Plenary Lectures List

Streeten

Dr. David Streeten was an international authority on disorders of the adrenal gland, endocrine causes of hypertension, and autonomic and orthostatic disorders of the circulation. His interest in dysautonomia led him to establish, along with others, the American Autonomic Society, of which he was a President. He was a role model for patient-oriented researchers. His desire to help patients helped guide his clinical investigations for over 40 years.

— Taken from: Moses AM & Weinstock RS. In Memoriam: David H. P. Streeten. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 86(2): 471-472, 2001.

“I first met Dr. Streeten at the first AAS meeting I attended in 1992 `{`…`}`. I sat down with him at breakfast once to discuss a case, and he gave his full attention. One had the impression that he would have given you all the time in the world, and he thought deeply about clinical questions. `{`…`}` It’s people like him, in addition to the subject itself, that drew me to the field.”
– Dr. William Cheshire, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL

Streeten Plenary Lectures

  • 2025: Ben Levine, MD
  • 2024: Janice Gilden, Exploring the autonomic nervous system through an endocrine lens
  • 2023: Max Hilz, Central autonomic dysregulation due to stress and brain lesions and the effects of relaxation
  • 2022: Italo Biaggioni, The pathophysiology and clinical pharmacology of autonomic disorders. It takes a village
  • 2019: Eduardo Benarroch, Multiple system atrophy and brainstem control of survival
  • 2018: Roy Freeman, The art and science of clinical autonomic research
  • 2017: Horacio Kaufmann, Lessons my patients taught me
  • 2016: Kevin Shoemaker, Recruitment strategies in efferent sympathetic nerve activity: old hypotheses gain momentum in human multi-unit recordings
  • 2014: Christopher Mathias, The evolving nature of autonomic medicine in the new millennium–and peering into the mirror of Galadriel
  • 2013: Irwin Schatz, Lessons from the recent past: The Tuskegee Study
  • 2012: Mark Chapleau, The ‘ups and downs’ of blood pressure & baroreflex sensitivity – A historical and personal perspective
  • 2010: Wouter Wieling, An autonomic journey in only 30 seconds
  • 2009: Francois M. Abboud, Sensory signals in the development of neurogenic hypertension
  • 2008: David Goldstein, Catecholamines 101
  • 2007: Michael Joyner, POTS: Deconditioning, pseudodeconditioning, both or neither
  • 2006: Roger Hainsworth, Why guardsmen don’t faint
  • 2005: Felicia Axelrod, A world without pain or tears
  • 2004: Phillip Low, My journey with the autonomic nervous system
  • 2003: David Robertson, Volume and vasoconstriction in orthostatic intolerance
  • 2002: Robert Hoeldtke, Pathophysiology of diabetic autonomic polyneuropathy

Robertson

Dr. David Robertson founded the first center of excellence focused on autonomic disorders in 1979 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Dr. Robertson was a founding member of the American Autonomic Society, with the first informal meeting of the Society in his living room in Nashville in 1990. When the Society was formally incorporated, he became the first President of the American Autonomic Society in 1992.

He has had a highly distinguished scientific career with many important contributions to the study of autonomic disorders, including orthostatic hypotension and postural tachycardia syndrome. Perhaps most important to his legacy, Dr. Robertson trained several generations of autonomic researchers and clinicians, many of whom lead other autonomic centers around the world. Dr. Robertson was a mentor not only to those who spent time with him at Vanderbilt, but to many physicians and scientists from across the United States and beyond its shores. Dr. Robertson was also known for his kindness and support.

To honor the legacy of Dr. David Robertson, the American Autonomic Society created the David Robertson Lecture in Autonomic Disorders and an associated Robertson Fund in 2018. These continue as an annual tribute to this giant upon whose shoulders we stand.

Robertson Plenary Lectures

  • 2025: Manda Keller-Ross, DPT, PHD
  • 2024: Cyndya Shibao & Jens Jordan, David Robertson Memorial Event.
  • 2023: Qi Fu, Sympathetic regulation in human pregnancy
  • 2022: Victoria Claydon, Autonomic dysregulation in spinal cord injury
  • 2021: Aaron Phillips (Plenary Lecture), Spinal cord injury hemotherapeutics
  • 2019: Gregory Fink, Impact of obesogenic diet on autonomic regulation in a rat model of chronic spinal cord injury
  • 2018: Jens Jordan, The norepinephrine transporter and human cardiovascular disease
  • 2017: Italo Biaggioni, Pathophysiology of supine hypertension in autonomic failure

MSA

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is characterized by systemic autonomic dysfunction likely due to a combination of genetic and environmental exposures. With no known cure, MSA is the focus of autonomic researchers across the globe. To increase recognition for MSA as an autonomic disorder, and the scientists who relentlessly search for novel treatments, the American Autonomic Society established the MSA Plenary Lecture in 2017.

