ICIS Awards:

2024 – ICIS-Joan Oefner Travel Award for Trainees: Named in honor of the International Cytokine & Interferon Society (ICIS) retiring Managing Director, whose dedication drove the society’s growth. This award will carry her legacy forward by supporting future leaders in cytokine research. Source: https://cytokinesociety.org/joan-oefner-travel-award/

2020 ICIS Distinguished Service Award in recognition for extraordinary contributions and service to the ICIS and to the cytokine research community at large. Source: https://cytokinesociety.org/2020/09/28/2020-icis-distinguished-service-award/

Past Clients Timeline:

1992: Joan started her company by taking over as the Executive Director of the SW Chapter, Society of Nuclear Medicine SWC, SNM (now the Southwestern Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging SWC-SNMMI) from her former boss, Justine Jean Parker, who was also managing the International Society of Analytical Cytology (ISAC) (now the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry ISAC) and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) from her office in San Francisco.

1993: Six month after that she would become the first Executive Director for the North American Society for Cardiovascular Imaging (NASCI), a society in its 3rd decade that was in decline but about to experience a revitalization of the field of Cardiac Imaging by taking the initiative in cardiac MRI. She established a formal office and hired her first employee, laying the foundation for growth. NASCI remains the leading multi-disciplinary, multi-modality society for the advancement of Cardiovascular Imaging, incorporating radiologists, cardiologists, physicists and industry representatives.

1995: A few years later, Rhema assumed management of the California Separation Science Society (CaSSS) (now CASSS, an International Separate Science Society), a nearly insolvent organization of analytical biochemists based in Silicon Valley. Under Rhema’s guidance, CASSS underwent a transformation, beginning with the launch of a highly successful new meeting, Well Characterized Biotechnology Pharmaceuticals (WCBP), now in its 29th year. The continued success of WCBP, along with the development of associated interest groups, helped evolve CASSS into a global community uniting industry, academic, and regulatory professionals committed to advancing biopharmaceutical development and delivery.

Society for Molecular Imaging (SMI) Executive Director, August 2002 – December 2006 (they moved to Germany with Joan in 2005) – Joan Oefner was appointed as the founding Executive Director of the newly established  Society for Molecular Imaging (SMI) (now the World Molecular Imaging Society WMIS) a forum for the development of new molecular imaging agents and approaches for different imaging modalities and their applications to more basic, preclinical research. Although there was a complimentary Society (the Academy of Molecular Imaging AMI) formed in parallel, the AMI focused on the clinical utility of novel molecular imaging, primarily PET. The SMI quickly gained momentum, driven by significant excitement around the potential of multimodal in vivo imaging in patient care. Joan played a pivotal role in establishing the Society’s foundation and reputation, overseeing membership and meeting growth to over 1,200 researchers and some clinicians, while fostering strong partnerships with industry stakeholders eager to support this emerging interdisciplinary field.

San Francisco Neurological Society (SFNS) Executive Director from 2002 – 2005 – The San Francisco Neurological Society continues to be an important part of Bay Area neurological and neurosurgical activity, both at Stanford, UCSF and UC Davis, as well as surrounding institutions and especially for those in private practice. The SFNS is accredited by the California Medical Association (CMA) to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.