Dr Frank Vince, President of the Society, started his term of office with the Presidential address: 
'Who teaches and who learns?' on 2^nd February.

This was followed by a joint meeting with the Royal College of Physicians on 9^th May; an acclaimed and well attended meeting of 166 delegates and speakers.  This was the 3^rd in a series held at the College of Physicians in the last 10 years.

That same evening a Reception was held for specially invited guests at the House of Lords, hosted by The Lord Cuckney.

On 2^nd November we have invited Professor Anthony Barnett to address the Society on 'Diabetes, Obesity and Cardio-vascular Disease.'

For next year, February 2^nd 2006, we are honoured to have Dr Jan von Overbeck, PMO to Swiss-Re who will come from Zurich, to address the Society on 'Hepatitis C - are we sufficiently vigilant?'

This will be followed by another all-day meeting, tentatively scheduled for May 10^th, in Cardiff jointly with Select 74.  More details will be put on the website when available.

The 114th AAIM meeting held in Chicago this September was absolutely superb! The AAIM team led by Shank Cannon and Ellyn Holzman produced another winner! Next year it will be held at the Alamo, in Texas - you have time to get out the videos!

I had forgotten, after 10 years, what an interesting, clean and attractive place Chicago is.  I also had dinner with Dr George Dunea, whose 300th Letter from Chicago is in the BMJ, and Einar Perman who travelled all the way from Stockholm to ensure that the dinner was exceptional! Indeed it was!

I travelled to Minneapolis to stay with Dr Sherman and Mary-Lou Child, dined in style at the Minikhada Club with our hosts and Annie Child and Susan Stryker, won my singles tennis at Northwest Rackets, time for a nice dinner at the American Bistro, then the theatre to see 'Bone Dry'. and back to Chicago and home.  Warning - one has to have photo I.D. to buy a beer at the airport - they do not believe that we are over 21 to be there in the first place!

The 2nd CEECLAM in Dubrovnik was a great success, with around 60 participants from Central Eastern Europe.  As a founder member and the most ancient amongst at least 50% young enthusiastic female medics and paramedics, I started to feel that it would be nice to be 40 years of age again!

For those who wish to travel there is also in October the AIMA meeting in Beijing; details available from Dr Ian Cox.

For Berlin, May 6^th to 9^th 2007, I have just returned from a Bureau of ICLAM meeting in Zurich and I think we have an excellent programme and venue.  Details will become available in the near future and can be accessed on www.iclam2007.de  A new feature will be that most of the information and booking will be 'online.'

For my wife and I it was a great pleasure to drive the 1400 mile round trip through France, Germany and Switzerland to attend the meeting in Zurich; great hospitality on arrival awaited us.

I look forward to going to Chicago in September and participating at AAIM and may have time for some tennis in Minneapolis, as well as presenting a paper for CEECLAM.  It is always exciting to promote Insurance Medicine in new geographical areas.

Raymond Gill FRCP,Editor AMS Bulletin