My very best greetings to all of you!!
As the current President of IFHIMA, I am happy to reach out to you at this point, as we are currently 14 months out from the next IFHIMA Congress, the 17th Congress, scheduled in Montreal, Canada on May 13-15, 2013. Plans are very much underway with significant information already on this web site. I hope you are all making plans in your countries for as many to attend this Congress as is possible.
I have also been contacting all of you relative to your dues payments for 2011, and now 2012. Not all countries have paid their dues for 2011 and I have contacted you specifically in this regard. The Executive Board will need to decide at its next meeting if those countries will be eligible to vote on issues that come before the Congress, if they have not been a member continuously through the period since the last Congress. Our membership chair, Darley Petersen has worked very hard this year in the membership area, and has sent timely reminders to all members, both national members and individual members, regarding dues.
Please check this web site on a regular basis and assure that we have the correct names listed in the Director and Deputy Director slots. Directors and Deputies are appointed for a three year term. Our web site is our window to the world.
Other requests are that each of you consider contributing to the Global News by sending articles for publication to Angelika Haendel, editor, who has done a fabulous job now for several years in this regard. Our success here is clearly linked to the contributions from members and countries. Send along to me information for posting to the web site, meetings going on in your countries and the like. We depend so much on the contribution of our members. If you enjoy Global News, consider contributing to the next issue.
Registration for the 17th Congress is already open. Watch for the deadlines for the abstract submission, and scholarship opportunities. Also, you can go directly to the Congress web site at www.ifhimacongress2013.com. Please plan on arriving in Montreal by Friday May 10, 2013, as there will be some pre-meetings on Saturday, as well as the General Assembly on Sunday. The official opening of the Congress will be on Monday the 13th of May, 2013.
Our work on the board of IFHIMA this year is outstanding. The IFHIMA Europe group, with the good work of past president Lorraine Nicholson, is making great strides on many fronts, including the AHAIP true European Innovation Partnership focusing on enabling ageing EU citizens to lead healthy, active and independent lives. Lorraine, with the assistance of Carol Lewis of the US, has also worked on streamlining the guidelines for countries wishing to establish an HIM association. Again, check the web site.
Other directors and board members have been equally as busy—their activities are too numerous to mention in this letter, but please go to the web site to see activities of our executive board in the Western Pacific, Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, The Americas, and South East Asia. You’ll find their names and emails on this letterhead. A big thank you goes out to Angelika, Lorraine, Joon, Marci, Stuart, Yukiko, Sallyanne and Darley. We could not do it without each of you.
Thank you for your contributions to IFHIMA. We are only successful because of our members, Directors and Executive Board. Please outreach to others and bring them along in our wonderful virtual organization.