4th Qtr 1998 NewsShare

News from the Society

Message from the ISTM Secretariat
A Letter from Our President Elect
A Reminder of our ISTM Mission
The Future Strategy of ISTM
An Update from the Scientific Committee for Montreal
Healthcare on the Move
Caring for the Globally Mobile

Membership renewals and information packets were mailed the first week in November. If you do not receive your packet by the first of December, please contact Brenda Bagwell in the Secretariat Office either by Fax (770-736-6732) or E-mail bcbistm@aol.com.

We are excited to announce that the Journal of Travel Medicine has been indexed due in large part to the efforts of Charles Ericsson, Journal Editor. The indexing is retrospective, therefore previous issues of the Journal can be cited. Please consider submitting to our journal all of your travel health related articles. We also suggest that you submit the manuscripts from your presentations at the upcoming International Society of Travel Medicine Conference in Montréal (CISTM6). We plan, in the near future, to increase the number of Journal issues from four to six per year in order to rapidly accommodate your submissions.

Dr. Dominique Tessier, chairman CISTM6, has been very busy with the organisation of the conference and along with the Scientific Committee has assembled an excellent scientific program.

There are two exciting pre-conference meetings planned:

"Caring for the Globally Mobile (Expatriate) Community on a Shoe String Budget". The format of this meeting will be centred around realistic case studies, enhanced with audience response technology. This symposium will cover topics that are of interest to those who are working with the portion of the expatriate community that embarks on long-term assignments in high risk locations where resources are limited.
"Migration Medicine - the Practitioner's Perspective". This meeting will offer several group discussions on international mobility/control of disease, focus on migration at the doctor's office, and the training needs in migration medicine for family doctors as well as presentations on caring for migrant populations.

A letter from our President-Elect

Dear International Society of Travel Medicine membership:

We on the Executive Board were frustrated when hurricane Georges stymied our efforts to meet at the tropical medicine meeting at San Juan, Puerto Rico. As I am certain most of you know the meeting was cancelled. What you might not know is that your Board and a select group of persons in our Society were planning to have a strategic planning meeting on the heels of the tropical medicine meeting. While the strategic planning meeting also had to be cancelled, this setback has given the Board an opportunity to canvass the membership about ideas for improving the International Society of Travel Medicine.

We ask that you think about how you would like to see the International Society of Travel Medicine change. Share these ideas with me, and I will include them in the group of ideas that the Board considers in its strategic planning.

Ideas so far have included:

Expanding the focus of the Society to better encompass migration medicine and problems of host countries.
Improving membership benefits and numbers.
Establishing a list of guidelines for the conduct of the Board's business so that the history of our Society and the thrust of initiatives are better preserved.
Establishing productive relationships with regional societies with interests similar to the International Society of Travel Medicine.

The Board welcomes ideas both broad and narrow in scope. I am especially interested in concrete ideas about how to improve individual membership benefits and appeal so that our society can grow I would appreciate receiving these ideas before the upcoming holidays, so that they can be certain to be included in the discussions. You can send your thoughts to cericsso@heart.med.uth.tmc.edu, fax them to me at 713-500-5495, or mail them to 1.729 John Freeman Building, 6431 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77030.

Warm Regards
Charles Ericsson

A Reminder of our ISTM Mission

The International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) is committed to the promotion of healthy and safe travel. In co-operation with national and international public health authorities, health care providers and academic centres ISTM facilitates education, services and research activities, in the field of travel medicine.

ISTM Goals

To address health problems encountered by all travellers, including tourists, business travellers, diplomats, crew members, military personnel, expatriates, refugees, migrants, members of voluntary and relief organisations and international corporations and organisations.
To promote education of health care professionals, the public and travel industry.
To provide a scientific basis for the practice of travel medicine.
To stimulate the practice of travel medicine at a highly professional level.
To promote a free and rapid exchange of information on travel medicine issues.
To facilitate international contacts between practitioners of travel medicine.
To stimulate the development and evaluation of safe and effective, preventive and curative interventions.
To encourage research in travel medicine, including the promotion and organisation of collaborative international studies.

The future strategy of ISTM

Dear Colleagues:

The Executive Board of ISTM are planning a strategy meeting to be held early next year. The main aim of the meeting is to plan the future direction of the Society, setting short and long term objectives. As an elected Counsellor on the Executive Board representing membership's interests, I am writing to ask your views about the future direction for ISTM. All your suggestions will be collected and presented at the meeting. Therefore, could you list at least three objectives or ideas you would like the committee to consider for our strategy meeting and send them to Brenda Bagwell, ISTM's administrative assistant (contact details below) before the 31^st December 1998. Remember ISTM is your society and for the Executive Board to plan effectively for the future we need your active participation in the process. So please write, fax or e-mail your ideas to us now.

We look forward to hearing from you

Karen Howell
Counsellor, ISTM Executive Board

Please send your suggestions, with your name, occupation to: Brenda Bagwell, Administrative Assistant, PO Box 871098, Stone Mountain, GA 30087-0028. Fax: 770-736-6732 or E-mail: BCBISTM@AOL.COM

An Update from the Scientific Committee for Montréal

The Scientific Committee is working steadily on the Programme of the CISTM6 in Montréal. We are very pleased to present you a stimulating and colourful programme. It will start with two pre-conference courses on Caring for the Globally Mobile Expatriate Community on a Shoe String Budget and on Healthcare on the Move - the Practitioners Prospective on Migration Medicine, which shall launch two major topics of the conference.

