Recommended Memberships

ASTMH is making memberships more affordable:

www.astmh.org

In this issue:

Society Makes Student Memberships Easier
Jeffrey Sachs, PhD, to Keynote 2011 ASTMH Annual Meeting in Philadelphia
U.S. Congress Returns With New Priorities
What's Happening With Federal Funding for Research?
AJTMH in the News
Benjamin Kean Traveling Fellowship Applications Due March 2
2011 Dues Renewal: Spread the Word
Students and Trainees: We've Just Made it Easier to Advance Your Career!


The Council unanimously agreed to change the student membership dues to a very affordable $15 for undergraduate, graduate/pre-doctoral students; $25 for post-doctoral. Investing in the young generation is a top priority for the Society’s leadership. On his first day as president, Peter Hotez committed that “we must capture the imagination of this new generation of eager young people who have fallen in love with global health and with the people affected by these diseases.” Make the Society your Society.



While ASTMH depends on membership dues for its operating budget, we recognize that students and trainees are the future of the Society. Investing in this new generation is an investment in the future of tropical medicine and global health. Help us help you create your future.



Jeffrey Sachs, PhD, to Address ASTMH 60th Annual Meeting, Dec. 4-8, in Philadelphia



The Society is very pleased to announce that Professor Jeffrey Sachs will deliver the opening plenary address at the 60th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. Sachs is director of The Earth Institute, Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. He is also Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He is widely considered to be the leading international economic advisor of his generation.

For more than 20 years Sachs has been at the forefront of the challenges of economic development, poverty alleviation, and enlightened globalization, promoting policies to help all parts of the world to benefit from expanding economic opportunities and well-being. He is also one of the leading voices for combining economic development with environmental sustainability, and as Director of the Earth Institute, leads large-scale efforts to promote the mitigation of human-induced climate change.

Stay tuned for additional announcements that will set the stage for a historic meeting bringing together the most influential science and policy leaders in global health and tropical medicine.

U.S. Congress Returns With New Priorities

The 112th Congress was sworn in on Wednesday, January 5. There are a total of 96 new members of the House of Representatives and 16 new Senators, bringing the House party ratio to 242 Republicans and 193 Democrats, and the Senate party ratio to 53 Democrats and 47 Republicans. The Republicans are securely in control of the House of Representatives and have set forth a strict agenda to cut funding possibly back to 2008 levels.

Given the tough fiscal environment and funding challenge, ASTMH must continue to advocate for essential funding for global health programs at NIH, CDC, USAID and DOD. Now, more than ever, we will rely on you, our members, to speak up for the funds and programs needed to prevent and control diseases and conditions that disproportionately afflict the global poor.

That said, the new Congress means new opportunities for champion building for tropical medicine and global health issues. In the first year of the new Congress, we will focus on efforts to better inform newly elected policymakers about our issues and the essential role that the U.S. plays in improving health worldwide.

...Speaking of Congress, where are we on federal funding for research?

On December 14, the Senate Appropriations Committee released an omnibus spending bill for FY2011 that included a $750 million increase for the NIH, for a total of $31.8 billion in funding. However, three days later, the bill was withdrawn due to lack of support. In its place, the committee released a longer-term continuing resolution (C.R.) that would provide funding through March 4. In this version of the bill, funding for NIH, CDC and USAID would remain at the enacted (same) levels from FY2010.

The prospect of a prolonged C.R. poses a major challenge for the NIH as it received significant increases in FY2009 from stimulus investments and will face a diminished capacity for supporting new scientists under flat budgets. Consideration for FY2011 appropriations will be left to the 112th Congress. New members of the 112th Congress have voiced concerns over spending in Washington, and many have pledged to reduce government spending.

AJTMH in the News

Based on an article in December issue of AJTMH, the press release, “Giant African Rats Successfully Detect Tuberculosis More Accurately Than Commonly Used Techniques,” was picked up by more than 30 news outlets, including The New York Times and Voice of America. Additional outlets ranged from Science News, U.S. News and World Report to DOTmed News, eBioNews and Zambia News.

All ASTMH members, including students/trainees, receive the Journal as a benefit of membership.

Benjamin H. Kean Traveling Fellowship in Tropical Medicine

Application deadline: March 2


This fellowship provides travel expenses for medical students who arrange clinical tropical medicine or tropical medicine research electives in areas afflicted by tropical diseases. Complete the application today.

2011 Dues Renewal

The 2011 electronic dues renewal notices have been sent. Don't let your Society benefits expire. Renew your ASTMH dues easily and securely online. While you're logged in, get involved in a subgroup to make the most of your experience.