CCHCSP 19th Annual Virtual Symposium 2021

Scientists are used to, or rather, get used to adversity on a daily basis. Often, things don’t go as planned. Experiments don't bring the expected results and publications and grants are rejected many times before finally being accepted. Handling obstacles and rejection and finding new solutions to continue is the daily business of a scientist. How do we keep our research vision alive amidst all these disappointments? How do we progress and remain sane even when faced with all these challenges? This year’s symposium addresses these themes. The 19th Annual CCHCSP Symposium is titled: Championing Our Vision to Influence Destiny. This title reflects that the first step to succeed in research is your vision. You need a vision for your career and for your research work - it is precious; you have to nurture it, guard it, make it evolve, and stay true to it. In pediatric health research, a vision typically starts with compassion for children and youth who are ill or who have problems that cannot be resolved by current knowledge. Compassion leads to curiosity as to how the suffering could be alleviated or how the problem could be resolved. Curiosity leads to commitment to seek a solution. Those with vision turn ideas into actions, and actions become solutions. So never forget, never give up, and continue to champion your vision to influence destiny.