The AHA will experiment with a new schedule for the award ceremony and the presidential address at the 2014 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. The awards will be presented on the evening of Thursday, January 2, immediately before the plenary session. Kenneth Pomeranz will deliver the presidential address on Friday, January 3, beginning at 5:00 p.m. This new schedule replaces the old General Meeting, combining the awards and presidential address, which typically ran from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Friday evening.

The change is in response to concerns raised by members about the length of the Friday evening event. We hope that the new schedule will attract a larger audience for the presidential address, which will begin a half-hour after afternoon sessions end at 4:30, allowing attendees to hear the address before leaving for dinner. The award ceremony, which will be preceded by light refreshments, will serve as a formal opening for the meeting.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.