Happy New Year! Things are off to an exciting start in
2009, with a new administration and restructuring
going on all around us. This brings some opportunities
for the Society and our members. One important step
for the Society, stemming from the Strategic Plan, has
been the establishment of an ad hoc Science Committee
co-chaired by Elaine Faustman and Tom Knudsen. This
multidisciplinary group will tackle several of the
diverse needs of the Society, including establishing a
science agenda, communication of the Society’s
mission and the work of teratologists to the public
through new channels including a web-based medical
encyclopedia, and interface with other major scientific
initiatives, such as the National Children’s Study. For
more about this, see Carole Kimmel’s informative
article in this issue of the Newsletter. We will look
forward to hearing more about the plans and progress
of this Committee in the coming months and how
Society members can become more involved.
A free-standing Teratology/Embryology Education
Course is another exciting work in progress that
addresses several of our Strategic Planning goals for
visibility and communication. Kok-Wah Hew
chairs an ad hoc committee that is developing this
course in collaboration with the Society of
Toxicology. This event is planned for 2010 and will
meet an important educational need for individuals
in a variety of different academic, regulatory,
industry, and other settings.
The Society’s 50th Anniversary is fast approaching.
The Planning Committee for the Anniversary
meeting is chaired by John Rogers. I encourage you
to contact John with ideas for this celebration and
how we can honor our rich history, as well as
leverage this into a productive future 50 years.
By now you have undoubtedly perused the 2009
meeting preliminary program, and are excited about
the content as well as the venue. Barbara Hales and
her Program Committee have worked hard to make
this meeting come together and ensure that it is
everything you are looking for and more. We look
forward to a banner year in abstract submissions,
and student attendance. Sponsorship opportunities
are still available, and any level of support would be
welcomed. Events still available for sponsorship
include: the banquet and banquet reception, poster
session receptions and the welcoming reception, as
well as general meeting sponsorship.
And finally, another friendly reminder about annual
renewal of membership. The $126 membership
dues represent a great value in today’s market, and
are an incredibly important source of revenue that
supports the Society’s activities. If you have not yet
completed this task, please consider doing so using
the on-line dues payment option as an easy method.
You will find this in the “members only” section of
the website. You will also note that this year we
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