ISTM News
Executive Board Teleconference Meeting
The ISTM is a dynamic and rapidly growing organization, resulting in ever more work for Executive Board members and committee heads. And, not surprisingly, ISTM officers reside in multiple countries scattered around the world. Face-to-face meetings generally occur no more than once a year, too infrequently to accomplish the large amount of work necessary to keep the Society "up and running." So Society officers - in addition to their usual ISTM workload - now communicate every few months via teleconference, most recently in September and December.
But scheduling teleconferences is no easy undertaking. Board members reside in Australia, Israel, India, and Nepal, as well as in many time zones across Europe and North America. The most feasible times for such 2-hour "get-togethers" are times that are least likely to interfere with members' other life activities - family chores, sleep, and work, to mention just a few. For the present Board, that time is early morning on the East Coast of North America and evening in India and Nepal. For teleconferences, some Board members rise early while others stay up late. Amazingly, at the "meetings," virtually everyone is accounted for: Prativa Pandey, Bradley Connor, Frank von Sonnenburg, Kevin Kain, Eli Schwartz, Nancy Jenks, Ron Behrens, David Freedman, Robert Steffen, Karl Neumann, Rebecca Acosta, Brian Gushulak, Charles Ericsson, Phyllis Kozarsky, Michele Barry, Santanu Chatterjee, Anne McCarthy, and Brenda Bagwell.
Reports of Committees
Publications Committee
Charles D. Ericsson, Chair
Task Force for Evidence Bases - The publications committee has activated the Evidence Bases Task Force, composed of select members of our journal's editorial board and the professional education, exam, nursing issues and publications committees. This task force is charged to come up with a priority list of topics for the development of evidence bases that underpin our practices. The task force will then assist in establishing writing panels. We hope to have one to two topics published in the Journal of Travel Medicine (JTM) each year.
Any member wishing to advise the task force on topics that they would like to see developed should communicate directly with me at charles.d.ericsson@uth.tmc.edu. Likewise, if any member wishes to volunteer as chair or member of a writing panel, please indicate your willingness and your topics of expertise to me so that I can begin to develop a list of interested experts.
CISTM Abstracts Publication - Charlie also noted that Blackwell, the new JTM publisher, would like to publish, as a supplement, the abstracts for each biennial Conference of the ISTM (CISTM). Discussion ensued on this topic with concerns over timelines and ISTM's financial risks for this endeavor and whether printing the abstracts would increase the impact factor for JTM. Following the discussion, a motion was made that the Executive Board would investigate the concept of publishing our CISTM abstracts as a supplement to JTM. This motion was approved.
Journal of Travel Medicine New Cover - Prativa Pandey, ISTM President, informed the Board that she had asked Blackwell to send to the Board four different versions of the proposed cover to provide more than one choice to vote upon. Robert Steffen, editor of the Journal, reported briefly on the background of the proposed Journal cover. Detailed discussion followed on all four choices. A motion was made and accepted to have as the new JTM cover the version with the pictograms.
Criteria for parties other than the ISTM - to reproduce and/or distribute an ISTM-generated or copyright-protected document.
A motion was made and seconded to accept this document as presented to the Board prior to the teleconference. The motion passed. The document says:
1. ISTM should be recognized in print as the generator of the document. The ISTM logo can be used.
2. The reproduction and distribution of the document should not be linked with a commercial effort or product in a way that might be construed as creating direct or implicit endorsement by ISTM of that effort or product. Examples of linkage include advertising on mailing wrappers or document covers, bundling of the document with industry or product information, or inclusion in the overall material any written or photographic items that might reflect poorly on the mission or image of ISTM.
However, organizations or groups, including industry, who are willing to print and/or distribute an ISTM document, can be recognized for their contribution. Wording should be a mutual decision between the Publication Committee and the organization. Options include:
a) "Printed and/or distributed in co-operation with Name and Logo"
b) "Printed and/or distributed with the support of Name and Logo"
3. Changes in the composition or layout of the ISTM document, as well as any other material in, or with, which the ISTM document will appear, require approval of
the publication committee. ISTM reserves the right to alter or edit the final product, which must be approved by the Publication Committee before reproduction or distribution.
