1.1 President Dr.Claude Thibeault opened the meeting at 3:08 pm.

There were 71 members signed in and present. (Appendix 2).

1.2 The President welcomed all members present, and thanked all members of the Executive Council and all the committee chairs and members for their dedication in helping the Academy to function successfully.

2.1. Apologies were received from Drs: 
Luiz A. Amezcua; Harald T. Andersen; Bengt Andrae; Charles Billings; Jay. C. Bisgard; Tony Castelo-Branco; Graeme Cameron; Audie Davis; David Flower; Paul Fourn; Israel Glazer; William H. King; Karl Klein; Paul Ledoux; Prof. G. Leguay; Alistair J. F. MacMillan; J.M. Masson; Marco Montenegro; Ion Morrison; Burt Rowen; G. Santucci; Victoria Voge; Fred Zebouni.

According to the Constitution, a quorum will be 25 % of members entitled to vote(including valid proxies), while for non-constitutional matters a quorum of 20 % is sufficient.

As of May 1, 2001, the Academy had 116 financially current members, therefore a 25 % quorum is 29. There were 31 financially active members present, plus 12 valid proxies received, resulting in a total of 43 votes. Thus, there was an ample quorum to carry out any business.

The Minutes of the 83^rd General Assembly held in Rio de Janeiro,

Sept.19, 2000 had been circulated to all members prior to the meeting.

It was moved by Dr.M. Bagshaw, seconded by Dr.C. Berry, that the Minutes be accepted and approved as written. Carried unanimously.

There was no business arising from the Minutes.

7.1.     Request for Retired Status for 2001:

1. Dr. Lucio Trovo, Argentina, joined 1990

2. Dr. Elias J. Helo, Chile, joined 1982

3. Dr. Gaetano Rotondo, Italy joined 1978

           Request for Retired Status for 2002
1.Dr.Stanley Diamond, USA, Joined 1984

7.2     Request for Voluntary Resignation
1. Dr. William Rozecki, Canada, joined 1981 Unpaid since 1999

7.3 Recommendation for Inactive Status
1. Dr. Ibrahim A. Mirdad, Saudi Arabia, joined 1995
        -has not paid membership since 1998, has not responded to repeated personal letters.

2. Dr. A. Sandy Dawson, New Zealand, joined 1993
        -has not paid dues since 1997, has not responded to repeated personal letters.
        As Dr. Dawson was the previous Secretary-General, and has contributed significantly to the Academy, Dr.
        Donaldson has agreed to try and contact Dr. Dawson, before placing his name on Inactive Status.

The above changes were approved by the Executive Council.

7.4 Deceased Members:

The Academy has been notified of the passing of the following Academicians:

1. Dr. Peter V Siegel, USA, joined 1967, died April 6, 2001.
        Dr. Jon Jordan, addressed the General Assembly and paid tribute to Dr. Siegel’s life and his
        many accomplishments.

2. Dr. P. J. O’Connor, UK, joined 1977
        Sir John Baird addressed the General Assembly, notified the members of the recent passing of Dr.
        O’Connor, and spoke about the many accomplishments and the contributions made by Dr. O’Connor.

The President asked those present to stand and pay tribute to our deceased colleagues with a moment of silence.

8.1- Special Scientific Panel
The President wished to speak about a "Special Scientific Panel" during the report of the Scientific Committee.

Dr. Frank Pettyjohn, the Chancellor, had chaired the Selectors Committee meeting on Sunday, May 6, at 1:00 pm., but due to conflicting obligations, Dr. Y.G. Caine presented the Chancellor’s report. 14 Selectors had attended the Selectors meeting. Also in attendance were non-voting members: President C. Thibeault, 1^st V-P Ulf Balldin, Secretary-General G. Takahashi, Past-Presidents R. Auffret, S. Finkelstein and S. White

Dr. Donaldson chaired the meeting which took place on Sunday May 6, at 12:00 noon, and presented the Scholarship Committee Report. He reported that 7 members of the Committee attended the meeting. Apologies were received from Dr. S. Mohler.

The meeting was also attended by President Claude Thibeault, 1^st Vice-President Ulf Balldin and Secretary-General George Takahashi.

10.1-Scholarship Applications:

Dr. Donaldson announced that applications were being sought for the Academy Scholarship as funds have been approved. The Committee has received 10 expressions of interest thus far. Dr. Donaldson invited all members to encourage interested young physicians in the field to apply.

- The Committee is planning to make the Scholarship Application Form available, and to be received electronically in order to make the procedure more efficient.

- A new clause is being added to the Scholarship Application Form to ensure that successful Applicants maintain contact with the Academy.

10.2-Scholarship Format:

Dr. Donaldson reported that after much discussion regarding the format and the amount of the Scholarship, the Committee recommended that the Scholarship be maintained in the present format of $US 10,000.00.

10.3-Application for Assistance to Attend Congress:

The Committee received a request from a medical practitioner from a developing country to attend the next Congress. After considerable discussion, the Committee decided to refer the matter to the Executive Council.

