educational programming for our international community.
The 2025 Global Breastfeeding Experience with ABM will offer an engaging, interactive format designed to connect attendees across time zones. Through expert-led education, live discussions, and networking opportunities, we’re ensuring that this conference continues to be a vibrant, impactful experience for all. It also will be an opportunity to reach out to all our members, wherever they are.
As ABM reaches 30 years of advancing breastfeeding medicine, we look forward to recognizing this milestone throughout our programming, while also planning a more celebratory event at our next in-person experience in 2026. By making a fiscally responsible choice for 2025, we are strengthening our ability to support meaningful, in-person gatherings in the future.
More details about our call for abstracts will be shared soon, and we can’t wait to showcase the incredible research and innovations shaping breastfeeding medicine today! The Board is hopeful that we might engage more of our international members with this format—which is an exciting benefit, as our Board Member Nicole Hackmann expressed it. But at the same time, we will start working on the next in-person meeting—and hope this will be soon in 2026. Stay tuned!