By Barbara Zehnbauer, PhD Chair, Program Committee e-mail: bzehnbauer@cdc.gov

This may be a New Year but the Program Committee has been at
work planning for the 2010 Annual Meeting since September 2009.  That’s right, folks, we have been planning for 2010 before the 2009 Meeting even took place.  This is the first year for this change in policy and it was instituted to provide a longer timeline and more advance opportunity to reserve AMP meeting space on the calendars of in-demand, cutting-edge speakers.  So, in addition to thanking Tim O’Leary and the 2009 Program Committee for an outstanding Annual Meeting, we need to recognize those Committee members who have been doing double-duty, finalizing 2009 and planning ahead to 2010 scientific sessions!  Arlene Buller, Steve Cook, Tim Greiner, Loren Joseph, and Dave Persing are great examples and partners to their new committee colleagues Brian Dawson, Randy Hayden, Charlie Hill, Dawn Maghakian, and George Netto.   They have already been working very diligently inspiring each other with ideas for exciting sessions and expert speakers.   There will be some cross-cutting topics of interest to all Subdivisions, as well as, specific focused presentations.

We also want to keep the night-life going with another social event but we will need the help of other energetic AMP members.  Are the Pillage People and VAMPs ready for a return engagement?  Please contact me or any of the Committee members with your ideas, talent, or fun spirit in this regard. 

We want to remind members that next year the AMP Annual Meeting will cap our 16^th year and the venue will be the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in California! (http://www.sanjose.org/meetings/facilities/civic_aud.php )    Fly into San Jose or San Francisco.  Hotels are adjacent to the center with light rail just outside the door.  This year we will also move to a permanent Thursday- Friday -Saturday meeting schedule block with vendor workshops on Wednesday.  So mark your calendars now and join us in Silicon Valley.