4. ISTM shall not be financially liable for such reproduction or distribution.
5. The numbers of, and any measured impact arising from, the printing and/or distribution of such documents should be reported to the Publication Committee within one year of the printing.
Update on CISTM10, Vancouver, 2007
Kevin Kain, Scientific Chair
Kevin reported that the plans for the conference are going along very well. The Scientific Committee is complete, and the committee has very good global distribution. He noted that the Scientific chairs and local organizer will have a meeting in March to determine plenary and symposia topics. It was noted that a request to the membership for symposia and plenary sessions is being included in the annual membership mailing. Pre-meeting courses have yet to be determined.
As per a motion approved at the meeting of the Executive Board in Lisbon - all CISTM's are now overseen by the Conference Committee. For CISTM10 the committee consists of Prativa Pandey, Chair; David Freedman, Frank von Sonnenburg, Suni Boraston, Kevin Kain, and Brenda Bagwell. The committee members perform these tasks on a voluntary basis.
Professional Education Committee (PEC)
Michele Barry, Chair
ISTM president Prativa Pandey congratulated Michele on all the work the committee has done to date. Michele noted that her committee has met twice via teleconference and continues to correspond via e-mail. The following accomplishments and future ideas have been outlined for Executive Board discussion.
- Travel Medicine Slide Set. The original copy has been converted to PowerPoint slides and revised by Michele Barry and David Hill. The slides are generic in order to fit into a one hour lecture on travel medicine.
Issues to discuss:
a. How to distribute and sell the slide sets?
b. Can we copyright or place a disclaimer regarding changes to slides?
c. What are the costs involved?
d. Should we provide updates and future slide sets on more specialized travel medicine topics?
- "Expert Opinion" for Website Posting. This is a new cyber educational initiative proposed for the website and listserve. Lin Chen and Nancy Jenks are developing the first case. This project will be completed very soon. Open discussion will be encouraged for two weeks with the opportunity to be interactive with an expert discussant. The first case will be altitude illness prevention. The expert will be Alan McGill.
Issues to discuss:
a. If we have three teaching objectives, can we set this up for CME credit and generate money?
- Monograph on How to Start a Travelers' Clinic. Subcommittee: Alan Spira, Gail Rosselot, Lynne Bunnell, Steven Toovey, Marc Shaw, Annelis Wilder-Smith, Richard Dawood, Jane Chiodini. This monograph will be international in scope. An outline has been produced.
Issues to discuss:
a. How, where and whom to market to?
- PEC Proposal for off-site Exam Review Course for ISTM examination. This course would take place three to four months before the exam and alternate between Europe and USA.
Issues to discuss:
a. Should we have Blackwell involvement?
Secretary/Treasurer Report
David Freedman, the ISTM secretary/treasurer, reviewed the financial report that was submitted to the Board prior to the teleconference. He noted that the new reporting system is doing very well and that the balance sheets will be provided to the Board on a quarterly basis. He reminded all committee chairs that their budgets should be managed like a grant - that the amount of funding approved cannot be re-categorized without approval from the Finance Committee.
Practice and Nursing Issues (PNI) Committee
Rebecca Acosta, Chair
Jane Chiodini, Co-Chair
Openings on the Practice and Nursing Issues (PNI) Committee: The PNI Committee is currently seeking to fill several vacancies for nurse members from Canada (one or two), Europe (one from other than the UK), and from Asia, Africa or Latin America. At this time we have sufficient members from the US and UK and will recruit from those areas upon end of term limits, resignations or special project needs.
The PNI's central charge is to monitor and address practice and professional issues of particular interest to nurses, and promote communication and collaboration among nurses involved in travel medicine world-wide. To learn more about the responsibilities and current activities of the committee, please visit the ISTM website, "ISTM Committees" section. If you have the time and interest to get more involved, please contact: Rebecca Acosta, RN, Chair of PNI (address below).
