Message from Prativa

I am very honored to be entrusted with the responsibility of being president-elect of this prestigious Society. I never dreamt that I would be saying this but here I am asking for your goodwill and support to move the organization forward.

The ever changing issues in travel medicine make it imperative that the ISTM continues to educate travel medicine practitioners and the traveling public while encouraging research in areas that will form the scientific basis of our specialty in the future. As travel medicine/migration medicine grows in different parts of the world, the ISTM will continue to expand. Challenges for the Society will lie in integrating and embracing travel medicine practitioners from all parts of the world, despite language barriers and regional differences. The ISTM should also strive to play a key role in defining standards of practice in travel medicine, and to serve as a resource for those who are new or expanding their interest in this field. I hope to bring to the ISTM presidency a mix of western medical training and practice with 10 years experience in the world’s busiest destination travel medicine clinic.

Travel has become an essential part of human life. Only by travel will we understand each other in this global village. Travel and travel medicine will have its ups and downs but it is a specialty that will continue to grow. We need to continue to embrace and encourage new practitioners and support the ones who are already in the field. There is a strong need to educate our medical colleagues about our role in keeping people healthy while they travel. I hope that we all learn from each other, share ideas, and build bridges toward a safer and friendlier world.