President's Page
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President’s Page At our 2011 Annual Business meeting, we voted for a change to our Bylaws regarding the qualifications for Active Emeritus Membership in the Association. The 2011 change requires 25 years of previous membership, an age of at least 65 years even if not “retired”, and a $50/year dues payment to retain voting rights, hold of- fice, and have access to the journal online. Those desir- ing a hardcopy journal will pay $50 extra. Many of our members who did not attend that meeting remain un- aware of this benefit and continue to pay the full mem- bership dues. I am hopeful that this benefit will be seen by most of our qualifying members as a worthwhile ben- efit and will become Active Emeritus members instead of merely leaving us. I am also hoping that those Active James T. Webb, Ph.D. Emeritus Members (and Life Members) might consider joining us after the San Diego meeting at a no-host lun- Thus, on April 28, 1965, a group of 13 physiologists held cheon at some TBD restaurant near the meeting site to a dinner at the LaScalla Restaurant in New York City and renew long-time friendships and get some updates on determined that an official organization for aerospace whose doing what now. I shall endeavor to provide more physiologists should be formed under the parent organi- information on that event in my April 2014 President’s zation. Page. If you know of someone who was once close to the The Society has grown and broadened its scope of ex- Association and is no longer a member, please reach out pertise; the interests and endeavors in the AsPS have and let them know we’re still here and they may choose tracked closely with advancements in human perfor- to come to San Diego and meet that Friday. mance in aviation and space. Our members have shared My wife, Fran, and I are building our retirement their expertise in multinational and multi-service work- home. Doing so has some analogies with building a good ing groups for altitude effects, acceleration, spatial disori- organization. It needs to have a solid foundation just like entation, passenger and patient transport, and human our 501(c)3 Aerospace Medical Association which is factors. A good number of members are well established based on a rich history and fantastic people. They both through research, publications, career leadership, and in- should be sustainable in terms of energy. That means novation in the field of aviation physiology. Other activi- electricity and water in the case of our home which will ties related to membership with AsPS include the oppor- hopefully be very close to net zero in electrical energy tunity to take part in forums for the integration and and independent of delivered water, unless you count utilization of experts in many diverse professional fields; rainwater which we will capture in a cistern under our this occurs both during the annual Scientific Meeting as porch. For our Association, the resource of people, our well as through independent projects outside of AsMA. members, and their participation in our committees, ac- The Society’s Education and Training Day has been tivities, and meetings provides a good basis for a sustain- one of the most widely attended sessions during the an- able organization. Our Association is also becoming nual AsMA conference. Additionally, the AsPS recognizes more self-sufficient as we move thru this year due to the scientific achievement in the field of aerospace physiol- initiatives started by Dr. Glenn Merchant, the Executive ogy through three Society awards presented each year. Committee, and Council this past year. We will be diver- The Paul Bert Award for Physiological Research is named sifying our financial base in case our Annual Meeting in honor of the famous French physiologist and “Father again suffers from the fiscal restraint that restricts travel of Pressure Physiology.” The award is for outstanding to such meetings. research contributions in the field of aerospace physiol- I appreciate Maj. Troy Faaborg’s input on the Aero- ogy. The Fred A. Hitchcock Award for Excellence in space Physiology Society in the continuing effort to let Aerospace Physiology is named in honor of the exem- you know what our Constituent Organizations are all plary physiolgist and co-translator of Paul Bert’s classic about. In its original form, the Aerospace Physiologist work, Barometric Pressure. The award is for excellence Society (AsPS) actually began developing prior to 1966. in either operational physiology or physiological re- Thanks to the charter members who hailed from the Air search. The Wiley Post Award for Operational Physiol- Force, Navy, academia and industry, the first serious for- ogy is named in honor of the pioneer airman, Wiley Post, mative meeting took place at the AsMA Annual Scientific and represents all crewmembers that have benefitted Meeting in New York in 1965. This first organizational from the efforts of operational aerospace physiologists. meeting was, to a great extent, due to the inspiration and Perhaps the most unique award sponsored by AsPS is persuasive leadership of Capt. Giles W. Hall, USAF. See PRESIDENT’S PAGE, p. 758. