Greetings, colleagues and friends, and welcome to the President’s column. This forum for comments by the SRNT President is designed to provide an opportunity for the President to discuss topics relevant to the Society, and, most importantly, on the state of the Society itself. After spending a year as President-elect, I have had the opportunity to learn much more about the structure and function of the Society, and my comments are a result of this new perspective.

First, it is clear to me that as a scientific society we are fortunate to have both brilliant scientists among us as well as some of the nicest and most dedicated people one could hope to know. This combination of expertise, passion, and thoughtfulness is what makes SRNT work and grow. We continue to have many members lead or become involved on various Committees, and also run for office. Regarding this latter point, I want to offer my sincere thanks to our past President, Ray Niaura, as well as to Sue Curry, our President-elect. SRNT works because of the dedication of our volunteer members, and I want to encourage everyone to find a way to contribute not just financially to SRNT via your membership, but also by running for office or joining a Committee. I also encourage every member to convince a colleague to become a new member of SRNT.

SRNT continues its expansion globally, and that is as it should be given the global threat to public health that tobacco use represents. Our European colleagues have a very solid chapter of SRNT along with an exceptional yearly conference. Last year, the first SRNT conference in Latin America was held in Rio de Janeiro - and by all accounts it was very successful and should serve as a foundation for continued growth in Latin America. And this year will mark the first Asian regional SRNT conference in Bangkok, Thailand in late October. Moreover, as the leading scientific society dedicated to tobacco control, we have the opportunity and responsibility to press for scientific evidence as a foundation for implementation of the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC). Indeed, one of our members, Martin Raw, will represent SRNT as implementation of the FCTC Article 14 (increasing treatment for tobacco dependence) becomes a higher priority by the global tobacco control community this year.

It is important for all members to know that SRNT is currently in very good shape financially and administratively, thanks in large measure to our exceptional Board and our management company, the Rees Group. Bruce Wheeler, our Executive Director, deserves particular thanks for his excellent leadership. At the same time, our growth has not always been easy, and has put strains on both our structure and function. Over the next year, the Board will need to assess and make decisions on how our management infrastructure keeps pace with our growth. This is the challenge of growth that we are fortunate to have to address. This sort of expansion, implemented in a planned and deliberate way, is critical to increasing membership by scientists in all fields pertaining to tobacco and nicotine - from biological mechanisms of addiction and tobacco-caused disease through macro level policy research. With your help, SRNT will continue to thrive and grow to meet the global challenges ahead.