About the SocietyUpcoming Conference
Next Conference: Making Menstruation Matter, June 2013
The 20th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, Making Menstruation Matter, will be hosted in in New York City, June 6-8, 2013.
Planning is underway for the 20th biennial meeting in New York in 2013. Headed up by Ingrid Johnston-Robledo, our Conference team consists of David Linton, Christina Bobel, Peggy Stubbs and Alexandra Jacoby.
At the conference, we will bestow the first “Making Menstruation Matter” award to Gloria Steinem, author of the classic piece, “If Men Could Menstruate.”
The call for proposals is here.
Previous Conferences
The 19th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research took place in Pittsburgh, PA, June 2-4, 2011. The conference theme, Embodied Consciousness, Informed Choices: Critical Perspectives on the Menstrual Cycle drew provocative presentations from continuing SMCR members as well as a record number of international researchers. Highlights included a keynote address by Dr. Sharra Vostral, Associate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies and History at the University of Illinois, and author of Under Wraps: A History of Menstrual Hygiene Technology (2008), who focused on the innovation of Rely tampons and the emergence of Toxic Shock Syndrome.
In addition, two plenary panels were presented: 1) stigma associated with menstruation, broadly considered, and 2) sustainable menstrual management in both developing and developed countries. Two additional plenary presentations included talks by Alexandra Jacoby who described her 10 year project, vagina vérité® and Dacia Charlesworth, Associate Professor of Communication at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, who offered an analysis of Tampax’s Zack 16 marketing campaign.
A detailed report of the conference is available in the Fall 2011 edition of the Society’s newsletter.
The 18th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research took place in Spokane, Washington, June 4-6, 2009.
The conference theme, “Menstrual Moments: Media Messages About Menstruation”, was celebrated with David Linton’s keynote address, “The Rise of the Happy Period: From Shame to Humor in Mediated Menses”, as well as many other presentations about various ways menstruation is represented in media, including films, medical textbooks, advertising campaigns, magazine advice columns, zines, charity campaigns, and other topics.
The conference also featured screenings of several films related to menstruation, and a special presentation by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff, editor of My Little Red Book. A detailed report of the conference is forthcoming is available in the Fall 2009 edition of the Society’s newsletter.