From Your President
Zhongxing Liao, MD

Dear AAWR members:
Summer is an exciting time of the year. In summer, our children graduate from high school, start their summer jobs, and perhaps will soon be leaving home for college. Summer is a good time to take a deep breath, stretch a little, and spend sometime with your children and family. Many members are enjoying vacations, surfing the beaches or hiking the mountains. I hope the summer issue of Focus will await you when you return from whatever you are doing, refreshed and energized.

Since the last issue of Focus, the AAWR has held its first executive committee meeting in May in Washington, D.C. During this meeting, we reviewed the Nominating Committee’s proposal for the AAWR 2011 Officer positions and we are excited to have a great core of leadership to direct the future. We have reviewed the reports from the Membership Committee, and we are continuously brought to the realization of the importance of membership to an organization. There was trend of declination in membership, but the curve is flattening out, indicating a stabilization of our membership. We are constantly monitoring this most vital sign of the health for AAWR and are continuously working on accruing new members and retaining our current members.

We reviewed the report from our treasurer carefully and thoroughly. We realize how critical and challenging it is to maintain a good financial status to sustain an organization. Membership is the key to our organization’s health, and I ask each and every one of you to join us in this effort. It was quite exciting to listen to all the reports from various committees. All the committee chairs and members have devoted tremendous effort in their role to the AAWR, and I want to thank everyone for their great job!

This issue of Focus will provide you with a lot of updates on the activities of AAWR. For example, over 70 new members have joined the AAWR between November 2009 and June 2010, and we extend our warmest welcome to them. In addition, we send our wholehearted congratulations to the 2010 ACR Fellow Class. We had a very successful Luncheon at the SPR and ARRS meetings as summarized in the write up in the summer issue of the newsletter. An interview with Dr. Laurie A. Loevner, the ASHNR President will prove to be enchanting. The second article “How I managed work/life balance” will help you to find a good way to enjoy your personal and family life while meeting challenges in your career.

Finally, the Bylaws Committee has submitted a few amendments, which are outlined in this issue, and the ballot for those of you who are unable to attend this year’s Business Meeting is available on the homepage of the AAWR Web site, www.aawr.org.

Have a great summer!