Message from the IFMBE Chair of the International Advisory Committee for the 2000 World Congress

The 2000 World Congress will be held in Chicago from the 23rd to the 28th of July 2000. The Congress is jointly sponsored by the following organisations: International Union for Physics and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering, International Organization for Medical Physics, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, and IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

We expect this Congress to attract as many as 8000 participants and to be a major milestone in the history of biomedical engineering. It will have a broad range of scientific sessions, tutorials and special symposia, an extensive commercial exhibit and a wonderful social program. A number of special sessions will be held in conjunction with the Congress but prior to the 23rd of July.

The theme for the Chicago 2000 World Congress is "Global Information Networking for the twenty-first Century". Several sessions will be related to this issue, which is certain to lead to increased rate of communication among biomedical engineers and improved medical care throughout the world. I hope that all of us will view this as a great opportunity to communicate the results of our work to a very sizable audience, to learn from our colleagues of their most recent work, to renew old acquaintances and form new ones.

The Congress is less than one year away and certain deadlines are coming up very soon.

Below you will find a few of the most critical dates and certain important information. All the information is available through the Congress homepage on the web at http://www.wc2000.org/. This information is updated regularly and I urge you to check it frequently.

• Deadline for submission of abstracts is January 14, 2000
• Deadline for discounted registration fee is May 15, 2000
• Abstracts are to be submitted electronically through the web. Information about the process for submission and the web address will be available through the Congress homepage.
• The Congress will require payment of a single $50 fee upon notifica- tion that the abstract(s) has (have) been accepted.
• The abstract acceptance fee will be due by May 15. IF NOT RECEIVED BY MAY 15, THE PAPER WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE PROGRAM AND FROM THE CONGRESS RECORDS.
• A maximum of 2 abstracts will be allowed for any author whose name is first on the abstract and who will be making the presentation at the Congress.
• The abstract acceptance fee ($50) will be deducted from the cost of registration once the person registers for the conference.
• Individuals who need a letter of invitation in order to expedite the securing of a visa should contact me at dov.jaron@coe.drexel.edu
• Individuals who require help with submission of abstracts through the web should contact their representative on the International Advisory Committee for assistance. The list of biomedical engineering representatives to the International Advisory Committee and their email addresses appears below. If you do not see a bio-medical engineering representative from your country, try to contact a medical physicist representative. The list and email addresses are available through the web homepage for the Congress.

Finally, please help inform your colleagues of the upcoming Congress and urge all of them to submit papers and/or attend.

I am looking forward to a very exciting Congress and hope to see you in Chicago.

Dov Jaron
IFMBE Chair of the International Advisory Committee
President-Elect, IFMBE

Biomedical Engineering Members of the International Advisory Committee

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