Letter from the President

June 15, 2012

Dear Colleagues,

The second year of my tenure as president of ASEF is coming to a close. The past year has been replete with exciting and innovative activities. During this period I was aided by Drs. Anna Meadows, our president elect, Howard Goldfine, our past president and the members of the Executive Council.

It is important to emphasize and recognize the continued, successful efforts of our committees: The Service Committee: Co-Chairs, Drs. Rob Roy MacGregor, David McCarthy and Julius Deren. The Program Committee: Co-Chairs, Drs. Marvin Steinberg and Jeanne Myers. The Luncheon-Seminars Committee: Chair, Dr. Saul Winegrad. The Communications and Website Committee: Dr. Alan Myers and the Retirement Community Committee: Drs. James Saunders and Neville Strumpf (from PASEF). The work of the latter committee was extensive and laborious. The university administration, although initially showing interest and enthusiastic support, eventually declined to support the proposal. The main reason given was that there exists a huge retirement community close to Penn.

An important activity initiated by Dr. Rob Roy MacGregor is the advocacy program. It aims to provide visits to ASEF and PASEF members who are hospitalized at HUP. After a series of bureaucratic blocks from the Hospital Admissions Office, Dr. MacGregor obtained final approval.

A notable collaborative effort involving PASEF and ASEF initiated during the past year resulted in a program on the use of university libraries. A committee that included Dr. Sheldon Steinberg (Chair), Dr. Vivian Seltzer, Dr. Elsa Ramsden, and Dr. Nicholas Kefalides, in cooperation with the Van Pelt Library and the Biomedical Library, organized workshops that offered help and advice on the use of computers and their numerous software programs.

One of our most rewarding activities has been the Luncheon Seminars. Dr. Saul Winegrad arranged for an exciting and informative series.

I should make special mention of the Program Committee's activities which were so ably aided by Rachael Berget and Julian Pugh, in organizing the celebration honoring the new emeriti on November 2, 2011 and the Spring Lecture by Dr. Becca Levy on March 6, 2012.

A highlight of our Association and all its activities is our website, which was created and maintained by Dr. Alan Myers.

In closing, I should like to report on the election results: Dr. Jeanne Myers, President-elect, and Drs. Michael Broennle and Yvonne Paterson as members of the Executive Council.

We urge you to try to participate in our activities and keep informed of the various events by following the listings on our website.

Sincerely,

Nicholas A. Kefalides, ASEF President, 2011-2012