President's Welcome

I am extremely honored to have been chosen to lead the American Society for Investigative Pathology this year, and I thank our members and extend a warm welcome to those who want to learn more about ASIP. We, like all scientific societies, have been tested in these times of limited resources. Yet under the guidance of Mark Sobel, our Executive Officer, James Douglas, our Chief Finance Officer, and William Coleman, our Secretary-Treasurer, the Society remains fiscally strong. The challenge, then, is to maintain and expand our membership at a time when many researchers must necessarily limit their affiliations. Meeting this challenge will be a major goal during my tenure as President.

The diversity of scientific interests within our membership is a great strength in this era of cross-disciplinary research. However, this diversity also means that we must work particularly hard to meet the specific needs of our members and to make the Society known to prospective members who are not housed in departments of pathology. We have instituted new campaigns to enlist trainee and regular members, and I urge current members to participate by forwarding our recruitment messages to those who may be interested. We also have established a number of Scientific Interest Groups, which provide virtual and face-to-face opportunities for networking and discussion within subdisciplines. Some of these groups are very active; others need dedicated volunteers to help get them off the ground. We hope that one or more of these groups is a good fit for you; if not, we encourage you to suggest additional topics.

The relatively small size of ASIP offers opportunities to become involved in an international organization in very meaningful ways. I first joined ASIP as a member of the Program Committee and went on to assume leadership positions in other committees before being elected as Vice President two years ago. My association with ASIP has broadened my horizons both scientifically and professionally. You, too, can become involved in governance - we welcome volunteers for our committees, which include trainees as voting members. For trainees and junior faculty, the potential benefits in terms of networking and career advancement are great. The Society also places emphasis on sessions geared to trainees and junior faculty at its annual meeting and offers an array of scientific and travel awards for this cohort.

Moreover, exciting times lie ahead for the Society. Under the leadership of our past President, Chuck Parkos, our dedicated volunteers and extraordinary staff have built a strong foundation for the future growth of ASIP. This year, post-production services for publication of The American Journal of Pathology, our flagship journal, and The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, which we co-publish with the Association for Molecular Pathology, were moved to Elsevier through a managed publishing agreement. The Societies retain full editorial control, but we expect that the resources of Elsevier will expand the global distribution and impact of both journals. With respect to our meetings and educational initiatives, a task force headed by Paul Monga has been exploring innovations that would better fulfill the needs of our members. And in 2013, we will be celebrating the centennial of ASIP, born as the American Society for Experimental Pathology, with special events slated for our annual meeting in Boston.

As support for research becomes scarcer, it is increasingly important that we work across fields to meet the call for interdisciplinary, translational research. ASIP is perfectly positioned to help us come together as experimental pathologists. In closing, I want to encourage our current members to become more involved, whether with ideas or service on our committees. If you are not a member but want to learn more about the benefits that ASIP offers, please peruse this web site. As President, I welcome inquiries, comments, and suggestions, which can be sent through the Society staff at asip@asip.org or directly to me at Martha.Furie@stonybrook.edu.