Taking the Long View: Turning the Corner

In many ways, this years successful Annual Meeting (the 55th!) gave hope that the Institute has turned the corner with respect to many of the challenges it has faced in recent years. Among the indicators of this turnaround were improved attendance at this years event in Atlanta, with participants from thirty-two countries; more than 400 papers in more than sixty technical sessions; and a record- setting attendance by students and student presenters (more than fifty student papers were judged this year for the J. D. Williams Student Paper Award competition). These positive signs have not happened overnight or by accident, but rather, they represent strategic actions and on-going efforts of Institute leadership, INMM Headquarters, and the membership to promote the importance of the Institutes mission, enhance collaborations with other organizations and governmental entities, and seek support for the Annual Meeting wherever their spheres of influence reside. Efforts continue by the Executive Committee (EC), seen here in their all-day Saturday session at the Annual Meeting, to enhance these strategies to elevate the visibility of the Institute, and to make the Annual Meeting an extraordinary experience for its members. Of note, this years EC meeting had representatives from almost all of the Institutes fifteen student chapters (four shown in Figure 2.)all of whom actively participated in the discussions during the meeting.