ISTM News
Higher Impact Factor for Journal of Travel Medicine
JTM's Impact Factor is now higher than the Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology (1.21) and is gaining ground on the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, which dropped to 1.66.
The Impact Factor is a numerical measure of the average number of times each article in a particular journal is cited within a defined period of time. The score is calculated as follows:
Number of citations received in one year to articles published in the two consecutive years previously
Number of articles published in the two consecutive years previously
Hence, JTM's current score is based on citations made in 2005 to articles published in 2004 and 2003:
Cites in 2005 = 194
Articles published in 2004 = 14
= 1.329
Impact Factors remain the standard measure of journal quality. They contribute to key decisions in all areas of academia, from tenure and promotion committees assessing candidates, though librarians deselecting journals and funding bodies evaluating bids, to researchers who are choosing where to submit an article.
Congratulations to the entire editorial staff of JTM, especially to editor Robert Steffen (Switzerland), deputy editor Herbert L. DuPont (USA), and editorial assistant Gabby Bossard (Switzerland).
The Preparatory Courses for the ISTM Certificate in Travel Health
The ISTM is pleased to sponsor and run two preparatory courses, one in North America and one in Europe, for the ISTM Certificate of Knowledge Examination (CTH ® Program). The courses will be held on February 9-10, 2007, in Liverpool, United Kingdom, and on February 9-11, 2007, in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
The courses will review the Body of Knowledge for the Practice of Travel Medicine as well as updates on recent advances in Travel Medicine. Registration for the Certificate of Knowledge Exam is not a pre-requisite for taking the course.
For further information on the course or on the CTH ® Program please see the ISTM web site, www.istm.org.
The UK course is co-sponsored by the National Travel Health Network and Center (NaTHNaC, www.nathnac.org), United Kingdom. The US course is co-sponsored by the Mount Auburn Hospital, a community teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.
The ISTM Certificate of Knowledge Program was created to:
- Establish an international standard for travel medicine practitioners
- Encourage individual and global professional development in the area of travel medicine
- Formally recognize individuals who pass the Certificate of Knowledge Examination
- Serve the public by promoting quality travel medicine services
- Demonstrate the global validity of epidemiological data and of preventive strategies
The ISTM welcomes applications from all qualified professionals who provide travel medicine-related services on a full- or part-time basis. The exam is open to all licensed travel medicine professionals, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists and others. Both ISTM members and non-members are eligible to participate.
The ISTM plans to give the next exam at CISTM10 in 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Program Chair: Lin H. Chen, MD, FACP
Coordination and
Logistics: Brenda Bagwell
Committee Members: Michele Barry, MD, Rebecca W. Acosta, RN, MPH
Administration: Brooke Gauge
Scientific Review: David R. Hill, MD, DTMH, FRCP
CME Liaisons: Charles Hatem, MD, Lee Carmel
ISTM Representative: David F. Freedman, MD
ISTM Elections 2007 and the Nomination Process
Do you want to nominate someone (including yourself) for the Presidency of the ISTM or to serve on the Executive Committee? If so, you have until August 15, 2006 to submit your nomination. The nomination form can be obtained in the following manner:
- ISTM members can access the nomination form by logging into the Member Services section of the site and clicking the "2007 Election Nominations" link in the Member Resources section of the Member Services menu
The nomination process is somewhat complicated. This is so to insure that the officers of ISTM represent all parts of the world and that no country or region is excluded form leadership, even though some regions have many more members than others. Presently, ISTM has almost 2,000 members in about 70 countries.
The positions of President and of two Counselors need to be filled this year. The President position is for a two-year term. However, the president serves as President-elect for two years preceding his/her term and then for two years after the term as Past-President (for a total of six years). Each Counselor position is for four years.
A nominating committee, in accordance with criteria set out in our bylaws, has been formed by the Executive Board. Members may propose themselves or propose other members for nomination by filling out a simple form which may be downloaded via the links above. The deadline for submitting the form is July 31, 2006. Any ISTM member with paid up dues is eligible for nomination but it is desirable for the candidate to have the following qualifications:
- Prior service on ISTM committees or ISTM sponsored initiatives
- Publication of travel medicine-related clinical or research articles in the Journal of Travel Medicine, other journals or books
- Contributions to the biennial CISTM
- Leadership experience working with national or international professional societies or groups
- Professional experience in the field of Travel Medicine
For each open position, the nominating committee will carefully review all the names submitted and will select the names of 2 nominees most suitable to appear on the ballot in accordance with the bylaws of the ISTM. Ballots, with the names of 2 nominees for each open position, will go out to all members with the October 2006 membership mailing. Election results will be announced at the membership assembly in May 2007, in Vancouver.
To maintain true diversity in an international society like ours, our by-laws mandate that geographic considerations are taken into account. The Society bylaws state that no more than three of the seven elected members of the Society shall reside on the same continent. The following paragraphs pertaining to the election process are quoted from the bylaws to increase an understanding of this process:
Article 8.1 A nominating committee will be composed of 7 members in good standing in the Society representing, insofar as possible the various continents and constituencies of the Society (e.g. nursing, academia, private practice). Members of the nominating committee will be appointed by the Executive Board one year before the next Membership assembly and for a term of one year. Two members of the nominating committee will be outgoing counselors and the chairperson of the committee will be the President-Elect.
Article 8.2 Six months before the next Membership assembly, the nominating committee shall submit to the Secretary-Treasurer the names of two nominees for each office to be elected. At least three months prior to the annual meeting, the Secretary-Treasurer shall send a ballot to each member eligible to vote. The ballots shall be returned to the Secretary-Treasurer. To be valid a ballot must be received by the Secretary-Treasurer at least six weeks prior to the membership assembly.
Article 8.9 No more than three elected members of the Executive Board shall reside on the same continent when elected. The sequence of the elections will be President, President-Elect, then counselors. If three members residing on the same continent are elected, those proposed later in the sequence of elections will drop out as supernumerary candidates; within the counselors, the ones having received less votes will drop out.
By unanimous votes each of the previous Executive Boards has reiterated that all elections are guided but not bound by the following considerations:
- The President-elect should be elected from a different continent than the current President-elect.
- One of the counselors should be a nurse counselor who should be elected from a continent different from the continent of the outgoing nurse counselor.
Please note that your nominations should be guided by the interpretation of Article 8.9 and the geographic composition of the Executive Board in 2007 at the time of election (see below).
Frank von Sonnenburg, M.D.
ISTM President-Elect Chair,
Nominating Committee