MSA Plenary Lectures

  • 2025: Victor Dieriks, PhD
  • 2024: Alessandra Fanciulli, Tribute to Gregor Wenning.
  • 2023: David Goldstein, “Sick-but-not-dead” catecholaminergic neurons: implications for pathophysiological mechanisms, early detection, and treatment of autonomic synucleinopathies
  • 2022: Shoji Tsuji, Exploring genetic bases to develop new therapeutics for multiple system atrophy
  • 2021: Daniel Claassen, Imaging methods for MSA
  • 2020: Sonja Scholz, Genetic and molecular characterization of multiple system atrophy
  • 2019: Ronald Postuma, The early stages of synucleinopathies: is prodromal MSA detectible?
  • 2018: Gregor Wenning, Multiple system atrophy: are we ready to tame the beast?
  • 2017: Pietro Cortelli, Sleep disorders in multiple system atrophy

Low

Dr. Phillip Low is a pioneer in autonomic neuroscience with well over 500 peer-reviewed publications and many seminal discoveries. He has been at the forefront of autonomic testing for 50 years and led the Autonomic Reflex Laboratory at Mayo Clinic for 20 years. Dr. Low is credited with establishing the quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test (QSART) and is a past president of the American Autonomic Society. He has also mentored over 50 physicians and scientists who are now leaders in autonomic neuroscience.

“Phillip Low took me under his wings and taught me everything I know today about autonomic testing, autonomic disorders, and how to be a successful researcher.”
– Dr. Wolfgang Singer, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

— Taken from: Jules Morgan. Phillip Low: the autonomic expert. Lancet Neurology. 17: 743, 2018.

Low Plenary Lectures

  • 2025: Michael Camilleri, MD, DSC
  • 2024: Ronald Schondorf, POTS: from orthostasis to intolerance.
  • 2023: Phillip Low, (Inaugural Low Plenary Lecture), Pivots in my career

Hot Topic/Historical Perspectives

The autonomic nervous system influences nearly all physiological processes and is integral to many disorders. When considered with the number of diverse and multidisciplinary investigators conducting innovative studies, it becomes impossible to categorize the dynamic landscape that is autonomic neuroscience into established plenary lectures. It is also important to recognize the seminal discoveries and historically-significant researchers responsible for shaping the field into its present state. This lecture series recognizes cutting-edge research, scientists who think “outside the box”, and honor those who have made lasting impact in autonomic research.

Hot Topic/Historical Perspectives Plenary

2025: Julian Paton, PhD (Burnstock Lecture)

2024: Vaughan Macefield (Historical Perspectives Lecture), History of microneurography: the work of Gunnar Wallin.

2021: Julian Paton (Hot Topic Plenary Lecture), A bionic era in medicine

2019: Amir Zarrinpar (Hot Topic Plenary Lecture), The gut microbiome: all hype or true hope?

2018:

  • Ron Wevers (Groundbreaking Research Plenary Lecture), A novel autosomal recessive orthostatic hypotension syndrome: a new kid on the block
  • Jeffrey Ardell (Hot Topic Plenary Lecture), Neuromodulation focused therapeutics for cardiac disease: structure/function foundations
  • Daniel Claassen (Cognitive Dysfunction in Autonomic Disorders Plenary Lecture), Norepinephrine and cognition: revisiting an old friend

2017:

  • Jean-François Brunet (Groundbreaking Research Plenary Lecture), The sacral autonomic outflow is sympathetic
  • Jeffrey Boris (POTS Plenary Lecture), Pediatric POTS: the blind men, the elephant, and the drone

2016:

  • Kevin J. Tracey (Plenary Lecture), Reflex circuits in immunity
  • Nisha Charkoudian (Plenary Lecture), Influences of female reproductive hormones on regulation of body temperature and blood pressure in humans

2015: Julian Thayer (Plenary lecture) Prefrontal regulation of the stress response: a neurovisceral integration perspective.

2014: Jordi Serra (Plenary lecture) The neurobiological basis of spontaneous pain in animals and humans.

2013: Harold Schultz (Plenary Lecture) The carotid body in heart failure: why is it important.

2012:

  • Vaughan Macefield (Plenary lecture) Master and commander: the brain and the autonomic nervous system.
  • Qi Fu (Plenary lecture) Autonomic responses to pregnancy.

2010:

  • Clifford Saper (Plenary Lecture). What is the mechanism for circadian rhythms of body temperature.
  • David Paterson (Plenary Lecture) Linking cyclic nucleotide regulation to the neural control of cardiac excitability: implications for therapeutic targeting.

2009:

  • Gail Thomas
  • William de Groat

2008:

  • Andries Kalsbeek (Plenary lecture) Daily rhythms in the autonomic nervous system: clock genes or the hypothalamus.
  • Eliezer Masliah (Plenary Lecture) Pathogenesis and treatment development in transgenic mouse models of multiple system atrophy and α-synuclein

2006:

  • Elspeth McLachlan (Plenary Lecture) Diversity and plasticity of sympathetic pathways.
  • Helen Fisher (Plenary Lecture) The drive to love: fMRI studies of romantic love and rejection in love.

2005:

  • Gunnar Wallin
  • Jack Gorman

2003:

  • Shaun Morrison
  • Jere Mitchell

2002:

  • Julian Thayer
  • David Goldstein