About the DEUEL Conference on Lipids

The Deuel Conference on Lipids was organized by a small group of eminent West Coast investigators who were interested in lipid metabolism. Their goal was to establish a high-quality conference on lipids within the western part of the country, akin to forums provided by the Gordon Conferences on the east coast. Shortly after the Conference was organized, one of the founders, Dr. Harry Deuel, died—and the conference was named in his memory. Since 1955, the conference has been held at a variety of resorts along the West Coast. The Conference is always held in the first week of March.

The two-and-one-half day conference includes five scientific sessions, beginning Wednesday morning and running until Friday. An eminent lipid scientist chairs each session and introduces speakers. Each session includes three to four original scientific presentations followed by in-depth discussions of the topic. Lively discussions by conference participants are the highlight of the meeting.

The relatively small size of the audience, a round-table format, and the absence of videotaping or recording encourage informality and the free interchange of new hypotheses and scientific data.

Until 1968, Dr. L.W. Kinsell organized the meeting. Since that time, the leadership of the Conference has rotated among lipid experts in the Western United States and Canada. Nearly all of the original policies of the Conference have been preserved, both to maintain the informal atmosphere and to provide the depth and breadth of expertise required for a high-quality scientific meeting.

To insure informality and open discussions, participation in the meeting has been limited to approximately 100 attendees. A large group of lipid scientists in the West are informed about the upcoming scientific program and are invited to apply to attend the meeting. The program chairperson selects participants on the basis of the relationship of the applicant’s research interests to the scientific program. Each participant provides his/her own travel and living expenses. All attendees are expected to be present for the entire Conference.

Funds to defray conference costs and the travel expenses of speakers are sought from companies that have a general interest in the areas of lipid metabolism, atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Donors are extended the privilege of participating fully in the Conference. However, because of the limited size of the meeting and its overall popularity, it has become necessary to restrict each company to two participants, with a minimum donation of $2,500/attendee.

More than any meeting in the lipid field, The Deuel Conference on Lipids provides a collegial and informal setting for close interactions between scientists from industry and academia.