US Nurses Needed to Investigate "Contact Hours" (CE/CEUs) for CISTM10 in Vancouver, Canada, May 2007. If you are a US nurse interested in contact hours for the Vancouver meeting, we need your help! A small special project task force of two US nurse volunteers is needed to help investigate the possibilities for offering CE at the Vancouver meeting. We need to find an accredited CE process compatible with the meeting format that will not exceed a reasonable input of ISTM resources. If a suitable process can be found, the task force will then provide guidance to the Program Committee and meeting organizers on the application process and other necessary components.
ISTM recognizes that CE's are important for many US nurses. However, this need must be balanced with the fact that ISTM is an international, multidisciplinary organization with a small administrative staff and relies on volunteers to do much of the work. It is essential that we get some volunteers to help on this important project. If you are interested in learning more and working on this special task force, please contact Rebecca Acosta at rwacosta@travelersmedical.com
Proposal for CISTM10, Vancouver, May, 2007: It's not too early to start thinking of symposia and workshops that may be of special interest to nurse attendees at the Vancouver meeting. Nurses have particular expertise and experience with the daily practice of travel medicine and practice in many unique and varied settings. If you have a unique and original idea for a poster, workshop, debate or symposia, we would love to hear from you.
In late winter 2006, the PNI will collate and submit a proposal to the Scientific Program Committee of workshops and symposia. The PNI conference proposal has helped bring attention to themes and topics of particular interest to nurse members and our suggestions have been included and highlighted at previous conferences. You can view the full Program and Book of Abstracts for CISTM9 (Lisbon, May 2005) at the ISTM website to get an idea of previous offerings.
Please contact us if you have any ideas or special interests.
Rebecca Acosta (USA) rwacosta@travelersmedical.com
Jane Chiodini (UK) janechiodini@btinternet.com
Nancy Jenks (USA)
npjenks@aol.com
Please remember that the Society is what is today through the dedication and collective effort and ideas of individual members. Getting involved and staying in touch is the best way to help the Society grow and work for you. We look forward to hearing from you.
Letter to the Editors
Dear Editor: I was fascinated by the Good Samaritan piece in ISTM NewsShare, November/December, 2005, but I felt compelled to remind you that our group published a paper on that topic in the first volume of the Journal of Travel Medicine (JTM), pages 143-146.
It's nice to know that the travel medicine community still likes to tell stories and relate their experiences. And it doesn't sound as though the distribution of helpers to non-helpers has changed a great deal over the past decade.
The subject is, however, an important one and deserves frequent exposure in the literature.
With kind regards,
Richard V. Lee, M.D.
State University of New York
Buffalo, New York
Ed. Comments: Good Samaritans or Reticent Bystanders? by Lucie A. Dimaggio, Susan E. Rubino, and Richard V. Lee which appeared in Volume 1 of JTM is very similar in purpose and format and came to very much the same conclusions as the recent survey that appeared recently in NewsShare. The JTM article sent questionnaires to ISTM members, while NewsShare queried ISTM members who belong to the ISTM listserv.
JTM was not indexed in 1994 and the present NewsShare editors were not aware of this article and therefore did not cite it. We apologize for the oversight.
Here are some of the findings of the 1994 JTM article. Doctors with particular interest in travel medicine are, on the whole, Good Samaritans, and will provide support and care for urgent or emergent medical problems to fellow travelers, fellow guests, and indigenous people. The decision to offer their services is shaped by specific circumstances, except for a tiny minority who refuse to become involved.
As Dr. Lee points out in his letter, the Good Samaritan instincts of ISTM members have not changed in the last decade.
Notice for Authors of Manuscripts for the Journal of Travel Medicine
Authors with Internet connections should submit all NEW manuscripts, including tables and figures, to the JTM submission website (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jtm), says the JTM Editorial Office. Loading instructions are given at this site. It will inform you anytime about the status of your manuscript by checking your author center. If you are not able to submit online, please contact the JTM Editorial Office at jtm.editor@istm.org. ManuscriptCentral is working for us!
