Meeting of the General Assembly of the IFAA
September 14, 1999 - 02.30 p.m.
Agenda
1. Opening remarks by the President of the IFAA, José A. R. Esperança-Pina
2. Receive credentials of delegates from Constituent Associations and Societies (Secretary General Kühnel/Treasurer Yates)
3. Distribution, discussion and vote on the minutes of the last meeting held in Lübeck (Kühnel) and the latest FICA- Lisbon, 1994 (Kühnel)
4. Report of the Secretary-General (Kühnel). Update Entry of the New Directory (Kühnel)
5. Report of the Treasurer (Yates)
6. Report of the Chairman of the Federative Committee on Anatomical Terminology - FCAT- (Whitmore)
7. Reports of the other Federative International Committees
8. The Federation in the new Millennium (Thomas)
9. Federative International Committees (Thomas, Di Dio)
10. A) Name and address of the candidates presented for election in the Executive Committee.
B) Name of the Associations or Societies and of the sites candidating for organization of the subsequent Federative International Congress of Anatomy (FICA)
C) Name of Associations or Societies applying for membership of the IFAA (Kühnel)
11. Election of the members of the new Executive Committee (Kühnel)
12. Presentations of the candidates to organize the next FICA (10' each).
Election of the president, site, date of the XVI Federative International Congress of Anatomy (Kühnel)
13. Admission of new members of the IFAA (Kühnel)
14. Body Donations and Medical Education (Di Dio)
15. Other business
16. Adjournment
Officers:
President: JOSÉ A. ESPERANÇA-PINA (Portugal)
Vice-President: DAVID BRYNMOR THOMAS (U.K.)
Secretary General: WOLFGANG KÜHNEL (Germany)
Treasurer: ROBERT D. YATES (U.S.A.)
Secretary: GEORGES GRIGNON (France)
Secretary: PIETRO M. MOTTA (Italy)
The names and signatures of the officers and delegates of the associations of anatomists are contained in the attendance document.
The names of Societies and of the countries are the following:
Argentina: Sociedad Rioplatense de Anatomia
Bosnia-Herzegowina: Anatomical Society of Bosnia-Herzegowina
Brasil: Colegio Anatomico Brasileiro
Sociedade Brasileira de Anatomia
Bulgaria: Bulgarian Anatomical Society
Chile: Sociedad Chilena de Anatomia
Costa Rica: Asociacion Costariceure de Anatomia
Czech Republic: Czech Anatomical Society
Estonia: Estonian Morphological Society
Finland: Anatomici Fenniae
France: Societé Anatomique de Paris
Association des Morphologistes
Germany: Anatomische Gesellschaft
Italy: Societá Italiano di Anatomie
Japan: Japanese Association of Anatomists
Netherlands: Nederlandse Anatomen Vereniging
New Zealand and Australia: Anatomical Society of Australia and New Zealand
Poland: Polish Anatomical Society
Portugal: Ibero-American Society of Anatomy
Portuguese Anatomical Society
Republic of China: Chinese Society for Anatomical Sciences
Romania: Romanian Association of Anatomists
Russia: Russian Society of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology
South Africa: Anatomical Society of South Africa
Spain: Sociedad Anatómica Española
Switzerland: Swiss Society for Anatomy, Histology and Embryology
United Kingdom: Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland
United States: American Association of Anatomists
1. Opening Remarks by the President of the IFAA, José A. R. Esperança-Pina
In the absence of the President PROFESSOR ESPERANÇA-PINA, PROFESSOR BRYNMOR THOMAS presided the session and opened the meeting at 2:30 p.m. Each member introduced himself. The voting delegates took position on the right side of the room; those not voting took the left side.
2. Receive voting delegates from Constituent Associations and Societies (Secretary General Kühnel/Treasurer Yates)
Questions were asked regarding the voting delegates. Each Society is represented by two delegates: either delegate can vote but just one vote is counted. The Secretary General considers that the same delegate should vote each time.
At 2:40 p.m. PROFESSOR ESPERANÇA-PINA entered: he complimented each of the members of the IFAA Executive Committee. He explained that the last IFAA Committee held in Lisbon fulfilled all the aims and then thanked the new Committee and all the Societies of Anatomy present.