Following the opening ceremony with the presidential address on Sunday evening, the programme will start on Monday morning with the Jonathan Mann Memorial Lecture. With this lecture we want to honour the great contribution of a dedicated personality who has initiated and achieved a lot for our society.

Plenary sessions, symposia, workshops and sessions addressing various topics will form a challenging scientific programme to stimulate the participants throughout the four days of the conference. As in previous meetings, the Montréal event will cover a wide range of issues pertaining to travel medicine, including prevention and management of travel related disorders. New and old vaccines will be covered along with the latest information on malaria prevention and treatment. ABC workshops will once more cover the basic knowledge and XYZ workshops are addressing advanced issues of travel medicine. The impact of tourism on host countries will be introduced by a series of interventions on `the voice of the host countries'. Educational sessions and the latest from the "computer petting zoo" intend to give new ideas on how to communicate health advice. Migration medicine will be a topic that is covered in sessions throughout the conference on various aspects of this important field of expertise in a country that has gained a wealth of experience with a multicultural immigrant society. We hope to provide a fruitful programme attended by interested parties.

Finally we would like to invite you to submit abstracts for oral or poster presentations on your research and experience. Please submit your work before 15 January 1999. All the information, forms and instructions are on the CISTM6 web page.

Christoph Hatz, Frank Bia, Steve Ostroff - Co-Chairs of the Scientific Committee
Dominique Tessier - Chair of the Conference

Healthcare on the Move - the Practitioner's Perspective on Migration Medicine

a Pre-Conference Symposium 6 June 1999, Montréal, Québec

Introduction

Migrants and refugees represent a growing number of patients for practitioners and in travellers' clinics. This pre-conference course is intended for those who encounter in their practice, patients from migrant, refugee, displaced and other mobile populations. The goal is to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of health issues associated with movement and provide current approaches to diagnosis and management of common conditions in migrant communities.

Format

The sessions will be a combination of presentations and interactive dialog between speakers and attendees.

Venue

The Montréal Convention Centre, Palais des Congrés de Montréal, 201 Viger Street West

Time

Registration 08:00 hrs
Symposium 08:30 - 16:30

Speakers and Topics

International Mobility: Travellers and Migrants - What impact on health? (Why is this important for primary care providers and travel medicine physicians?)
Dr Brian Gushulak, Geneva, Switzerland
The Medical Assessment and Screening of Migrants and Refugees
Dr Louis Loutan, Geneva, Switzerland
What do migrants bring with them? (Rational use of laboratory tests)
Dr Doug McPherson, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Group discussion: International Mobility and the Control of Diseases
Caring for migrants in ambulatory settings: what does the doctor need to know?
Dr Christoph Hatz, Basel, Switzerland
Paediatric diseases in Migrants
Dr Elizabeth Barnett, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Migrants as travellers: Prevention in different culture contexts
Group discussion: Training needs in migration medicine for family doctors

Registration Form:

Please complete and return this form, along with your payment to this address: CISTM6 Conference Secretariat, Events International Meeting Planners Inc, 759 Victoria Square, Suite 300, Montréal, Québec, Canada HSY 2J7. Telephone: (514) 286-0855 or Fax: (514) 286-6066.

I. Identification (please print or type)
Please complete this section carefully. The information you provide will help us to correspond with you efficiently and ensure efficiently and ensure that your name will appear correctly on your conference badge.

I am a member of ISTM: Yes No
Title: Prof Dr Mr Mrs Ms

Last Name: ________________________________
First Name: ________________________________
Institution: ________________________________

Business Address: ________________________________
Suite: ________________________________
Province/State: ________________________________
Postal/Zip Code: ________________________________
Tel(day): ________________________________
Fax: ________________________________
E-mail address: ________________________________

II Registration Fee: $75.00 (US Dollars)

III Method of Payment

Option 1: Credit Card
I hereby authorise EIMP to debit my credit card account the Canadian equivalent of the total US amount indicated above.

American Express
Visa
MasterCard
Diners

CardNumber: ________________________________
Expiry Date: ________________________________
CardholderName: ________________________________
Signature of Cardholder: ________________________________
Date: ________________________________

Option 2: Bank Draft
These must be in US currency only and made payable to "CISTM 1999". Your name and address must be clearly indicated on the back. Drafts must include the complete name and branch mailing address of a US bank through which they can be cashed.

Option 3: Cheque (for Canadian or American Delegates)
These must be in US currency only and made payable to "CISTM 1999". If you are sending a personal cheque, your complete name and address must be clearly shown on the front of your cheque. Post-dated cheques are not accepted.

Workshop Organizing Committee

Dr Brian Gushulak - Geneva, Switzerland
Dr Christoph Hatz - Basel, Switzerland
Dr Louis Loutan - Geneva, Switzerland

Caring for the Globally Mobile (Expatriate) Community on a Short String Budget

a Pre-Conference Symposium - 6 June 1999, Montréal. Québec

Introduction

This pre-conference symposium is intended for those who are working with the segment of the expatriate community that embarks on long-term assignments in high risk locations where resources are limited. Our goal is to foster research and to establish a forum whereby a uniform standard of care can be developed based on the application of available scientific data.

Format

Interaction will be centred around realistic case studies, enhanced with audience response technology.