The Charleston Place Hotel, a luxurious hotel located in the heart of downtown Charleston, South Carolina, served as a perfect setting for the 126th meeting of our Association. This hotel and picturesque town—with gaslight lamps, cobblestone streets, centuries-old townhouses, carriage rides, and renowned restaurants — was the site of our 2006 meeting, the best attended in the history of our Association. The combination of Southern charm and vibrant dining places (featuring “Low Country” cooking) made this an ideal place for the meeting. The total attendance was 293 with 155 members and 138 spouses and guests.
In his President's Address, titled “Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, and the Dark Side of Medical Science,” Philip Mackowiak noted potential and real harms created by modern medicine. He discussed examples of abnormalities identified on routine examinations that are sometimes just as likely to lead to harm as to benefit, with serendipitous findings compelling a physician to order additional unnecessary and potentially dangerous tests (the so-called, “tar baby syndrome” after the Uncle Remus fable of the same name). He encouraged us to consider Victor Frankenstein's warning: “learn from me; if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge.”
The Gordon Wilson Lecture was delivered by Peter Agre, MD, the 2003 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and University Professor and Director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In his address titled “Opening Doors Worldwide Through Medical Science,” Dr. Agre delivered a spellbinding lecture that chronicled his journey from humble beginnings in Minnesota to Stockholm where the King of Sweden presented him the Nobel prize for his discovery of aquaporin. In the latter part of his lecture he chronicled opportunities he has been afforded to build bridges between the U.S. and countries whose governments and citizens may not hold a favorable view of the U.S. in general (i.e., Cuba and North Korea), but value U.S. science and technology. It was a truly memorable lecture, with members and guests expressing their appreciation with a standing ovation.
The Jeremiah Metzger Lecture titled “New Additions to the Toolbox for Global Malaria Eradication” was delivered by Christopher Plowe, MD, Professor of Medicine, Molecular Biology and Immunology, and Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Institute Investigator. He presented a compelling case that malaria eradication is possible, especially since elimination of the disease has already been accomplished in many countries. Worldwide eradication will require addressing poverty and using new tools such as long-lasting insecticide-impregnated nets, artemisinin-based combination therapies, genetically modified mosquitoes refractory to malaria, and effective vaccines. He also discussed his efforts to develop molecular markers that can be used as surveillance tools to track resistance and guide containment and elimination.
The fifth Bert and Peggy Dupont Lecture was delivered by James A. W. Rembert, PhD, Professor Emeritus at the Citadel. A 1961 Citadel graduate, Rembert served as officer on active duty in the Army in Vietnam as both a Ranger and a Green Beret. For 37 years, beginning in 1968, Rembert taught in the English Department of Citadel. His provocative lecture was appropriately titled “The Shelling of Fort Sumter, a Southern Perspective.” Allegedly, the South had the constitutional right to secede from the union and the “War of Northern Aggression” was fought over Southern independence, not slavery. The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter was a justified defensive reaction to the impending arrival of an unwanted naval force, with Lincoln deliberately provoking the attack so he could use it as justification for an invasion. An unofficial sampling of dinner table banter suggested that the Southern perspective was not a viewpoint shared by most Association members. Nevertheless, the controversial lecture and evening was rescued with Peter Agre's humor and his acapella rendition of Paul McCartney's song, “When I'm Sixty-Four,” complete with audience participation. For several reasons, it was a memorable evening.
MINUTES FROM COUNCIL MEETING
President Philip Mackowiak convened the meeting of the Council at 9:00AM on Thursday, October 17, 2013, at the Charleston Place Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. Those in attendance were R. Wayne Alexander, Edward Benz, Frederic Billings III (President-Elect), Stephen Greenberg (Vice President), James Hughes, Richard Lange (Secretary-Treasurer), Philip Mackowiak (President), Gerald Mandell, J. Glenn Morris, John Oates, Ronald Sacher, and Fred Schiffman (Recorder). Only one of the Council members – Dr. L. David Hillis – was absent.
