As in the past issues, this JBC Calendar & Association News section contains information relating to our profession's annual meetings. These meetings are vital not only for the financial health of our organizations, but also for the great opportunities they represent for us to gain new skills, to share academic and research interests, to acquire continuing education hours for certification, and to see old friends. These meetings offer us a chance to refresh mentally and “reboot” our enthusiasm for another year.

Announcing the Annual Meeting of The Association of Biomedical Communications Directors (ABCD)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, October 14-17, 2004

Make plans now to attend the 2004 Annual ABCD Meeting October 14-17, 2004. After several attempts to fit together the pieces of the puzzle—host city, venue, days and dates, speaker availability, conflicts with other events, etc.—the dates and location were determined to be a good solution for the many constituencies involved.

A program has been planned with speakers and content aimed at equipping the BMC director to better understand and deal with the rapidly changing environment within academic health science centers. Few would doubt that this is a very important time for us in our professional lives and for the departments that we lead.

Future e-mails will provide specifics of times, presentation titles, etc. Please jump on the Web and take advantage of the deals on plane fares that are going on right now. As soon as final details are established, a registration form will be sent to you.

Dates: October 14-17, 2004
Location: Friday Center for Continuing Education
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
http://www.fridaycenter.unc.edu/

Multiple air carriers serve Raleigh/Durham airport. A MapQuest printout for Chapel Hill will provide specific directions, but generally travel by car would be via I95/I85 from the North, I85 from the South, and I40 from the west. The Friday Center is just about three miles east of Chapel Hill on Highway 54—a main artery into Chapel Hill from the airport, which is about 15 miles farther east.

Hotel: Marriott Courtyard, 100 Courtyard Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. This is a brand new five-story hotel one block from the Friday Center. It is located across the street from several eateries and is on the bus line to downtown Chapel Hill. A room block has been set aside, with a good rate of $99. Phone numbers and details for reservations will be forthcoming.

Registration Fee: $400 members, $70 spouses.

Preliminary Program Schedule

Thursday, October 14
2 p.m. Board of Directors Meeting at Hotel
5:30 p.m. Welcome Reception at Friday Center
6 p.m. Dinner
7-8:30 p.m. Directors Forum

Friday, October 15
Friday Center for Continuing Education
8:30 a.m.-noon Lyn Mitchell, presenter
Lunch at Friday Center
1-5 p.m. Continuation of Program with Lyn Mitchell?interactive discussions
Supper at local restaurants
Evening free

Saturday, October 16
Friday Center
8 a.m.-noon Matthew Christensen, presenter
Noon Lunch at Friday Center
Hurtgen Meadows Farm, Hillsborough, NC
2 p.m.-evening Informal Conversations and Discussions. Evening meal.

Sunday, October 17
Friday Center
8:30 - noon Panel Discussion by Directors, Case Study & Program Wrap-up
Noon ABCD Annual Business Luncheon
1 p.m. Depart
1:30 p.m. Board of Directors meeting at Hotel

For More Information:
Thomas P. Hurtgen, Educational Media Services
Duke University School of Medicine, Box 3087, Durham, NC 27710
Phone: 919-684-6884. Fax: 919-684-8803.
e-mail: hurtg001@mc.duke.edu

The Association of Biomedical Communications Directors (ABCD) was formed on January 27, 1974, by vote of approximately 65 directors gathered for the fourth in a series of meetings, which were initiated in 1970 by the National Medical Audio/Visual Center in Atlanta, Ga. Since then, the organization has developed documents and procedures to govern its operation, but has strived to maintain an informal atmosphere emphasizing its purpose as a forum for sharing among its members. In March of 1978, an official Constitution and Bylaws were adopted by the membership, and on April 18, 1979, the Association was incorporated in the State of North Carolina.

Related Association News

Because of the ongoing interest in the Illustrators' Partnership of America, I have included links to the Illustrators' Partnership of American (IPA) Web site.

Announcing the 35th Annual meeting of the Ophthalmic Photographers' Society, New Orleans, October 22 - 26, 2004

Ophthalmic Photographers' Society will hold its 35th annual meeting October 22-26, in New Orleans, La. For more information visit:
http://www.opsweb.org/index.htm
http://www.opsweb.org/Educat/Educat.htm

Announcing the 46th International Conference on Health and Science Communications
Seattle, Wash., June 1-4, 2005

Start making plans to attend HeSCA's 2005 annual conference on health and science communications. Better yet, submit an abstract to make a presentation.

Some themes being developed for the program are:

• Website usability and accessibility
• Hitting high on search engines
• Working and learning together across distance
• Measuring ROI for communications
• Business planning for service departments
• Customer service for success
• Production solutions to communications challenges

The meeting will be held at the Edgewater Hotel, Seattle's only waterfront hotel. Keep your eye on the following site for more information: http://www.hesca.org/meeting/

Announcing the 75th Annual Meeting of the BioCommunications Association—BIOCOMM 2005
Portland, Oregon - July 21-24, 2005

Start making plans to attend BCA's 2005 Annual Meeting.
Details to follow: http://www.bca.org/

Announcing the 60th Annual Meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators
Los Angeles, Calif., July 27-31, 2005

AMI Workshops - July 27 & 28
Annual Meeting Conference - July 29- 31

This year we are co-locating in Los Angeles with the SIGGRAPH International Conference. The SIGGARPH conference begins immediately following the AMI Annual Meeting. Visit: http://www.AMI.org for more information.

SIGGRAPH 32nd International Conference
July 31 - August 4, 2005

Visit: http://www.siggraph.org/s2005/ for more information.

Announcing the 3rd World Congress of Medical and Scientific Imaging
Cairns, Australia, August 25 - 29, 2005

"Explore" has been chosen as the name of the 3rd World Congress of Medical and Scientific Imaging.

In keeping with our theme, "Explore: Discover the Possibilities," the 2005 World Congress aims to inform delegates and attendees of the latest trends in medical and scientific imaging, so that the potential of modern technologies can be fully realized.

The meeting program will consist of three days of academic papers, a professional exhibition, and a unique opportunity to take part in a Great Barrier Reef expedition.

Visit: http://www.discoverthepossibilities.com.au/ for more information.