ASM Collaboration with the Japanese Society for Chemotherapy  

In 2006, on behalf of the Japanese Society of Clinical Microbiology (JSCM), Professor Jun Okada, as President of the JSCM Annual Meeting, invited ASM Past-President Stanley Maloy to the 17th Annual Meeting of JSCM in Yokohama, Japan.  Future collaborations, communication, and scientific exchanges with ASM were discussed by representatives of several Japanese societies including JSCM, the Japanese Society of Infectious Diseases (JSID), and the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy (JSC). As a result of this initiative and the significant efforts of ASM Ambassador to Japan Kazuhiro Tateda, the first ASM-JSC joint symposium was realized during the 57th meeting of JSC on 3-5 June 2009 in Tokyo, Japan.  

The inaugural ASM-JSC joint symposium, entitled "Topics in Microbiology and Chemotherapy," was highly publicized to the 1,800 meeting attendees and received enormously positive feedback. Four outstanding ASM members were selected as speakers, including Edmundo Calva, chair of the International Membership Committee (IMC), National Autonomous University of Mexico; Robert Bonomo, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio; Peter Greenberg, University of Washington, Seattle; and Keiichi Hiramatsu, Juntendo University, Japan. Morimasa Yagisawa of Keio University and Keiichi Hiramatsu of Juntendo University, both in Japan, chaired the joint symposium. The 57th Annual Meeting of Participants in the 2009 Kadner Institute. JSC (President, Keizo Yamaguchi) provided honoraria for each speaker, and travel expenses were shared by the two societies.  

ASM sponsored a Best Oral Presentation Award won by Miyuki Morozumi of Kitasato University for her presentation entitled "Emergence of Macrolide-Resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae Isolates from Adult Patients with Community- Acquired Pneumonia." The award provided a one-year ASM membership and complimentary subscription to the ASM journal package of her choice.  

The JSC generously provided a complimentary ASM booth in a highly visible location that enabled meeting participants to learn more about the ASM membership benefits, programs, and resources relevant to their needs. The booth contained materials from several ASM program areas including meetings, education, publications, membership, the Academy, communications, and international affairs. ASM greatly appreciates Masahito Nagashima and Sohei Harada, for volunteering to host the ASM booth during the JSC meeting.  

In addition to his participation in the JSC-ASM Symposium, Calva also gave a lecture on the recent developments of the H1N1 virus that drew significant attendance from meeting participants. ASM member, Morimasa Yagisawa gave an excellent introduction for Calva.  

Calva and Tateda took advantage of the opportunity to plan future collaborations between ASM and the Japanese microbiology societies through meetings with Kyoichi Totsuka (JSC), Tetsuro Matsumoto (JSC), Keisuke Sunakawa (JSCM) and Keizo Yamaguchi (the president of annual meeting of JSC). Calva thanked them for their interest in the furthering collaborations with ASM. JSC representative Yoshikazu Ishii followed up the JSC-ASM collaboration with a visit to ASM headquarters, where he discussed future initiatives with ASM staff and confirmed that the collaborations between ASM and Japanese microbiology societies will be continued.  

Calva was highly impressed with the quality of the science, organizational excellence, and incredible hospitality demonstrated at the meeting. Said Calva, "the meeting was an unforgettable experience for me both professionally and personally."  

ASM expresses its appreciation to the JSC and everyone that contributed to the success of this joint effort. In particular, ASM thanks Yoshikazu Ishii and Kazuhiro Tateda for their tireless efforts during the preparation and implementation of the event.  


ASM Participation in the 2009 FEMS Congress  

ASM is pleased to report on its participation in the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) 3rd Congress held 28 June-July 2009 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The theme of the Congress was "Microbes and man-interdependence and future challenges" and was designed to provide a forum for interdisciplinary dialogue between the various microbiological specialities and topical coverage of key disciplines.  