Dr. Benz moved, and Dr. Oates seconded, the motion that the minutes of the 125th meeting of the Association be approved as published in volume 124 of the Transactions. The motion carried unanimously.
Dr. Benz (chair) reported that the Nominating Committee – consisting of Laurence Boxer, George Dover, David Hellmann, Douglas Mann and Andrew Schafer – had nominated Frederic Billings as President, Anne Moore as President-Elect, Laurence Boxer as Vice President and Philip Mackowiak and Virginia Collier as new Council members. The Nominating Committee also recommended that Richard Lange continue as Secretary-Treasurer and Fred Schiffman continue as Recorder. Dr. Oates moved and Dr. Greenberg seconded the motion that Council accept the committee's nominations, which will be presented to the membership for approval. The motion carried unanimously.
The names of the members whose death was made known to the Association during the previous year were presented: Laurence Early, John Eckstein, and Ernest Mazzaferri. The names of the spouses of members whose death were made known to the Association during the previous year were also presented: Kathy Pillsbury, wife of Richard Janeway. Their names will be read to the membership at the first business meeting.
Dr. Alexander moved and Dr. Greenberg seconded the motion that the resignation of two members – David Skorton and Howard Markel – be accepted. The motion carried unanimously. Dr. Skorton was notified of the acceptance in March 2013 by Dr. Billings. Dr. Lange will notify Dr. Markel of the acceptance of his resignation.
Terminations for failure to comply with the attendance requirements as stated in the Constitution and By-laws (Article IV, Section 5) were addressed by the Council. Dr. Benz moved and Dr. Billings seconded the motion that the membership of Timothy Flanigan and Robert Gibson be rescinded for failure to attend an Association meeting since 2008 and 2009, respectively. The motion carried. Because Lawrence Corey neglected to present a paper following his election to provisional membership in 2010, the Council unanimously approved a motion, made by Dr. Billings and seconded by Dr. Schiffman, to rescind his membership.
The following members whose last meeting attendance was 2010 provided satisfactory explanations of why they were unable to attend the 2013 meeting; Phyllis August, Valerie Castle, James Fagin, William Little, Steve Nelson, Lanny Rosenwasser, Richard Shannon, Lawrence Smith, David Stevenson, Manikkam (Suthan) Suthanthiran, and Abraham Verghese. These members will be notified by Dr. Lange that they must be current in their dues and attend the 2014 Association meeting in Tucson in order to maintain their membership.
The Council requested that Dr. Lange determine why the following members whose last meeting attendance was in 2010 have not provided an explanation regarding their absence at the 2013 meeting; Roland Blantz, David Crabb, and J. Larry Jameson. Based on each individual's response and their compliance with dues, Dr. Lange is to decide whether membership in the Association should be extended or terminated. The Council requested that Dr. Lange clarify the membership status and dues payments of Lee Goldman (last attended 2002) and Judith Swain (last attended 1998). Although previously identified as having attendance delinquencies, both likely qualify for emeritus status.
Dr. Sacher moved and Dr. Morris seconded the motion that the following 12 members be transferred from active to emeritus membership: Martin Blaser, Jack Ende, Laurence Gardner, Ian Hay, David Humes, Mark Kelley, Talmadge King, Jr, Paul Ladenson, Andrew Schafer, Fred Schiffman, Kelley Skeff, and John Tooker.
Dr. Lange reported that there are 174 active members, not including 4 provisional members who were elected to membership in 2011 (Janet Schlechte and Joseph St. Geme) or 2012 (Haywood Brown and Arun Sanyal) and are not attending the 2013 meeting and 287 emeritus members. Three of the 4 provisional aforementioned members – Drs. Brown, Sanyal and St. Geme – provided a satisfactory explanation to the Council as to why they were unable to present a paper at the 2013 meeting. All 4 members were informed that our Bylaws state that provisional members must present a paper within 2 years of election to the organization to maintain their membership. Accordingly, they must present a lecture and submit a corresponding manuscript for publication in 2014 in order to avoid losing their provisional membership. Dr. Janet Schlechte failed to respond to email requests for an explanation of why she had not presented a paper since her election to provisional membership in 2011. The Council requested that Dr. Lange investigate (i.e., is her contact information current and correct) and resolve this issue.