News from other Travel Medicine Conferences
Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Meeting (MIM), Cameroon
Steve Toovey
ISTM members will all be familiar with the staggering burden that malaria places on developing countries, and the death toll which it exacts. MIM is dedicated to reducing that burden by attacking the disease from all angles: insecticide use, bed net deployment, drug development, field monitoring, funding, and political leverage amongst others.
The most recent MIM meeting took place in Yaoundé, capital of the West African country of Cameroon, from November 13th - 18th. Over 1800 delegates from more than 65 countries attended, from clinicians in the front line of the malaria fight, to 'back room' scientists involved in malaria genomics and parasite biology, to health systems researchers and bioethicists.
From the travel medicine perspective, there were a number of interesting sessions. These dealt mostly with the safety and efficacy of malaria treatments, and news on the effectiveness of bed nets in the developing world. Not surprisingly, bed nets were reported by most delegates as being pretty helpful in the fight against malaria.
A great deal of attention was paid to artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) for malaria, with a number of newer combinations presented. ACTs are not registered in some developed countries, but are being increasingly deployed in malaria endemic regions. ACTs comprise a combination of a quick acting artemisinin drug, derived from the Chinese herbal remedy 'qinhasu', and a slower acting partner drug which prevents treatment failure.
Overall, there was fairly solid agreement at the conference about the efficacy of ACTs. A session devoted to the safety of ACT at which I was a guest speaker was presented with new evidence on neurotoxicity, from a study in Ghana which found hearing loss in children treated with artesunate-amodiaquine or artemether-lumefantrine.
On the vaccine front, the news was that the 'RTS,S' vaccine demonstrated some efficacy in Mozambique. While not as effective as the average vaccine found in the travel clinic, the vaccine was able to significantly reduce the number of severe malaria attacks in Mozambican children. The vaccine should be seen as 'a work in progress,' pointing researchers in a hopeful direction.
Outside the conference hall, Yaoundé held interesting possibilities too, principally relating to food and entertainment. West African music is recognized for its vitality and drive, having garnered a strong international following. It has roots in traditional music, with jazz and Islamic influences evident too. Dining out can be an experience for the adventurous, with delicacies such as porcupine, lizard, crocodile, and viper appearing on menus. Beyond Yaoundé, Cameroon as a whole has a number of worthwhile tourist attractions, including a renowned primate reserve in Limbé.
The news from the Cameroon conference was mixed: there is hope that a high efficacy vaccine might be achievable one day, and that the drugs we have are working. But we need new molecules to fight the parasite. In the meantime, millions more will die before malaria is tamed.
Steve is involved in travel medicine practice and research in South Africa and Europe, and is a clinical tutor in travel medicine at the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London.
World Congress on "Medicine and Health in the Tropics
The World Congress on "Medicine and Health in the Tropics" was held in Marseilles in September, an event held every four years. This meeting incorporated the XVI International Congress for Tropical Medicine and Malaria of the International Federation of Tropical Medicine, the IV European Congress of the Federation of the European Societies of Tropical Medicine and International Health, and the VII International Congress of the "Société de Pathologie Exotique" (The French Society of Tropical Medicine). This Congress also commemorated the centennial anniversary of the Tropical Medicine Institute of the French Forces Medical Service.
Amongst the invited symposia was a session dedicated to travel medicine, a session which attracted a capacity audience. This apparently was the first planned travel medicine segment at this major tropical medicine World Congress. Chaired by Louis Loutan and Michael Rey, both past presidents of ISTM, the session included keynote papers on children and pregnancy given by Drs John (USA) and Leggat (Australia). This was followed by four proffered papers selected for oral presentation. The inclusion of the travel medicine symposium recognized the importance of the discipline in tropical medicine. The updated book of abstracts is still available at: http://www.iftm-pharo2005.org/PDF/MedTrop_23nov.pdf (accessed 5 January 2005)
The XVII International Congress for Tropical Medicine and Malaria will be held in South Korea in 2008.
Peter Leggat, James Cook University, Australia