10.4-Scholarship Committee Records:

Due to the accumulation of old Applications, the Committee recommended that after two years, only the successful Application will be kept on file, along with a list of names of the other Applicants.

Moved by Dr.R. Fennell , seconded by Dr. N. Kowalsky, that the Scholarship Committee Report be accepted, and approved.

Carried unanimously.

Dr. Caine, the Chair, presented the Committee’s report. The Committee met on Sunday, May 6, at 8:00 am. He received apologies from Dr. Billings.

Nine members of the Scientific Committee were present. Drs. Michael Bagshaw, Roy DeHart, and Gary Gray were welcomed as new members of the Committee.

The meeting was also attended by President C. Thibeault, First Vice-President Ulf Balldin, Secretary-General G. Takahashi, and Past-President Silvio Finkelstein.

11.1 Monograph by Dr. Anthony Nicholson:
2 further copies were sold in Europe. Dr. Caine will get an update from Dr. Thompson, regarding the total number sold.

11.2 Dr. Jon Jordan’s Oslo Paper:
Nothing further has happened in this area. Dr. Caine will contact Dr. Jordan.

11.3 Dr. John Ernsting’s Monograph on Hypoxia:
The draft is expected to be ready by the Geneva Congress.

11.4 Instructions for Organizers of an International Congress:
The ‘Draft Instructions’ which had been circulated to members of the Committee for comments was again reviewed for final comments. -Dr. Thibeault proposed that a scientific Panel be held at the end of the Scientific Program, to discuss a current topic of importance, and that the Panel be named the "John Ernsting Panel. Dr. Thibeault explained that as the Scientific Committee owes its current status largely to the initiatives and efforts of Dr. John Ernsting, the first Chair of the Committee, the Panel would be named in his honor, similar to the Allard Lecture. This proposal was unanimously endorsed by the members of the Committee. Therefore, this will be included in the ‘Draft Instructions’ and circulated to all members of the Committee for final comment before presentation to the Executive Council for final approval.

11.5 Scientific Program of the 48^th Congress:
Dr. Crance, Chair of the Coordinating Scientific Committee informed the Committee that the Scientific Program has been organized so that there will be 60 oral presentations and 5 Panels.

The following Panel topics are under consideration:

1) Very Large Capacity Aircraft (VLCA)

2) Cardiovascular Disease

3) Air Rage

4) Deep Vein Thrombosis

5) Medical Operations in Space Flight

6) Aeromedical Transportation

It is planned that all Abstracts will be reviewed by members of the Scientific Committee as well as the Coordinating Scientific Committee.

11.6 Future Directions for the Scientific Committee:
It was suggested that the Academy produce position papers on topics of importance and controversial issues in the field. This proposal was approved by the Executive Council, and therefore the Scientific Committee will be looking for volunteers, among the membership, who have expertise in a particular field or topic. A call for volunteers will be placed in the next Newsletter.

Moved by Dr. P. Oksanen, seconded by Dr. I. Perry, that the Report of the Scientific Committee be approved and accepted. Carried unanimously.

Dr. Auffret, Chairman of the Nominating Committee, presented his Report.

He was pleased to report that the meeting was attended by Dr. Robert Auffret, Chair; Dr. John Ernsting; Dr. Stanley White; and Dr. Silvio Finkelstein. Apologies were received from Dr. A. Castelo-Branco.

The meeting was also attended by President Claude Thibeault; 1^st V-P. Ulf Balldin and the Secretary-General, George Takahashi.

12.1 The following slate of Nominations to fill vacancies for Sept.2001 was presented:

1^st Vice-President: Dr. Eric Donaldson Australia

2^nd Vice-President: Dr. Frank Pettyjohn USA

Director: Dr. Lutz Bergau Germany

Selectors: Dr. Jay Danforth Canada

Dr. Ronald Wambeek Australia

Dr. Hans Hafner Switzerland

Dr. Francisco Rios-Tejada Spain

Scientific Committee:

Dr. Lim Meng Kin Singapore

Scholarship Committee:

Dr. Ralph Fennell USA

As there were no further nominations received by the Secretary-General, it was moved by Dr. M. Antunaño, seconded by Dr. N. Kowalsky, that the report of the Nominating Committee, and the slate of nominations be accepted and approved.

The main points in the Secretary-General’s report were as follows:

13.1.1. Address Changes:
Members were strongly urged to notify the Secretary-General of changes in address as soon as possible, as contact is lost until a new address is received. Many mailings are returned after each mailing because of a change in address. This results in increased costs for postage, as mailings often are required to be re-mailed after receipt of a new address

13.2. Annual Dues Payment:
Members were again reminded to pay their Annual Membership Dues as soon as the Statement of Account is received at the beginning of the year, as the annual membership expires on January 31 of each year. Many members who put their Statement of Account aside to be paid at a later date often lose it, and a second statement reminder must be sent. This adds to the administrative costs of running the Academy, and therefore, the secretary-General again pleaded to the members to pay their Annual Dues as soon as the Statement of Account is received.

