Letter to IAP Executive and VPs

I wish to specially thank Allison Booth and Charley Ramey for their roles in making our virtual meetings in the run up to the main Congress happen, particularly the International Organising Committee, the Finance Committee and the Education Committee. Thanks to all the Chairs and members of those committees for their hard work.

The International Council meeting went very well as a virtual event with nearly 90 active members in attendance. We were able to conduct the essential business of the IAP in this way. I am very pleased that we were able to ratify the election of Martin Hale as incoming President Elect and we also confirmed Fukuoka as the venue for the IAP Congress in 2026. We also announced the award of the David Hardwick Gold Medals to Dietmar Schmidt and Claude Cuvelier for their amazing contributions to the IAP. 

Thank you also for your participation in the closing ceremony, again a virtual event with the BDIAP. I think it went better than expected and I was very pleased that we were able to witness Dietmar Schmidt passing on the gavel and presidential pin of the IAP to Bob Osamura virtually. I was also pleased as the Congress President for Glasgow 2020 to be able to pass on the IAP Congress Flag to Sydney 2022 and especially to Richard Scolyer and Jane Dahlstrom. You will have seen the overall figures for the meeting, with more than 4700 delegates and a huge range of activity. You may be aware of the glitch at the beginning of the Congress on Sunday, December 6, but this was resolved very quickly, and the rest of the meeting ran smoothly. We do not yet know what the financial outcome of the meeting will be but there will certainly be an income for the IAP, perhaps not as much as we would have had from a live meeting. I'm very pleased that we will be able to meet virtually again at the time of the USCAP meeting in March.  

I hope at some point in the future, once a vaccine has been successfully rolled out, to be able to meet again in person and certainly hope that we can, some of us at least, meet in person at Sydney 2022 which the Australasian Division is planning to have as a hybrid meeting. 

Once again, many thanks for your friendship and cooperation in working through these difficult times. 

Best wishes

Ray 

Ray McMahon,  IAP Secretary