After COVID

Planning meetings, with the spectre of last-minute cancellations due to lockdowns or widespread illness was a challenge. It was good to be able to meet finally face-to-face, in Christchurch last year. The Committee are keen to update you with developments since then.

The 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting is planned for Auckland on the 9^th September, with site  visit(s) planned for Thursday 7^th and the CAA Day on 8^th. The venue will be the Air New Zealand Campus site, which is adjacent to the engineering facilities and the airport emergency services. I will update the site visit details once they are confirmed, and I am hopeful we will be able to arrange simulator sessions for two well-organised attendees, who get their bookings sorted in time.

Presenters: please think about topics you would like covered and if you have any cases or studies you would like to present, please email admin@amsnz.nz .

You will see that the website has been updated, along with the logo. The Committee want to provide a more functional and informative platform. It provides details of events, what the Committee is up to, and also links for professional development and further education. At the AGM in September we will be voting on a change of the Society’s name to the “Aerospace Medical Society of Aotearoa New Zealand”. AMSANZ. It may sound familiar! It reflects the broadening of interest of the specialty and a more contemporary title. Please provide comment and feedback about features you would like to see added.

Membership categories have been changed. There are student and doctor-in-training categories. If you are a student, or participating in relevant training, we are keen to have you join us, and contribute to this fascinating specialty. Details are on the membership page of this website.

Training: there are a number of doctors who are eager to enter a career in aerospace medicine. We were able to establish a training programme in Australia with job rotations between CASA, Qantas and Virgin. Claude Preitner (Acting PMO, CAANZ) and I are working on setting up a similar scheme here. It is a complex project with a lot of legal matters to address, but I am confident we will achieve this and ensure Australasia offers a training unmatched anywhere else in the world. (This is true! It builds on the past achievements which have given us an edge in this medical discipline.)

I was invited to speak at the 1^st Pacific Aviation Medical Conference. This was an honour, and warmly received. Thank you for the Society’s support: please see my separate report. The over-riding impression was the high level of interest in the Pacific communities for collaboration, and I look forward to welcoming some participants to our meetings in the future.

Enough for now! Please share your enthusiasm with other colleagues. Let the committee know about peer review group activities so we can promote them. Thanks for your support.