Board meeting of RNAS in 9th Workshop

Notes on the Meeting

 

  1. The board members approved the proposed agenda of the meeting.
  2. Corrections on last board meeting
  • Dr. Malone’s name was inadvertently missed.
  • There was a move(cancel d) to write a strong letter to Bill Gates…
  1. President’s report
    1. There was no significant event that happened in between the last meeting in Jeju, Korea in 2008 and the present meeting.
    2. The plan to hold the 2009 meeting in Bangkok did not materialize.
    3. Instead Dr. Olveda offered for RNAS+ to work on the research strategic plan of WPRO thus holding the present meeting back to back with WPRO activities.
    4. Before the present meeting, an expert committee meeting on food-borne infections was held. The present RNAS+ meeting will be followed by stakeholders’ meeting.
    5. The present RNAS meeting aims to evaluate the status of RNAS, where it is right now and where it is headed.
  2. Other Matters
    1. Election of new members of the board of trustees in order to line up officers to sustain the activities of the organization.
    2. The additional members of the board of trustees can come from the present board members or from representatives of member countries.
    3. There are at present 8 members of the board of trustees namely Dr. Olveda, Dr. Acosta, Dr. Leonardo, Dr. Fernandez, Ms. Venturina,  Dr. Xiaonong, Dr. Sudomo and Dr. Socheat.
    4. The proposal to add representatives from Thailand, Vietnam andLaos as members of the board of trustees was approved. Dr. Banchob Sripa and Dr. Samlane  Phompida are the new members of the board of trustees. Vietnam did not send a representative to the meeting.
    5. Dr. Xiaonong was unanimously selected president of RNAS+.
    6. Dr. Olveda suggested a four-year planning for the presidency. The next in line after Dr. Xiaonong, Dr. Socheat and Dr. Phompida declined their turn in the presidency because of heavy commitments from their positions. Dr. Sripa agreed to be the next president after Dr. Xiaonong.  
    7. Dr. Olveda said that the RNAS+ should be preparing for the holding of an international scientific meeting either in China orBangkok.
    8. Dr. Leonardo was retained as secretary and Ms. Venturina as treasurer. 
    9. Dr. McManus was elected member of the board.   
    10. There was a suggestion to invite Myanmar to the organization.
    11. The body decided that any organization wishing to be affiliated with RNAS+ should write a letter of intention to RNAS+ indicating its goals and objectives and how it could further RNAS+ objectives with its affiliation.
    12. Dr. Bergquist was requested by the body to inquire from WHO how RNAS+  can be recognized by the World Health Assembly so it can attend WHO meetings.
    13. On the expressed desire of a participant in the present meeting to be a member of RNAS+, the body suggested that the prospective member prove commitment to the organization first before admission to the organization. Dr. Ehrenberg will also be consulted about this matter.
    14. There was a suggestion to organize a pool of advisers who can advise the organization on future direction to take.
    15. RNAS+ meetings in the past consisted of scientific meetings, business meetings and board meetings. Business meetings are attended by all RNAS+ members including all participants who may be interested in the organization e.g. observers.
    16. Official membership to RNAS+ will be discussed in the meeting tomorrow.
    17. Dr. Fernandez said that the constitution and bylaws of the organization should contain policies on membership to differentiate the honorary members and the institutional members.  
    18. Dr. Willingham reported about the availability of funds for the trial of  intervention packages for FBT, cysticercosis and NTDs in pilot sites in Mindanao, Hunan Province, Cambodia-Laos border, Vietnam and Latin America. There is a need to write three proposals to avail of these funds.
    19. Tomorrow’s workshop will include development of proposals for multisectoral, multidisciplinary approaches to NTDs, diagnostics and vaccine.
    20. There was a suggestion to develop a proposal on poverty alleviation by controlling schistosomiasis with the aim of developing multi-country and multi-sectoral approach.