It has been another wonderful year for ASB and biomechanics. With the World Congress of Biomechanics right around the corner in Vancouver, I know everyone is looking forward to the outstanding scientific program and the always energizing opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues. The Program Chair, planning committees, and our Podium support staff have been working hard to bring us an awesome meeting that includes some of the elements of an ASB annual meeting that are our perennial favorites. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to organizing the meeting, those of you who have submitted scientific or symposium content, the Executive Board members and committees who are planning social or networking events, everyone contributing as moderators, session chairs, or event leads, and our exhibitor and sponsor partners. A special thanks to Kim Bigelow, ASB Program Chair, and Michelle Smith from Podium who have spent countless hours coordinating with the WCB team to plan the meeting and ensure the ASB is well represented. The meeting is the highlight of the year and it takes many hands to create the events and science we all love.

Last year, the Society developed and approved a new Strategic Plan to guide our efforts for the next 5 years. This year, one of our primary efforts was to lay out the implementation plan to define specific activities for each of the Strategies, prioritize the activities across the 5-year span, and assign task oversight to Board members and committees. Many of the tasks are already underway! Most notably, we recently adopted a major refresh of the Society Bylaws to address key legal compliance issues, streamline descriptions of operations, and better reflect how ASB currently functions, while preserving the core mission and values of the organization. A huge thanks to ASB Secretary, Lisa MacFadden, and our Podium support, Rita Assabgui, for guiding this important undertaking.

We also continue to be active as members of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s Council of Societies (AIMBE). AIMBE provides our society with regular updates about the changes to research funding and policy that impact biomechanics. It is also a venue to learn from other professional societies about impacts to research. Through this relationship, we have been included in the Friends of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (FoNIBIB). FoNIBIB is a coalition of organizations led by AIMBE dedicated to supporting NIBIB. FoNIBIB’s objectives are to increase public awareness and support for NIBIB’s scientific goals, research advances, and commitment to training the next generation of interdisciplinary researchers. Our ASB leaders meet regularly with the AIMBE Council of Societies and FoNIBIB members, and also have had the opportunity to represent ASB in meetings with NIBIB leadership. As an advocacy organization, AIMBE also provides resources for individual members for communicating about biomechanics and scientific research. You can access these resources for your own advocacy through our Advocacy page under the Resources menu on our website. ASB has also signed on to several letters to agencies and Congress, which are listed on our Advocacy page as well.

I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to support ASB as President this year, and I am excited to continue to serve as Past President next year. I send a final thank you to all the ASB volunteers – from the Executive Board to committee members to extra hands at regional meetings, webinars, workshops… the list goes on. The ASB community is a robust one and the level of engagement from the members is remarkable. I wish you all a wonderful summer and a terrific time in Vancouver!