This is YOUR newsletterYou may have noticed a change of name of this newsletter from MBEC News to IFMBE News at the beginning of this year. This was suggested as a way to stress that this publication is the voice of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering andipso facto of the National Member Societies which make up the Federation. But to what extent is this a wish rather than a reality? It has often been said that many members of National Member Societies (NMS) are unaware that as a consequence they are also members of the IFMBE (indeed some members do not claim the discounted rate at IFMBE-sponsored conferences due to this oversight). So, through this Newsletter there has been an attempt to explain the structures of both our Federation and other supranational organisations in which we participate. Our immediate Past-President Niilo Saranummi continues the good work in this issue with an explanation of the IUPESM. Members also feel that the Administrative Council who conduct the affairs of the IFMBE are remote. So, in the early issues of 1995, we have introduced the members of the Administrative Council and Administrative Office of the IFMBE, complete with photographs so that you will recognise them at the next IFMBE-linked conference (and get them to buy you a drink in the bar while discussing issues of burning importance to the Federation). The Administrative Council meets formally once a year, but in practice there are usually several mini-Council meetings preceding major scientific meetings all around the world (in the past two years, meetings have been held in Brazil, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden and China), so this merry band is easily available at some time to most members. Many of the major issues on the agenda at Administrative Council meetings have formed the backbone of the President's column in MBEC News over the past few years. To that extent, your newsletter has succeeded in cascading out information from the centre. Otherwise, the bulk of the newsletter is filled up with conference announcements and reports (sometimes 'commissioned' and sometimes, thankfully, submitted spontaneously), articles extracted from newsletters of National Member Societies (a very few faithfuls send their newsletters to our office), book reviews and occasionally we mark the passing of a seminal figure in our field. Often articles come from a few loyal members and, although we are very grateful to them and long may they continue, this leads to a disproportionate amount of information from relatively few countries. What is also often missing are lead articles on major issues from around the regions, exchanges of views on subjects which are of great significance to specialised or local groups of the IFMBE, and opinions coming up from the grass roots. Much of this information could be usefully shared with the international community and would be of interest. The Administrative Council at its AC meeting in Amsterdam in January 1995 pledged the support of each Council member and charged the newsletter Editor with two major tasks:
Some of the imponderables which surface every time such moves are muted are
The Editor will be working through Council members and Secretaries of NMS to encourage a wider input of material, much of which is already available in other forms (but in what language?). Here's your chance to get your views aired throughout the world, to honour the achievements of your members and to acquaint the world with your visage. In addition, the Editor will be contacting a much wider group for book reviews, conference reports and so forth Please assist where you can, and remember that the Editor is pleased to consider voluntary contributions; don't wait to be asked. Often we hear that notices of meetings were too late by the time of arrival of the newsletter. We have had a long-standing arrangement that IFMBE News is edited and published in conjunction with our Federation Journal, Medical and Biological Engineering & Computing. The staff editorial costs are covered by the Journal, and the newsletter is enclosed in the covers of the Journal. The IFMBE then pay only the run-on costs to distribute batches of the newsletter to the secretariat of each NMS (circulation around 7000 at present). While this is a very economical way to do things, it can inevitably lead to delays in your copies arriving on your doorstep. Distribution depends on the timing of the bimonthly batches arriving relative to a regular mailing from the NMS and the administrative co-operation of the secretariat of the NMS. So, the criticism is both justified and yet inevitable with the present arrangements (meetings organisers please note that publicity needs to be with us about one year in advance to be effective!). Placing the information on the WWW, or at least the meeting calendar, is one way to circumvent the delays. Personally, I like to read newspapers on the bus or relaxing after dinner, not sat in front of my PC. I would still like hard-copy of the bulk of the paper. But I think that there is a strong case for a Medical Engineering Meetings calendar on the WWW, and perhaps the IFMBE should take the initiative in facilitating this (readers may be aware of a similar service offered there for American meetings, sponsored by the Whittaker Foundation). We would very much appreciate your opinions please, especially from our readers in developing countries or those whose first language is not English. It's your Newsletter. As the efforts to improve this as a primary communication method of our Federation proceed, let me know how you think we are doing and more importantly what you can do to help. MARILYN LORDIFMBE News Editor | ||