In coming to this decision, SOBP leadership carefully weighed the risks to attendees and their families, colleagues, and patients. SOBP has concerns about the risk to healthcare systems given the medical profile of SOBP attendees and the consequences of potentially displacing healthcare workers during this critical time. Considering all the information available at the moment, SOBP leadership believes that cancelling the in-person conference is the responsible action to take. The health and safety of members, attendees, and the community is its top priority.

SOBP Annual Meeting attendees come from all over the world. Over the last two weeks, SOBP leadership learned that many institutions have placed both international and domestic travel bans on their employees for non-essential travel, inclusive of conferences.

Please know this has been an incredibly difficult decision to make for SOBP leadership. SOBP is a not-for-profit organization that depends heavily on its meetings to sustain its financial well-being. Cancelling the Annual Meeting has consequences not just for attendees and presenters but for the very existence of SOBP as a scientific society. Still, SOBP remains committed to its mission to advance the science and practice of biological psychiatry.