Optimism, Persistence, and Our Collective Crystal Ball

Thank you indeed to Christopher Plowe for the very generous introduction—I think it was perhaps too generous. Chris showed the list of fellows and students who have worked with me at National Institutes of Health (NIH), and great credit really goes to them. I have been fortunate and privileged to have been surrounded by the brilliance of all of these individuals and their accomplishments through the years. Also, Chris did not name himself in the photographs with our Malian colleagues, instead referring to himself only as one of the “less talented” fellows. Not at all! In fact, Chris was overly generous to me when he spoke of our field work in Mali on chloroquine resistance. It really was Chris’ project with Abdoulaye Djimdé while I was collaborating on much of that work. So I return the credit for that to Chris, with the comment that it was particularly rewarding to see the impact on health in the villages where we collaborated with our Malian colleagues to deliver relatively inexpensive medicines that worked wonders. Tonight marks the end of a wonderful experience for me as your ASTMH President. The period has left me with lasting memories, new colleagues, and friends. And it is a great satisfaction to say that this extraordinary Society continues to grow in strength and collective voice as the leading international organization of scientists and clinicians dedicated to tropical medicine and global health. ASTMH is alive with an abundance of positive spirit and teamwork in our membership. This year we have held our largest and most successful Annual Meeting ever, with over 3,400 registrants. We have also seen excellent progress in areas of membership, policy and advocacy, media communications, and awards program funding. Time does not allow me to thank by name everyone who made this progress possible. However, I would like to express my gratitude to some individuals in particular: