President's Report

Jim Mitchell

What makes the Radiation Research Society special to me is the interaction with fellow radiation scientists, many of whom have become life long friends and colleagues. I have attended every RRS meeting since 1978 and have enjoyed them all. I must admit however, I did not fully appreciate the complexities of organizing an annual meeting. The outstanding support of the RSNA staff and a dynamic Program Committee greatly eased the anxieties of a rookie Program Chair. Likewise, the willingness of so many RRS members to contribute to the meeting was indeed gratifying.

The attendance for the San Juan RRS/NAHS meeting was great with a total of 753 registered. The beautiful tropical surroundings of the Caribe Hilton hotel provided a pleasant backdrop for an exciting scientific meeting consisting of 403 abstracts from Society members. Despite numerous pleasant distractions (beach, pool, etc.), the scientific sessions were well attended and the layout of the hotel afforded opportunities for many informal discussions. Check out a number of photos taken by Bill Osborne during the meeting. Our Plenary lecturers (Drs. Gray, Kenan, Liu) presented interesting overviews centering about the theme of molecular targets. We were very fortunate and pleased to have Dr. Ellen Baker, NASA shuttle astronaut, speak during the Space Radiobiology symposium. Additionally, Dr. Baker spoke during the WIRR luncheon and gave a very inspiring and practical talk about what it’s like being an astronaut and mom at the same time. I was truly impressed with how Dr. Baker took time to talk with children who accompanied RRS moms and dads to the meeting.

It is always a pleasure to acknowledge the accomplishments of RRS members. Dr. Howard Thames gave a superb Failla lecture.  Dr. Kevin Prise received the Michael Fry Award and Dr. Lynda Fletcher received the Marie Curie Award. During the business meeting Dr. John Ward was acknowledged for his contributions as the Past Editor-in-Chief of Radiation Research and Dr. Bill Osborne received the RRS Distinguished Service Award.

Despite the threat of rain, the Welcome mixer (Tropical Night) was enjoyed by everyone. We are grateful to the Puerto Rico Tourism Office who provided a sampling of Puerto Rican food and drink and an entertaining and colorful song and dance program. The Failla/Robertson reception was enjoyed outdoors and was sponsored by the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau and Varian.

There have been financial concerns over the past few years with the annual RRS meetings. Last year, in Albuquerque, thanks to the fund raising efforts of Dr. Liz Travis and the sound management of President-elect Les Redpath, the RRS annual meeting was in the black. I am happy to report that the San Juan meeting was also in the black! There were several factors making this possible. First, the attendance for the meeting was good. Secondly, thanks to the efforts of the Development committee and other RRS members, there were significant contributions made by corporate sponsors including a number of corporate vendors who had exhibits at the meeting. Lastly, the support from Institutional and Corporate members contributed in a major way to support young investigator travel awards and other expenses associated with the meeting. We must continue our efforts toward fund raising for the annual meeting and other objectives for the Society.

We look forward to the 2002 meeting in Reno that will mark our 50^th year as a Society. Dr. Gillies McKenna, Program Chair for the Reno RRS meeting and his committee are already in the process of organizing the RRS meeting for Reno—make plans to attend.

RRS Management Change

Since 1993, the RRS has been managed by the Department of Related Society Services of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). In addition to RRS, RSNA has managed 19 other societies over the past decade. In June, the Board of Directors of RSNA announced that they would discontinue management services of the 20 organizations over the next 12 months. The RSNA will manage RRS through our annual meeting in Reno next year. The Executive Committee has already taken action toward identifying a new management company. A request for proposal (RFP) was mailed to more than 20 organizations on August 6. We anticipate responses to the RFP by early September. With help from the Finance Committee, the RRS Council will select a new management organization, hopefully by the first of the year. We feel it is important to have the new management group on board just prior to the annual RRS meeting in Reno to observe first hand our annual meeting and the various committee functions associated with RRS.

Over the past 8 years RRS has had two highly competent Account Executives, Mark Watson and Lise Steg Swanson. These individuals are the primary contact for RRS officers, council, and committee members and work on a daily basis to facilitate smooth and seamless operation of the Society. Having worked with Lise for the past two years, I have been truly impressed with her ability to handle a broad range of issues efficiently and professionally. Our annual meetings run smoothly because of the dedicated efforts of Lise and her staff. I look forward to working with the Related Society Services staff of RSNA this remaining year as we make the transition to a new management group.

RRS Strategic Planning

Under the leadership of RRS President James Belli, in 1993 the RRS developed a strategic plan outlining future goals and objectives for the Society. Several worthwhile initiatives emerged over the years from this plan including the establishment of a Gordon conference focused on the radiation sciences. In conversation with several RRS members over the past year, it became clear that there was a need for RRS to undertake a new strategic planning exercise. Organizational planning is a basic component of effective management and is the principal means for RRS to operationally fulfill its responsibilities to the membership. I briefly presented the concept of strategic planning for RRS at the Business meeting in San Juan. The concept was presented and approved by the RRS Council. We consulted with several professional strategic planning companies and selected Lawrence-Leiter & Company. David Bywaters, President of the company has extensive experience in organizational planning and was highly recommended by ASTRO which recently completed strategic planning with Lawrence-Leiter. Unlike the 1993 RRS strategic plan, which was conducted by a small committee, we felt that input from the membership was vital to establish goals and objectives for the future. In early July, RRS members received a questionnaire listing a variety of questions and allowing for the opportunity for suggestions/comments. The results of this survey are currently being tabulated and will be the focus of a meeting of the RRS Council in early September as we work to establish a RRS strategic plan. The RRS faces many challenges and opportunities as we approach the 50^th Anniversary of our Society. I look forward to reporting to you the results of our collective efforts in the next newsletter.

Return to the August 2001 Table of Contents