3. Distribution, discussion and vote of the minutes of the last meeting held in Lübeck (Kühnel) and the latest FICA = Lisbon, 1994 (Kühnel)
The minutes were published in the Annals of Anatomy (1997) and also in the New Directory of 1998 which was distributed among the members of IFAA and Societies of Anatomy in the world. The minutes were approved unanimously.
4. Report of the Secretary General (Kühnel). Update Entry of the New Directory (Kühnel)
The Executive Committee and the General Association Assembly agreed in that the directory for 1998 had a lot of gaps and possibility of mistakes owing to the fact that only 50% of the members (Societies) answered after being contacted several times, from 1996 to 1999. Therefore, it would be better to have a small book containing updated addresses. In addition, there was a general sense of agreement regarding difficult communication with Societies. To improve communication it is important to know who is running each of them.
5. Report of the Treasurer (Yates)
The Treasurer gave the financial report of 1997 - 1999. Most of the expenses were for the Directory of the Federation (KÜHNEL) and for the Anatomical Terminology. The total amount was USD$10600). USD$2500 was given as support to the XV Congress of IFAA held in Rome. The Balance Credit amounted about USD$7840. As the Constitution stated that Auditors (SPRUMONT AND MOXHAM) had the role to revise the books and discuss with PROFESSOR KÜHNEL, the incomes were in this way justified. The balance was approved and the IFAA balance was considered proper. Professor Di Dio in congratulating Treasurer Yates asked also Professor Kühnel, as Managing Editor of Annals of Anatomy, to once again publish the minutes of the meeting in the same journal.
6. Report of the Chairman of the Federative Committee of Anatomical Terminology - FCAT - (Whitmore)
The work of this Committee was reported and the book on Anatomical Terminology published last year was shown. The Committee met 10 times and worked on Gross Anatomy. In 1996 there was a final draft that circulated among all members; in 1997 it was completed and then the book was published by Thieme-Verlag. The CD-ROM has some delay (basically because of the format). It will be ready in December 1999 (for Europe) and February 2000 (for USA). Some copies have been already distributed. The Embryology and Histology work continues and will be part of a separate second volume. Next points to deal with will be Anthropology and Dental Anatomy. A third volume is also planned considering Gross Anatomy and Neuroanatomy areas. In addition, the scope will be widened (extra terms).
The final proposals moved and approved by the General Assembly were:
1. The report of the FCAT Committee.
2. Appointment of 3 members: China, India, and Arabic speaking countries.
3. Ratification of the publication of the book.
4. Anticipated approvel for the 2nd and 3rd volumes to be printed before the next meeting.
5. Financial support for FCAT during the next 5 years: annual US Dollars $5000 for the IFAA.
Some discussion concerned the representation of large and small countries; it is evident that English and Latin are important and that it is also logical to have a broad representation of countries from Africa and Asia. It was essential to prepare a unique language for Anatomists. PROFESSOR WHITMORE emphasized that the Committee is formed by everyone and informed that he had a communication from the International Anatomical Nomenclature Committee related to copyright of Nomina Anatomica, Nomina Histologica and Nomina Embryologica.
7. Reports of other Federative International Committee (Brynmor Thomas)
The need of reactivating Federative Committees was pointed out; besides, an issue on Nomenclature ensuring the Federation in Anatomy Education in the broadest sense was advanced.
Regarding the Committee on Education in the Anatomical Sciences, Prof. Drukker explained that this Committee remained dormant until some months ago and that there were several questions to be answered: What, When, How, Not to teach? How is it possible for someone to become and remain competent in Anatomy and Research? In addition, the matters of sponsoring Symposia on teaching of Anatomy and IFAA as capable of supporting activities of the IFAA Committees, were exposed. It is important to create opportunities for teachinq facilities.
There was unanimous vote (acclamation) by the General Assembly regarding dissection as an invaluable base in Anatomy; new technological approaches, scanner, and others, help but not substitute anatomical dissection. In addition, Professor Brynmor Thomas discussed on the long time lapse regarding publishing and mailing: One year of waiting and about USD$1000.
8. The Federation in the New Millennium (Brynmor Thomas)
There should be a strategy for further development of the IFAA. A paper had already circulated and it is up to the General Assembly to evaluate it. Its main points were the following ones:
1. The Federation should remain active with Committees and meetings. Ideas, information and improving regular concentration of Committees are much encouraged. Need for much better communication. There is general agreement in understand re-vitalization as development, as suggested by Professor Di Dio.
