It’s 2023 and I hope that you had a relaxing and blessed holidays season as well as a positive start to the new year. I also hope you and your loved ones will stay safe and healthy in 2023. I have three things to cover in my article.

First, I would like to thank all ASB Executive Board members for their continued dedication and services to our society. After reading this newsletter, I am sure you will agree that ASB had a great year thanks to the efforts of each member of the Executive Board. As I continue to serve as your President, I realize more and more how rewarding it is to work with such great group of people. And when you serve on ASB’s Executive Board, you never really leave! One example is Dr. Melissa Morrow. She came back without hesitation to serve as an Awards Chair again when we needed her (Thank you Missy!) and made sure we elect a new Awards Chair, ensuring a smooth transition: welcome aboard, Dr. David Lipps. Also, many thanks to Dr. Jason Franz who developed a great ASB program, working very hard on our behalf with NACOB organizers. At last, but certainly not least, I would like to acknowledge our corporate partners, who make many of ASB’s initiatives possible. Thank you, all.

Second, despite the challenges that other societies are facing during these post-pandemic difficult times, ASB is doing quite well in many domains, and here are few examples (please read the article of each Executive Board member for more details): (1) we started holding annual meetings in person (exciting!), and are working with Podium to select locations at least a couple of years ahead, (2) our treasurer, Ms. Maria Pasquale, has spent a great deal of time working on the budget and is happy to report that ASB is healthy financially, (3) the education committee led by Dr. Allison Altman-Singles has been busy working on a new and exciting initiative to support biomechanics at the undergraduate level, and (4) ASB Diversity Committee, led by Dr. Ajit Chaudhari, organized several events at NACOB and started new initiatives, B-SURE and GRADE, continuing to improve equity within our society.

Third, looking ahead, in addition to my “presidential” responsibilities, my number 1 priority in the remaining of my presidential tenure is to work with ASB’s Council of Fellows and Executive Board members to create a successful and sustainable fundraising strategy that supports our strategic goals. Diversity-related strategic goals are particularly dear to my heart. I started this work and hope to complete it in the next couple of months, certainly in time for ASB’s annual 2023 meeting in Knoxville!

I will let you read what other members of the ASB Executive Board have been up to in the last year and what is currently keeping them busy in 2023. As always, I am accessible and available for questions you may have or comments and ideas. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

Stay safe and I look forward to seeing you in Knoxville!

Warmest regards,
Rakié Cham, PhD