Vol 60 No 1 2020
Page 5
Embedded Files
Prof. Ray McMahonSecretary
Meet the IAP Secretariat
Meet the IAP Secretariat
The IAP secretariat works quietly behind the scenes to ensure that the IAP functions to deliver its aims to promote pathology and education around the world. The formal administration meetings including the IAP Council take place on even-numbered years at the biennial Congresses, with the next future Congress to take place in Glasgow in 2020. Administrative meetings of the IAP Executive and other active committees take place annually at the USCAP AGM.
In the meantime, the Secretariat comprises Ray McMahon as Secretary, in the post since the end of 2014, and the Assistant Secretaries, Charles Ramey, based in Vancouver and in the post since 2006 when he worked with my predecessor, David Hardwick, and Allison Booth, based in Manchester who has been involved for the last two years. All three of us communicate regularly; Ray and Allison meet up in Manchester and keep in touch with Charles in Vancouver via Skype. There is also a huge electronic transfer of information and data as required.
In the background, the IAP website has been revamped through the good offices of Charles and his colleague in Vancouver, Stan Shaw. This has allowed us to migrate a huge amount of the archive of the IAP, dating back many decades, into a Google platform which will be transferable to future Secretariats in a relatively straightforward way. The Google platform also allows real time contact between the Secretariat and the various IAP committees. The most important of these is the Education Committee chaired by Jane Dahlstrom, based in Canberra, which is responsible for tracking and supporting the outreach programs of the IAP and its assemblies and divisions around the world.
The finance committee is chaired by Martin Hale, who is based in Johannesburg, and assisted by Henry Tazelaar, our Treasurer, based in Arizona. The financial security of the IAP is essential for the safe delivery of our aims and objectives. The IAP derives its income from annual subscriptions, set at $6 per member, collected from the divisions, and capitation fees, set at 5.5% of registration fees, arising from the biennial Congresses, along with any share of surplus from such meetings. This is a somewhat variable source of income; therefore, financial prudence is required to ensure safe delivery of our educational and administrative functions. There is a backup investment fund, accumulated over many years, which provides a small amount of annual income but also ensures that in fallow years there is sufficient reserve on which the academy can call to be able to deliver its aims.
There is also a requirement to ensure that Congresses continue to occur. We have had the wrap up from the 2018 Jordan Congress at the IAP administrative meetings at the 2019 USCAP AGM in Maryland in March and at a subsequent meeting at the ECP meeting in Nice in September with the 2018 Jordan Professional Congress Organiser. The next International Congress will be hosted jointly by BDIAP and ESP in 2020 in Glasgow next August/September. Next year the results of future planning ongoing for the 2022 meeting in Sydney by the Australasian division will be considered at the 2020 Los Angeles administrative meetings and by Council at the 2020 Glasgow meeting.
In Jordan in October 2018, the International Council voted for Cancun as the site for the 2024 Congress. This was subject to a satisfactory site visit, which has taken place in October 2019 and which should be given preliminary approval at the forthcoming meeting of the IAP executive meeting taking place at the USCAP 2020 meeting in LA in March, and given final ratification/approval at the 2020 Glasgow IAP Council meeting. Bids will be sought for the 2026 Congress early in 2020 and a decision will be made by the international council at its meeting in Glasgow in August 2020.
The Secretariat is always available for contact for information and advice. We try to be visible at the Congresses and USCAP meetings, so that members can put faces to names.
Feel free to get in touch with us at secretary@iapcentral.org or via social media on Twitter: @IAPCentral and LinkedIn: Secretary IAP
By Ray McMahon
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