2. Federative Committees should be represented; they are the living effector mechanism of the Federation and should meet regularly, including the annual meeting (even if short). Professor Motta considered that the Executive Committee should meet at least once a year considering that in the next 5 years we have a lot of meetings. Just to mention some of these: Morphological Sciences Symposia, the European Congress, the APICA (Pacific-Asian); in addition, once a year to have a large meeting. Therefore, the situation is favorable just to meet each other in the next 5 years.
3. It is important to produce an annual Newsletter, to have Internet availability. Constituent Societies should be invited and information displayed on the IFAA web page.
It was proposed to establish a change. A Committee in which the Chairman would be the President of the Congress and four Officers: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. This enables the Federation to be supported.
Regarding the Federative International Committee on Anatomy, the following proposals were received:
1. Members should publish and there should be opportunity to criticise.
2. To schedule a Newsletter concerning the major events. There should be a better two-way communication. The Assembly mentioned that some examples are already in action (Professor Haines' Newsletter).
3. Societies that are participating in the IFAA are a matter to be resolved in the future.
4. Evaluation of the fact to have a book or not.
Professor Yates stressed on Executive Committee to pay the dues of each Society. The Assembly agrees on the point of globalization of Anatomy. In fact, considering that there is an increased number of countries, Eurasia, Africa, etc., there are many new members. They do have problems in common but also others not in common (Ecuador, Switzerland, Bangladesh, are some examples). Maybe it would be better to talk in the future on the IFFAA (not IFAA): International Federation of Federations of Associations of Anatomists). It is obviously not a plan for tomorrow but for the long run.
9. Federative International Committees (Brynmor Thomas, Di Dio)
Members were encouraged to express the desire of working. Each of the Committees and their respective Convenors were mentioned: Committee on Education, Committee on Anatomy Publications (PROFESSOR KÜHNEL would like to convey major Anatomy Editors from Germany), Committee on Experimental Anatomy (four Committees will be formed, one of them on Development), International Committee on Morphological Sciences, Committee on Scientific Press.
Professor Di Dio indicated that the change of the International Committee on Morphological Sciences from affiliated to standing committee of the IFAA would be discussed at the next meeting of the ICMS to be held during this Congress.
10A. Name and address of the persons presented for election in the Executive Committee (Kühnel)
President
Pietro M. Motta
Chairman Department of Human Anatomy,
University of Rome " La Sapienza",
Via Borelli, 50,
00161, Rome, Italy
Tel.: ++39-06.44.62.623; fax. ++39-06.44.52.349
e-mail: motta@)axrma.uniroma1.it and emlab@axrma.uniroma1.it
Vice-president
David Brynmor Thomas
Parkgate, 27, Hepburn Gardens
GB-St Andrews, Fife
KY16 9DG
United Kingdom
Tel.: ++44-1334-47.64.31; fax. ++44-1334-47.97.75
e-mail: asn1@st-and.ac.uk
Secretary General
Bernard Moxham
School of Molecular and Medical Biosciences,
University of Wales Cardiff,
Museum Avenue, P.O Box 911,
GB - Cardiff CF 1 3US
United Kingdom
Tel.: ++44-1222-874.031; fax. ++44-1222-874.486
e-mail: moxham@cardiff.ac.uk
Treasurer
Duane E. Haines
Department of Anatomy
The University of Mississippi Medical Center,
2500 North State Street,
Jackson, MS 39216-4505, U.S.A.
Tel.: ++1-601-984.1640; fax. ++1-601-984.1655
e-mail: dhaines@anatomy.umsmed.edu
First Secretary
Jacques Patrick Barbet
Laboratoire d Histologie-Embryologie,
Faculté de Médecine Cochin-Port Royal,
24, rue du Faubourg St-Jacques
F-75014 Paris, France
Tel.: ++33-1-44.41.23.56; fax. ++33-1-40.51.09.46
e-mail: jp.barbet@teso.net
Second Secretary
Xu Qunyuan (China)
President Chinese Society for Anatomical Sciences
President of the Capital University of Medical Sciences
You Na Men, Beijing 100054
People's Republic of China
Tel.: ++1-601-984.1640; fax. ++1-601-984.1655
e-mail: qxu@public.beta.net.cn or cumsw@public.bta.net.cn
10B. Name of the Associations or Societies and of the places candidating for organization of the subsequent Federative International Congress of Anatomy (FICA).
