For those who participate in clinical or research activities in gastroenterology, Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) is one of the main events of the year. DDW 2024 had over 14,300 attendees which is significant for exposure. As such, presenting your work at DDW is a tremendous opportunity, and I highly encourage you to submit your work for several reasons.
1. Get Critical Feedback
Whether your work is accepted for oral or poster presentation, there are likely to be several attendees who notice your work and want to discuss your results. These people may provide you with advice that helps your research continue to progress.
2. Build Your Network
These same people who attend your poster or oral presentation might become important contacts, collaborators or mentors as your career progresses, especially if your work sparks a great conversation!
3. Improve Communication and Presentation Skills
In an academic career, the ability to present your work in a clear, concise and effective way is necessary for others to get excited about your work. DDW is a great forum for improving these skills.
4. Learn From Others
When you present, you not only share your work, but also have the chance to learn what other cutting-edge research is being done in your field and other related fields. Additionally, you get the chance to observe other highly skilled lecturers give a presentation and learn from their style.
5. Attending DDW is Fun!
Most importantly, attending DDW is a break from your usual clinical and research work. If you have an abstract accepted for presentation, it’s a great reason to travel to the conference and enjoy learning about what others are doing in the field. In my experience, presenting my work and seeing others present theirs inspires curiosity and creates a positive energy to bring back to the laboratory and clinic.
