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Members Academy News: June 2004
RSLAAIS News
By Sandra Gawchik, DO, FAAAAI2004 Annual Meeting update
The AAAAI Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, was a huge success. The annual Regional, State and Local Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Societies (RSLAAIS or RSLs) Business Meeting was held on March 19, and was well attended. Badrul A. Chowdhury, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, gave an excellent presentation on OTC non-sedating antihistamines and the rationale behind new drug releases. His presentation was informative and generated many questions.RSL Leadership Forums
The RSL Governors held their second RSL Governors Strategic Planning Meeting, funded through an unrestricted educational grant from Schering-Plough, during the Annual Meeting. The AAAAI and Schering-Plough also assisted the RSLs by funding a number of RSL Leadership Forums around the country in 2003. The forums will continue in 2004.The RSL Leadership Forums were designed to help society presidents and vice presidents develop and improve communication between grass roots allergist/immunologists on the local level, and the AAAAI Board of Directors on a national level. The RSL Leadership Forums, held annually in each of the seven regions, are designed to bring critical information and materials to society leaders. Regional governors are responsible for arranging the forums and coordinating them with the AAAAI executive office.
The current focus for the RSLAAIS has been RSL Leadership Forums and promoting the use of standardized allergy forms.
New RSL governors
Four new governors were elected this year. The election took place prior to the 2004 Annual Meeting due to a change in the RSL Guidelines. It was decided that active participation of the new governors was essential and that this could only be achieved if elections were held prior to the Annual Meeting. The new elected governors are:
- Timothy J. Craig, MD, FAAAAI, Region 2
- Dennis K. Ledford, MD, FAAAAI, Region 3
- Donald C. Fournier, MD, FAAAAI, Region 5
- Michael H. Clayton, MD, FAAAAI, Region 6
Kevin P. McGrath, MD, FAAAAI, Region 1; William Geimeier, MD, FAAAAI, Region 2; and Malcolm N. Blumenthal, MD, FAAAAI, Region 4, will mentor the newly elected governors. Governors are elected by a majority vote of the presidents in each region.
The role of the RSL governors is to participate regularly in monthly conference calls, as well as attend the RSL functions at the Annual Meeting. The governors act as a conduit through which information flows between the AAAAI and the RSLs. We are fortunate to have three RSL members on the AAAAI Board of Directors. They include Ledford; Stanley Goldstein, MD, FAAAAI; and Richard W. Honsinger, MD, FAAAAI.
It is essential that RSL officers encourage new allergist/immunologists in their area to become members of a local society and also offer them information regarding membership in state societies.
We appreciate the ongoing efforts of all RSL members, and look forward to a productive year, with continuation of the successful RSL Leadership Forums.
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