The single candidate was the Japan Association of Anatomists (President: Prof. Hiroshi Hirano) that would like to organise it in Kyoto.
10C. Name of Associations or Societies applying for membership of the IFAA.
Severel Associations and Societies asked to become members of IFAA; among them: Armenian Society of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology; Estonian Morphology Association; Latvian Society of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology; and Bosnia-Herzogovina Association of Anatomy.
11. Election of the Members of the New Executive Committee
Prof. Di Dio would like to make an amendment of the Constitution, to create positions of Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer in order to establish a sequence of past & present. Instead of being elected for 5 years, they should be for 4 years and renewed once, the same treatment given to the other officers. He emphasized that there are so many publications that there should be time to keep the period of each Executive Committee to 4 years in order to have International congresses every 4 years. The need for scientific exchange requires that the next congress be held in 2004 and from that date on it will be held every four years (2008, 2012).
Some members outlined that Third World countries should be also represented; however, the matter was widely advertised and there were no more nominations. The list of the candidates for the Executive Committee for the next 5 years (1999-2004; see item 10A.) was voted by the official delegates through secret ballot. Professor's Kühnel and Yates counted the votes together. Then, the following results of the suffrage were read by Professor Brynmor Thomas at 5:00 p.m. and were as follows:
Proposal Approved: 22 votes
Proposal Refused: 3 votes
Not legible: 1 vote
Mistaken: 1 vote
Total: 27 votes
The proposal was then approved.
Some debate was created regarding the concepts '`Honorary" (meaning unpaid), in some countries, and " Honorific" (honour place) and "Emeritus". Concerning the rights, role and duties of out going Honorary Secretary General and Treasure, these categories are not specified in the statute. Therefore, a special item should be created on how and where to obtain the nominations, what are their commitments and how the duties should be found for continuity in case of the Secretary and Treasurer. The amendments to the Constitution need to be presented at the next General Assembly.
There is need for help from who was President before, at least for a while (years, months, whatever): transition periods should be considered.
The fact of inability to nominate whoever as representative in case of impossibility to attend any Assembly or Meeting was clarified because delegates are already defined.
12. Presentation of the candidates to organize the next FICA, Election of the President, site, date of the XVI Federative International Congress of Anatomy.
There is only one candidate: Japan. Prof. Hiroshi Hirano, as President of the Japanese Association of Anatomy, introduced himself and informed that the XVI Federative International Congress of Anatomy will be held in Kyoto, on August 21-24th 2004. The congress will include plenary sessions, symposia, workshops, lectures and social program (including a tour). He distributed an envelope containing the official invitation and all the information regarding the congress; a video of Kyoto as host of the congress was also presented (a CD-ROM is available on request). The congress will convey about 1300 members and 600 papers. Prof. Hirano was confirmed as the next President of IFAA and as a temporary (until the change of the Statute) member of the IFAA Executive Committee.
13. Admission of new members of the IFAA (Kühnel)
Four new Societies where officially declared as accepted: the Armenian Society of Morphological Anatomy (founded in the last 3 years); the Estonian Morphological Association (it was founded during the USSR; it has 87 members and there was one representative present); the Bosnia Herzogovina Anatomy Association (there was no further information); and the Latvian Society of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology (there was no further information).
Prof. Esperança-Pina addressed to Prof. Motta as the new President of IFAA and presented his good wishes.
14. Body Donations and Medical Education (Di Dio)
Differences in the way countries obtain cadaver material for medical Education were emphasized. As contrasting examples were mentioned USA and The Netherlands (no problems) versus countries like Brezil (still today there is not a single cadaver in some Schools of Medicine). However, some general rules, as ethics, are common in most countries. Body donations maybe in competition with organ donations because they have different agencies controlling them. Dissection is the first priority for teachinq Anatomy. The delegates were asked to send the rules and regulations on the body donations from each country to Prof. Di Dio.
15. Other competent business
As there was no new business a proposal to adjourn followed.
16. Adjournment
At 6:20 p.m. the General Assembly was adjourned.
Rome, November 8, 1999
Prof. Wolfgang Kühnel,
Secretary General
Rosemarie Heyn, ad hoc recording staff member