From its beginnings in 1959 as the Early Clinical Drug Evaluation Units (ECDEU) meeting and subsequently under the name New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (NCDEU) to now the ASCP Annual Meeting, the conference has expanded and added new features to become the key meeting in this domain, bringing together academic investigators, industry scientists, U.S. and international regulators from FDA and EMA, National Institutes of Health components including NIMH, NIDA, NIAAA and many other professionals working in drug development and clinical trials. It provides the opportunity to present and hear new findings many of which can impact the care of patients now and with over 1,000 attendees, it is the place for networking, planning and the training of young investigators.