13.3. New Academy Ties:
Due to the comments about out-dated, thin, Academy Ties, new fashionably correct Academy ties have been made available. In addition, due to requests from members, bow-ties also have been available. Also, because the Academy officially has two languages, the letters AIMAS have been added to the logo on the ties.

Prices: Silk $US 40.00

Polyester 25.00

Bow-tie 25.00

13.4 FINANCIAL SUMMARY for 2000: See original mailed copy.

The proposed amendments to the Academy By-Laws, Article III, Section 3, F,G,

which was discussed in Rio de Janeiro, was projected on the screen for a vote.

There being no further discussion, it was moved by Dr. M. Antunaño, seconded by Dr. I. Perry, that the Amendment as proposed for Article III, Section 3, F, G, be accepted and approved. Carried unanimously.

Dr. Stan Mohler, Professor of the Wright State Aerospace Medicine Residency Program, introduced Dr. Eduard Ricaurte, from Colombia, the current winner of the Academy Scholarship.

Dr. Mohler informed the General Assembly that Dr. Ricaurte has been doing very well in the program, and was attending the AsMA Meeting to present a paper. Dr. Ricaurte has also been teaching Spanish in his spare time at Wright State.

Dr. Ricaurte expressed his sincere appreciation and thanked the Academy members for their generosity, and stated that without the Scholarship, he would not have been able to further his studies in Aerospace Medicine.

16.1 Congress 2001, Geneva, Switzerland
Dr. Jean-Jacques Papy, Co-President of the Organizing Committee, and Dr. Alexis Hyde made a presentation on behalf of the 49^th ICASM, which is being co-hosted by the Société Suisse de Médecine Aéronautique (S.S.M.A.) and the Société Française de Médecine Aéronautique et Spatiale (SOFRAMAS).

- Dates- September 16^th to 20^th , 2001

- Location: Noga Hilton, Geneva, Switzerland

-Chair of the Coordinating Scientific Committee, Academician Jean-Pierre Crance, has promised an excellent Scientific Program. The proposed Allard Lecturer is M. Jean Pierson. There will be 2 professional visits. An interesting social program has been planned, with visits to some interesting sites in the beautiful city of Geneva. Dr. Papy assured all members that the city of Geneva was a quaint, beautiful and very safe city to enjoy all the amenities that the city has to offer.

The President thanked Dr. Papy and Dr. Hyde for their presentation.

16.2. Congress 2002, Sydney, Australia
due to South Africa’s problem with hosting the 2002 Congress, the Australian Society of Aviation & Space Medicine(ASASM) with the New Zealand Society of Aviation & Space Medicine(NZSASM), has agreed to host the 2002 Congress.

-Dr. Eric Donaldson, President of the Organizing Committee of the Congress, gave the presentation.

-The venue: Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour

-Dates: Sept. 15 - 19, 2002

-Dr. Donaldson explained that the new Convention Centre is ideally located, surrounded by many hotels within walking distance from the Convention Centre, close to many visitors’ attractions and world renowned shopping areas.

The President thanked Dr. Donaldson and the Australian and New Zealand Societies for accepting the challenge on such short notice.

16.3 Congress 2003, Madrid,Spain
Dr. Rios Tejada, President of the Organizing Committee of the Congress 2003, gave an update of progress in planning thus far.

- Dates: October 5 - 9, 2003

- Venue: Madrid Medical Association, located in downtown Madrid.

-Dr. Rios Tejada gave details of the plans thus far, including the composition of the various Committees. Dr.Rios Tejada stated that all committees are now in place. Several sponsors have been obtained, and the Iberia Airlines is the official Carrier. A full program for accompanying persons has been organized.

The President thanked Dr. Rios-Tejada for the presentation.

16.4. Congress 2004, Sun City, South Africa
Dr. Ken Ingham gave an update on the planning of the Congress thus far. He stated that the military will now be in full support of the Congress, and the venue will still be Sun City. He stated that due to the monetary exchange rate, attendees will find the costs quite reasonable.

The exact dates have not been established as yet, but the last two weeks of September appeared to be the current target.

The President thanked Dr. Ingham for the progress report.

16.5. Congress 2005, Warsaw, Poland

The Secretary-General received communications of apology from the Polish organizers that due to the current restructuring taking place within the Polish Air Force Academy of Aviation Medicine, they were unable to send a representative to this meeting to provide us with an update.

However, plans are proceeding satisfactorily, and they will be giving an update presentation at the Congress in Geneva.

President Thibeault presented the following new members with their Academy Medals and Membership Certificates:

All the new Academicians were congratulated and welcomed into the Academy.

18.1.Academy Website Update:

Dr. Michael Berry, who maintains the Academy Website, gave the statistics on the number of ‘hits’ or visits to the site during the past year. The visits have been steadily increasing each month. The total number of hits or visits was 15,499 for the period Oct/99 to Sept/00.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:05 pm.

Recording Secretary:

George Y. Takahashi, M.D.