Approximately one quarter of all APS members are from countries other than the US. Since 2000, the number of international APS members has increased by over two-thirds. The International Physiology Committee sees itself as being integral to the international efforts of APS. The Committee seeks to assist APS by identifying and implementing ways in which APS can provide better service to the existing international membership base and by developing strategies to grow the international membership of APS and improve its international profile.
Overview of International Membership
In 2009, there were 2,421 international members and during the past year, the growth of the international membership has continued at a rapid rate. During the past year, 15.6% of APS’s new members are from Canada, 9.6% are from Japan, 8.7% are from the UK, 7% are from Brazil, and membership from China increased by 33%.
Committee Activities
The International Physiology Committee coordinates and oversees two programs, the Latin American Initiative and the International Early Career Physiologist Travel Awards.
Latin American Initiative
The Committee received three applications for LAI funding in 2010. After reviewing the applications, the Committee approved funding for two applications and returned a third application for revision. Because there was still the possibility of awarding $10,000 in LAI support, the Committee, called for a second round of LAI applications. Two applications were received; one was the resubmission, which was funded, the other was not.
Improving the Numbers and Quality of LAI Applications
At the spring Committee meeting, concerns were expressed about the quality of some of the applications for LAI funding and the numbers of applications received. The guidelines for applications were revised in 2008 to give applicants a better idea of what information was required to maximize their chances of obtaining LAI funding. An on-line application process was also developed and implemented in 2008. This year’s funding rounds indicated that some applicants were still not following the guidelines but it was unclear what actions the Committee could take in order to ensure that applicants read the guidelines and follow them. Because there were disappointingly few applications in 2010, the Committee discussed ways to increase the number of applications for LAI funding in coming years. A number of suggestions were made, including one-on-one personal contacts to solicit applications; using the Latin American listserv more proactively to inform APS members in Latin America about LAI funding; communicating the availability of LAI funding to US departments where Latin American trainees work, perhaps via a Facebook page called the “South American APS Community”; advertising the LAI through Physiological Societies in Latin American countries; and sending information about the LAI to the Latin American Hypertension Society. These new strategies will be tested in future funding rounds.
International Early Career Physiologist Travel Awards (IECP)
These awards aim to enable early career physiologists from outside the US to attend and participate in Experimental Biology (EB) meetings. This year, nineteen applications for the IECP Travel Awards were received and ten applications were funded. The 2010 Award winners came from Brazil (2), Sweden (2), the UK (2), Australia (1), Malaysia (1), Nigeria (1) and Russia (1).
Improving the Numbers and Quality of IECP Travel Award Applications
In order to improve the quality of the IECP applications, a section called “Tips on Writing a Successful Abstract” was included in the Guidelines to Applicants. These tips seemed to have been successful in improving the scientific quality of the abstracts. However, the Committee agreed that the Guidelines still needed clarification. The applications for Awards in 2010 revealed that there was a problem with the criterion for defining scientific age. In this funding round, scientific age was defined as the number of years beyond “the highest earned degree”. Using this definition, two APS members who had received a PhD only recently but were MDs and had been doing independent research for many years were eligible and applied for IECP Travel Awards. The 2011 Guidelines will specify that applicants must have obtained their first professional degree (i.e., Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent) within the past 10 years. The Committee discussed a number of other issues relating to the IECP Travel Awards including should individuals be allowed to receive the award more than once; should the review process be streamlined so that the Committee is not burdened with reading numerous abstracts; and should a mechanism be developed to ensure that IECP Travel Awardees do not win multiple EB travel awards in a given year.
Assessing Invitations to Participate In Joint Meetings with Other Physiological Societies
APS was asked to participate in a joint meeting of the Spanish Physiological Society and Portuguese Society of Endocrinology. Because APS did not have a formal process for dealing with invitations to take part in meeting organized by other societies, Council asked the International Committee to develop a set of guidelines for dealing with this issue. The Committee submitted a set of guidelines to Council at the summer meeting, that was subsequently accepted and approved by Council.
Strategic Planning
During its meeting at EB, the International Committee identified that it needed to be more proactive in creating collaborations with international societies. The Committee also believed that it should be more integrated into the international activities of APS. The Committee saw itself as playing a greater role in identifying opportunities for joint international meetings with other societies. In particular, such events would increase the global profile of APS and increase its international membership. During the past year, the International Committee has worked on a survey aimed at international members. The survey has been designed to discover why international members join APS, what services they consider valuable and how they believe services to international members could be improved. The results of the survey will be sent to Council for use in developing the new APS Strategic Plan.