Dr. Billings moved and Dr. Greenberg seconded the motion that the following 21 provisional members be advanced to active membership upon presentation of their papers at the annual meeting and timely submission of their manuscript to the Recorder for publication in the Transactions: Mark Anderson, Denny Ausiello, Joseph Bonventre, Robert Bradsher, Michael Cain, Stephen Davis, G. William Dec, Raymond DuBois, Peter Ganz, David Harrison, Joel Katz, Steve Liggett, David Markovitz, Bruce Molitoris, Akinlolu Ojo, Boris Pasche, Gary Rosenthal, Charles Sawyers, Jack Stapleton, Marilyn Telen, Randall Urban, and David Williams. The motion carried unanimously. It was noted that Dr. Charles Sawyers had delivered the Gordon Wilson lecture in 2011 and submitted his manuscript for publication, which fulfills the requirements of advancement from provisional to active membership.
The winner of the 2013 Mary Allen Engle Award (i.e., the new member who was most prompt in submitting their lecture manuscript to the Recorder) was announced and is Michael E. Wienblatt. The prize – a bottle of wine – will be supplied by Dr. Schiffman. The 2013 Theodore E. Woodward Award (to recognize the presenter at the annual meeting who spoke the most eloquently….“on the importance of clinical skills in medical practice and teaching.”) winner was announced and is G. Richard Olds who presented a talk titled, “Deworming the World.”
Fred Schiffman provided the Recorder's report which noted (a) addition of an Errata section in the Transactions: (b) change in the Cadmus/Cenveo editor; (c) inclusion of memorial names in the index; and (d) potential $5000 savings in Transactions printing costs by transitioning to digital printing. Dr. Alexander moved and Dr. Mandell seconded the motion that the report of the Recorder be accepted. The motion carried unanimously. The Council asked Dr. Schiffman to further investigate the possibility of digital printing and inclusion in EBSCO, which provides online databases to libraries.
The Finance Committee – chaired by Nancy Berliner and consisting of Neil Blacklow, Lewis Landsberg and Frank Abboud, and ex officio members Frederic Billings, Edward Benz, Richard Lange and Philip Mackowiak – reviewed the 2012 financial compilation submitted by Postlethwaite and Netterville, A Professional Accounting Corporation. The financial compilation was accepted by the Council and will further be reviewed by the Audit Committee chaired by Marschall Runge and including Stephen Baum and Craig Kitchens. It was reported that the Association's net assets as of December 31, 2012 were $522,342, with much of the increase in assets due to investment income. The Council was informed that investment income should be no more than 1/3 of the income of a non-profit organization to maintain its non-profit status with the IRS. The Council requested clarification on whether income from “restricted funds” counted towards the IRS determination of non-profit status. The Council agreed by consent that the Association should be willing to spend more of its budget for invited lecturers, especially for “non-academic” professionals, whose typical speaking fees are higher than academicians.
The financial statements were presented and discussed. No modification in investment strategy was made as recommended by Stanford Roy of Davis, Miller, Roy Group (Merrill Lynch). The Council asked that our portfolio be benchmarked against a “blinded” portfolio and that the fee structure (advisor and investment fees) be disclosed.
Connie Mackowiak and Bobette Lange reported to the Council that the spouses/guests of the Officers and Council members discussed the following sites as potential locations for future meetings: Santa Fe (NM), Chicago (IL), Minneapolis (MN), Nemacolin Woodlands Resort (near Pittsburgh, PA), Caribbean (including cruises), Bermuda, San Francisco (CA), Santa Barbara (CA), Carmel (CA), and Boulder (CO). They also recommended that the following factors be considered when evaluating future meeting sites: cost, ease of travel, weather conditions (cold, snow, fires, etc.) and extracurricular activities.