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine • Vol. 84, No. 7 • July 2013 757 PRESIDENT’S PAGE, from p. 757. within the society through its dedicated news service and web links. Everything you need to know about the the Partnership in Education Award. This special award AsPS is available via the website, including comprehen- is dedicated to the top secondary school science teacher sive membership, careers and professional development in the district where the annual Scientific Meeting is information as well as a link to our Facebook blog for held. The Society sends representatives to the nominee’s enhanced communication to our current member data- school to present the award and provide an opportunity base as well as those interested in joining. for the students to see how science is applied in aviation Above all, membership in the AsPS provides an out- and space; the teacher is also invited to the annual AsPS standing network potential and the chance to gain luncheon for a formal presentation. knowledge from the field’s top minds. The AsPS organi- At each annual scientific meeting, AsPS members zational membership base is composed from aerospace enjoy two key society events. The annual AsPS lun- physiology disciplines including human factors, safety, cheon affords members and guests the opportunity to aviation medicine, human performance, education and formally recognize recipients of all of the society’s an- training, research, extra-vehicular activity, and flight nual awards, and to enjoy the Smith W. Ames memorial equipment engineers to name a few. The AsPS career lecture - a contemporary snapshot of current trends in advisors provide guidance and leadership for those in- aerospace physiology. The AsPS social makes each terested in professional careers in aerospace physiology. Wednesday night of AsMA meetings a memorable one, It is supported by the parent organization of the as the society visits a local sporting event, restaurant, or Aerospace Medical Association. watering hole for a chance to catch up on all things unof- Maj. Troy Faaborg is the current President of the AsPS. ficial. For many, the AsPS social is the reason they be- Please feel free to contact him through the AsPS website came involved with the group! at http://aspsociety.org/ with any questions about the The AsPS website is hosted by AsMA and enables Society. members to keep up with the latest news and events 758 Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine • Vol. 84, No. 7 • July 2013 2013 Award Winners of the Aerospace Medical Association Honors Night Ceremonies of the 84th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Aerospace Medical Association were held May 16, 2013, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, Chicago, IL. Nineteen awards for outstanding contribu- tions in aviation and space medicine and related fields were presented, including the latest award--the Thomas J. and Margaret D. Tredici Award for achievement in Aerospace Vision. The presentations were made by P. Glenn Merchant, M.D., President of the Aerospace Medical Association. The winners were recommended by the Awards Committee, chaired by Dr. Kris Belland, and approved by the Executive Committee of the Aerospace Medical Association. served in that position until January 2010 when he re- tired. During that time, he worked with 18 different pres- idents, executive committees, and councils, and far too many committee chairs to count. He also steered the LOUIS H. BAUER FOUNDERS Association through 7 Special Committee Reports, 27 AWARD Resolutions, 15 Position papers, policies, and statements, Russell B. Rayman, M.D. 39 official letters, and other projects too numerous to mention. He oversaw the Association’s CME accredita- tion, and ensured that AsMA’s specialty in the AMA was represented. Under his leadership the annual meeting was always a success, the home office remained open This award was established to honor Louis H. Bauer, M.D., founder of the Aerospace Medical Association. It is given annually for the most sig- and available to our members and committees for meet- nificant contribution in aerospace medicine. It is sponsored by the Mayo ings, and he kept our association moving forward. Clinic. Since retiring, Dr. Rayman has spent his time caring for patients in two Free Clinics in Northern Virginia. He Russell B. Rayman, M.D., former Executive Director of still remains active in aerospace medicine by consulting the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), was the 2013 and attending various meetings. He also is Chair of the recipient of the Bauer Award for his over 50 years of ser- Mayo Clinic Residency Advisory Committee (RAC) and vice and dedication to the Aerospace Medicine commu- serves as a member of the CAMA Board of Trustees.