Awareness Campaigns - January is National Birth Defects and Prevention Month.  We can partner
with other groups that have events during this month.  Possible resources include CDC, NCBDDD, MOD,
NBDPN. Tina has recently represented the society at
the NBDPN meeting in Washington.  Result: This is an activity that can begin now but will be ongoing.  Planning for participation in January will be addressed by this WG and the PAC.

3.  Student Training/Embryology Courses.  The Teratology Society needs to investigate partnering with groups like The Academic Edge for the development and distribution of training materials related to teratology and teratogen avoidance.  A major resource for this activity is the Teratology Primer.  This is a longer term set of activities. 

The Work Diagram has been updated, and the WG has recently evaluated the role and charge of the Public Affairs Committee and has suggested some revisions in the PAC charter to be discussed by the PAC.

Communications: Ed Carney and George Daston

The top priority of the WG had been the re-design of the website.  The charge of the WG had a high degree of overlap with the Website Committee.  The WG will provide other top priority topics from the discussions that have occurred within the group.  Result: The revised website will be rolled out at the June meeting.

The Work Diagram will be updated and available for the June Meeting.  There were no changes needed in the structure of the Website Committee.

Membership: Barbara Abbott and Kok-Wah Hew

This is probably the largest WG with many members who were not at the Strategic Planning Meeting.  From the call held by the group the three top priorities are

1. Outreach and recruitment:  proposals include design and presentation of CE courses at other society meetings.  This may require a separate committee to be assembled.

2. Engaging members: proposal to look closely at current committee memberships and through selection process or ad hoc appointments, make sure each committee has a 'senior' member, a new member [< 5 yrs membership] and a student.  Also look to leverage the members who volunteer to be on committees.

3. Member retention:  Focus of discussion for this priority has been on the number of emeritus and soon-to-be emeritus members of the society.

 The Work Diagram will be updated for the June meeting.  The WG will provide its recommendations for the structure and charge of the current Membership Committee.  Result: By-Laws changes will be presented to the membership at the June meeting.  One proposal that may require an opinion of the By-laws committee is to have appointments of incoming committee members made by the incoming President before the June meeting so those individuals could attend the committee meeting at the Annual Meeting.

Annual Meeting: Sonja Rasmussen and Tina Chambers

The top priorities for the WG were:

1. Integration of planning of the 3 societies

2. Addition of CME credits

3. Increased engagement by the outside speakers with the meeting and membership.
Result: This WG has acted on many of the suggestions for the Annual Meeting and have incorporated them into this year’s agenda.

The Work Diagram will be updated for the June meeting.  The program committee is a yearly ad hoc committee so there are no by-law implications.  However, if longer term integration of the 3 societies is undertaken, a change may be needed in this committee, or another committee may have to be formed.

Shared Scientific Identity: Elaine Faustman and Shelley Tyl

This WG has begun its discussion of priorities.  The Work Diagram will be updated for the June meeting.  An emerging proposal from this WG is the possible need for a Science committee to carry out the WG priorities.  The suggestion is that this group will be formed as an ad hoc committee with a limited duration [3 yrs] with a review to determine whether to make is a standing committee. •