The established dates and sites for upcoming meetings are as follows:
October 16–19, 2014 Loews Ventana Canyon, Tucson, AZ
October 15–18, 2015 Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
October 20–23, 2016 The Homestead, Hot Springs, VA
October 19–22, 2017 La Cantera Hill Country Resort, San Antonio, TX
New Business
Dr. Mackowiak expressed concern that past presidents are asked to remain on the Council for too long, and that not enough new blood was brought in to the Council. Specifically he inquired if the Presidents should spend fewer than 4 years as a Council member following the presidency, especially when having served as either the Secretary-Treasurer or Recorder. Accordingly, the Council commissioned Dr. Billings to form a committee to study the situation and to inform the Council of their deliberations and recommendations.
A proposal was made to recognize Marshall and Katie Wolf at the general meeting for their sponsorship of the Council dinner. The Council unanimously agreed.
After careful consideration of the qualifications of all nominees, Council elected the following 25 individuals to provisional membership in the Association: John Buse, Mary Lindsey Carnes, Leslie Crofford, Mary Crow, Patrice Delafontaine, Kim Eagle, Michael Edmond, Hashin El-Serag, David Ellison, Faith Fitzgerald, Robert Gaston, Phyllis Guze, Katherine Hajjar, Daniel Hayes, Barbara Hempstead, Joanne Jordan, Landon King, Paul Klotman, Charles Landefeld, Jonathan Lewin, Thomas Nasca, Mary Nettleman, Laura Peterson, Victor Schuster, and George Weiner.
The Association's 2013 Committee memberships were provided to the Council for informational purposes:
Nominating Committee; Edward Benz (Chair), Laurence Boxer, George Dover, David Hellmann, Douglas Mann and Andrew Schafer
Finance Committee: Nancy Berliner (Chair), Neil Blacklow, Lewis Landsberg and Frank Abboud, and ex officio members Frederic Billings, Edward Benz, Richard Lange and Philip Mackowiak
Woodward Committee (confidential): George Dover
Membership Committee: Philip Mackowiak (Chair), Eric Sibley, Steven Weinberger, Joe (Skip) Garcia
Audit Committee: Marschall Runge (Chair), Stephen Baum, Craig Kitchens
Gender Diversity Committee: Joe (Skip) Garcia (Chair), Carol Tacket, Eve Higginbotham
Inclusiveness Committee: Joe (Skip) Garcia (Chair), Eve Higginbotham
After transfer or qualified active members to emeritus membership and after accounting for deaths, resignations and terminations, and upon election of 25 new members, the active membership of the Association is 187. The number of members with emeritus status is 299 for a total membership of 486. Council reaffirmed its policy of not having members of Council sponsor or second nominations for membership in the Association.
The meeting adjourned at 3:30pm.
MINUTES OF THE FIRST BUSINESS MEETING
The meeting was called to order by President Mackowiak on Friday, October 18, 2013. The names of the members whose death was made known to the Association during the previous year were announced to the membership: Laurence Early, John Eckstein, and Ernest Mazzaferri. The names of the spouses of members whose death were made known to the Association during the previous year were also announced to the membership: Kathy Pillsbury, wife of Richard Janeway. A moment of silence was observed in their memories.
President Mackowiak introduced those new members and their spouses or guests present for their first meeting: Mark and Donna Anderson, Dennis (Denny) Ausiello, Joseph and Kristin Cannon-Bonventre, Robert and Virginia Bradsher, Michael and Peggy Cain, Stephen (Steve) and Fran Davis, G. William (Bill) and Donna Dec, Raymond (Ray) DuBois and Lisa Abrams, Peter and Mimi Ganz, David and Vicki Harrison, Joel and Laura Katz, Stephen (Steve) Liggett, David and Ruth Markovitz, Bruce and Karen Molitoris, Akinlolu (Lolu) and Tammy Ojo, Boris and Valerie Pasche, Gary and Nancy Rosenthal, Charles and Susan Sawyers, Jack and Anne Stapleton, Marilyn Telen and Henry Greene, Randall (Randy) and Susan Urban, and David and Cindy Williams.
