The President's Column

Prativa Pandey, MD, President, ISTM

In spite of the continued threats of terrorism, war, and natural disasters, travel continues to be on the rise.

It has been a wonderful year for the ISTM. The regional conference in Edinburgh where ISTM partnered with nine other European societies was a resounding success. Regional conferences have a special appeal, with regional topics getting a fair share of the scientific program. The Edinburgh conference was no different in this regard. During this conference, ISTM held a very important meeting with the leaders of national societies in Europe to explore potential areas of collaboration in order to advance the field of travel medicine.

With Edinburgh behind us, we are gearing up for Vancouver in a big way. This Conference promises to be exciting, dealing with new frontiers and bringing to you what is new and changing in the field while keeping track of issues that are important in our day-to-day practice. The conference venue is superb and the city is beautiful and welcoming with very friendly people. Please mark your calendar for important dates regarding the conference.

We have been moving along in all areas of importance to the Society. The journal of Travel Medicine (JTM) is reaching libraries across the world. The ISI impact factor has gone up from 0.766 in 2004 to 1.329 in 2005, placing us among many respected journals that were established long before JTM. Our thanks go to the journal editors, publication committee and those of you who have sent quality research papers. Please continue to do so. I am also thrilled to report that all back issues have been digitized and can be accessed electronically by members and others thanks to our publisher, Blackwell Publishing.

Our partnership with WHO is also moving along nicely. ISTM had been asked to write chapters on Travel by Sea and Migrant Health for inclusion in the WHO's International Travel and Health publication, also known as the "Green Book". Some of our dedicated members with expertise in the field have written the chapters. We look forward to ISTM getting due recognition for this collaborative effort.

In response to the ongoing requests from membership to hold preparatory courses for the ISTM certificate of knowledge examination in Travel Medicine (CTH), such courses will be held in the US and UK in February 2007. Much effort has gone into these courses. I hope that our members and non-members who are sitting for the examination will make use of them. The CTH examination will be held in Vancouver prior to the start of the conference.

I would like to remind everyone that ISTM is giving out research grant awards once per year starting this year. This award program is publicized on our website and in NewsShare. Please make use of this excellent opportunity to obtain funding for research in travel medicine, including migrant health issues.

The Executive Board officers and committees of the Society have been very active in dealing with issues that are important to members. The time has come for choosing new Society officers for the vacant positions created by outgoing members. I would like to urge you to get involved and participate in the process. Please fill out and send the ballot papers back to our office in Atlanta. And take a moment and send an email to me if you have any ideas to share or suggestions to improve our Society. My email address is pandey@mos.com.np.

Hope you had a nice summer and I look forward to seeing you in Vancouver.

With best wishes,

Prativa