ASM International Board Chair Keith Klugman cochaired the ASM-FEMS Symposium on the Challenge of Antibiotic Resistance, during which he delivered a lecture entitled "Impact of Vaccination versus Antibiotic Use on the Evolution of Resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae." Klugman and ASM International Affairs Director Lily Schuermann also met with key leadership from across the region including FEMS President Milton da Costa, FEMS Vice-President Bernhard Schink, former FEMS President Eliora Ron, Former FEMS Secretary General Karl Schleifer, and Spanish Society of Microbiology (SEM) President Ricardo Guerrero. Said da Costa, "FEMS was most honored to have Lily Schuermann and Keith Klugman represent ASM at the 3rd FEMS Congress, where we discussed how to increase the cooperation between two organizations that strive to promote the science of microbiology at the highest levels. It is my firm wish that the ASM and FEMS can cooperate more in the near future."  

A highlight of the Congress was the inauguration of the European Academy of Microbiology (EAM). This is a new initiative of FEMS aimed at amplifying the impact of microbiology and microbiologists in Europe. The EAM will consist of microbiologists leading in their fields and will promote excellence in microbiology through targeted programs and activities.  

During the FEMS Congress, Karl Schleifer was awarded the Lwoff Award; FEMS most prestigious recognition given for outstanding service to microbiology in Europe. Schleifer is a long-time ASM member, a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and a former member of the ASM International Board.  

The Congress was also an excellent opportunity to promote ASM's programs, services, and member benefits relevant to the European community. To this end, the ASM booth was hosted by Subir Nandy, an ASM member working in the System Biology Group, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenberg, Sweden. Information from all ASM departments was available at the booth.  


ASM/Peruvian Partnership Strengthens Infectious Disease Diagnosis in Resource-Limited Countries  

ASM and the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 9 July 2009 formalizing a relationship designed to help strengthen laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases in resource-limited and transitional countries. UPCH is a pluralist, nonprofit private institution in Lima, Peru. It is a Center of Excellence, housing stateof- the-art laboratories with adequate infrastructure, scientists and microbiologists with field-tested expertise in implementing quality-assured diagnoses of infectious diseases of worldwide distribution.  

"This MOU is an extraordinary opportunity not only to strengthen ties between ASM members in the Americas, but also to build South-to-South collaboration between microbiologists in Peru and in Africa," says Keith Klugman, Chair of the ASM International Board.  

ASM, through its International Laboratory Capacity Building (LabCap) Program, under the governance of the LabCap Committee housed within the ASM International Board, is ensuring the quality assured implementation of new and existing diagnostic tools in resource-limited countries through on-site training and technical assistance. This MOU will facilitate the development of integrated and multidisciplinary infectious disease diagnosis knowledge transfer exchanges among and between Peruvian and international microbiologists. It will foster the sharing of evaluated, culturally appropriate, highly effective strategies and programs between researchers in transitional countries and resource-limited countries in the Southern Hemisphere (South-to- South collaborations). It will also facilitate the training of Northern microbiologists (from the United States and Canada) on international standards for public health laboratory networks and on culturally appropriate strategies for implementing infectious disease diagnostics in resource-limited countries, in order to continue to expand a cadre of high-level microbiologist mentors for LabCap Program countries.  

"The MOU that has been signed with ASM should stimulate us at UPCH to improve all our laboratory and teaching skills in microbiology, and streamline them to be able to provide better service to underprivileged areas, not only in our own country and in South America, but also in other continents. We have an extraordinary chance, by working with ASM, to make us better at pursuing the goals of every university, in teaching, research and service to the community," says Humberto Guerra Allison, Vice Rector of Research at UPCH.  

UPCH leadership represented during the MOU signed included Rector Fabiola Leon-Velarde; Vice Rector for Research Humberto Guerra Allison; Academic Vice Rector Alejandro Bussalleu; Director of the Institute of Tropical Medicine Eduardo Gotuzzo; and the Deans of the various faculties of UPCH. Additional UPCH representation included LabCap consultants Jose Chauca and Palmira Ventosilla. ASM representation included ASM International Board Chair Keith Klugman; ASM LabCap Committee Chair Steven Specter; Director of ASM International Affairs Lily Schuermann; and ASM Lab- Cap Program Manager Mah-Séré Keita Sow.  

Prior to the signing of the MOU, Klugman was invited to deliver a research presentation entitled "The Role of Bacteria in Mortality from Pandemic and Seasonal Influenza" to a distinguished group of UPCH faculty and scholars.  