The members were informed that the following individuals would transition from active to emeritus membership: Martin Blaser, Jack Ende, Laurence Gardner, Ian Hay, David Humes, Mark Kelley, Talmadge King, Jr., Paul Ladenson, Andrew Schafer, Fred Schiffman, Kelley Skeff, and John Tooker
The report of the Council meeting was given by the Secretary-Treasurer. The financial statements of the Association prepared by Postlethwaite and Netterville (a Professional Accounting Corporation) were presented to the membership and referred to the Audit Committee – consisting of Marschall Runge, Stephen Baum and Craig Kitchens – for review. Fred Schiffman, Recorder, awarded the 2013 Mary Allen Engle Recorder's Award for promptness in submitting and completing their manuscript to Michael Weinblatt. To assure fair and unbiased selection of the best paper of clinical merit, the names of the Woodward Award Committee are kept “confidential.” Last year's Committee selected G. Richard Olds paper titled, “Deworming the World.”
Dr. Lange reviewed a proposed Constitutional change related to the age of eligibility for emeritus status which the Council had previously discussed and approved. The Constitution reads in Article 4, “Section 4: Emeritus Status: a) An active member in good standing will be advanced to emeritus membership upon satisfying two criteria: i) Participating for seven (7) years as an active member and ii) Reaching the age of 65 years.” The Council proposed amending Article IV, Section 4, a) ii) so that “Reaching the age of 65 years” would be changed to “Reaching the age of 70 years.” The change in requirement would affect those members elected in 2013 and subsequently; current active members under 65 years of age would become emeritus at 65 years of age using current criteria. It was the opinion of the Council that many of the members are working longer and not retiring at age 65 years. Therefore, changing the age at which one is eligible for emeritus status is appropriate. As required by the Constitution, this change was sent out to the entire membership in the February mailing. The members present at the meeting approved the Constitutional change by acclamation with no dissenting votes.
The report of the Nominating Committee – consisting of Edward Benz (chair), Laurence Boxer, George Dover, David Hellmann, Douglas Mann and Andrew Schafer – was presented by Dr. Benz. There were no nominations from the floor, and the nominees were approved by acclamation. The Association's officers for the upcoming year are: President, Frederic Billings; President-Elect, Anne Moore; Vice President, Laurence Boxer. Re-elected as Recorder was Fred Schiffman and as Secretary Treasurer Richard Lange. Councilors are Gerald Mandell (2014), James Hughes (2014), John Oates (2015), Ronald Sacher (2015), Edward Benz (2016), Philip Mackowiak (2017) and Virginia Collier (2017).
MINUTES OF THE SECOND BUSINESS MEETING
The meeting was called to order by Dr. Mackowiak at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 20, 2013. Stephen Baum presented the report of the Audit Committee, and stated that the financial affairs of the Association appeared to be in order. The report was accepted by the membership.
An announcement of the newly elected members was presented by Dr. Lange. The Council recommended the following 25 individuals to provisional membership in the Association: John Buse, Mary Lindsey Carnes, Leslie Crofford, Mary Crow, Patrice Delafontaine, Kim Eagle, Michael Edmond, Hashin El-Serag, David Ellison, Faith Fitzgerald, Robert Gaston, Phyllis Guze, Katherine Hajjar, Daniel Hayes, Barbara Hempstead, Joanne Jordan, Landon King, Paul Klotman, Charles Landefeld, Jonathan Lewin, Thomas Nasca, Mary Nettleman, Laura Peterson, Victor Schuster, and George Weiner.
At the conclusion of the scientific presentations, the gavel of the Presidency was passed from Dr. Mackowiak to Dr. Frederic Billings, III, who, as his first and only order of business, closed the 126th meeting of the Clinical and Climatological Association.