To my dear fellow DRS members: 

Has it really been nearly 4 months since we were lasttogether in New Orleans?  The Cajungoodies I received have long since disappeared, but the memories of thefascinating science and professional camaraderie seem as fresh as yesterday.

I have taken a few months to gain some perspective on whatat the time seemed like a peak experience.  This also gave me the chance to review ALL of theevaluations you submitted.  Thisfeedback is extremely important, as are the suggestions for futuremeetings.  These data are criticalto our continuing education process, for it is used to demonstrate that we areresponding to the educational needs of our membership.  So keep the comments coming.

Upon review, it seems that we did pretty well.  Or, rather, YOU did pretty well: forthe tremendous input and participation by the membership is what makes theannual meeting of DRS so valuable. I was glad to have been of help.

Importantly, given these difficult economic times, it appearsthat the Society maintained a positive operating balance for the meeting,although the details are not yet finalized.  This is a significant accomplishment, especially whencompared to other professional meetings I have heard about this year, and reflectsthe support of the Society by its members.

Reviews of the meeting related an appreciation for thegreater amount of time devoted to original research.  I foresee this trend to continue as our Societymatures.  The good news is that thequality of the meeting continent will continue to improve.  Of course, this will challenge themembership to submit their best work to the meeting, as space and timeconstraints will prevent the abstract committee from accepting all but the mostmeritorious papers.  Although thismay create some anxiety, in the long run it is a very good thing for ourorganization.

Although I don't see how we could have a better venue thanNew Orleans, Greg Postma assures me that San Diego will be the best meetingyet.  I must concede that historyis on his side, because I think every meeting has managed in some way to topthe ones that went before, again thanks to the participation of themembership.  So of course youshould mark your calendars now.

Finally, I want to thank the Society for the honor andprivilege of serving as President this past year.  It was an invigorating, at times harrowing, but ultimatelyrewarding experience.  And it reallymade me appreciate the importance of an involved and supportivemembership. 

As my term draws to a close, I feel a bit like the creakyold Father Time in the New Year's Eve cartoons.  Unfortunately, this line of imagery requires me to considerGreg wearing nothing but a 2010 banner and a diaper, so I won't pursue thisfurther.  Rest assured, with Greg,Steve, and Rosemary in the line-up we are assured of continued success in theyears to come.  So long as you allremain involved; I know they will value your input.

So, dear members, take care until we are together again nextMarch.

Yours in the spirit of good science and enduringcollegiality,

Benson T. Massey, MD, FACP

President, Dysphagia Research Society, 2008-9