ASM Celebrates 50th Anniversaries of Korean and Australian Microbiology Societies  

In recognition of the important relationship between ASM and our counterpart societies abroad, ASM, through the outstanding efforts of the regional ASM Ambassadors, coordinated a significant presence at the 50th Anniversary Meetings of the Microbiology Society of Korea (MSK) and the Australian Society for Microbiology. ASM President-elect Bonnie Bassler of Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., represented the Society at both meetings.  

The Microbiology Society of Korea's 50th Anniversary International Symposium was held on 28-30 May on Jeju Island in South Korea and was sponsored by the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies and the Korea Research Foundation. With 1,500 members, MSK is one of the largest microbiological societies in Korea. As President of MSK and Professor at Seoul National University, Sang Jong Kim invited symposium participants to a discussion of "cutting-edge research on basic and applied microbiology."  

ASM Ambassador in South Korea Sang Ho Choi coordinated ASM's participation through direct discussions with the MSK organizing committee. Bassler gave a plenary lecture entitled "Intra- and Inter-Species Cell-To-Cell Communication in Bacteria" which was attended by about 500 international attendees.  

Choi was awarded an Ambassador's Project Fund (APF) to organize an ASM Tea Hour which brought together over 400 attendees to network with each other, learn more about ASM's programs and services, and meet the ASM presidentelect. Choi pointed out that "this activity enhanced the standing and significance of ASM in Asia." Bassler commended Choi for organizing the highly successful event and noted the event's significance for the development of "intellectually rich partnerships."  

Additionally, participants learned about benefits of joining ASM at the ASM booth provided by MSK. The booth, managed by ASM member Heenam Stanley Kim of Korea University, displayed ASM membership forms, brochures, and book advertisements.  

In order to recognize the efforts of young scientists, Choi initiated three ASM Best Poster Awards. First place went to Hyun Sung Lee, a student at the Department of Agricultural Biotechnology at Seoul National University. Lee received a 2010 ASM membership and online access to all 11 ASM's online journals. He thanked ASM for this great honor and expressed his gratitude to Choi for "the generous support of research."  

In July, ASM sponsored prominent ASM member Rita Colwell to attend the 50th Anniversary of the Australian Society for Microbiology in Perth from 6-10 July 2009. Colwell indicated that "it was a wonderful opportunity to renew friendships with my wonderful Australian colleagues and witness the stellar presentations of the Millis-Colwell Award winners." This award, jointly funded by the Australian Society for Microbiology and ASM, enables the exchange of one student member from each society to present an abstract at the annual meeting of the other society and to spend a week at nearby research laboratory. Colwell and Australian Society for Microbiology member Nancy Millis presented the 2009 Millis-Colwell award to Wrighton of the University of California, Berkeley, during the conference where in a plenary session Wrighton presented her paper entitled "Thermincola sp. Strain JR, a Gram Positive Bacteria Isolated from an Active Microbial Fuel Community, Is Capable Of Direct Electron Transfer to External Electron Acceptors." Additionally, Colwell delivered a keynote plenary address entitled "Climate, Oceans, Infectious Disease and Human Health: a New Perspective" and a symposium presentation "New Perspectives of Vibrio Phylogeny Deduced from Genome Sequences."  

Other ASM speakers at the meeting included ASM International Board member Diane Griffin of John Hopkins University, Ellen-Jo Barron of Stanford University, and ASM President-Elect Bonnie Bassler, who delivered the prestigious 2009 Rubbo Oration entitled "Tiny Conspiracies." Bassler commented on the conference that "it was a wonderful exchange between the Australian and the American scientists, which further deepened the scientific ties between our two societies."  

ASM Ambassador to Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania Julian Rood of Monash University chaired the Millis-Colwell Postgraduate Travel Grant session and coordinated the ASM Best Poster Award. The winner was Nicole Donker, a Ph.D. student at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute at Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. Donker was awarded a 2010 ASM membership and free subscription to an ASM journal package of her choice. Rood, a Past-President of the Australian Society for Microbiology, commented that "ASM had a very high profile at this important Australian meeting" and that he "looked forward to increased cooperation and interaction between the two societies and their members." To that end he organized a highly productive meeting between the Australian Society for Microbiology Executive and ASM representatives, including President-Elect Bassler.  

In summary, both meetings offered excellent opportunities for scientific networking and professional collaborations, setting an example for regional and international cooperation in the microbiological community.