International members—comprising a quarter of The Society’s regular members—are a large and important constituency within the American Physiological Society (APS). The International Physiology Committee (IPC) seeks to assist APS by identifying and implementing ways in which APS can best serve its international members and students. As APS positions itself as the premier professional organization devoted to fostering education, scientific research, and dissemination of information in the physiological sciences, the IPCseeks to identify and implement ways by which APS can achieve those goals internationally and raise its global stature. In 2010, APS Council charged the IPC with finding ways to increase international membership in APS.
Demography of International Members
International (non-US) membership of APS has grown from 20% in the year 2000 to now 25%. International physiologists comprised 32% of the new regular members joining in 2009–10, and 26% of the new regular members in 2010–11, sothat international members are a large and important constituency within APS.Whereas Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, and Brazil account for the largest numbers of new international members—both historically and now—new regular members in 2010–11 came from a total of 42 nations over 6 continents (Fig. 1).Notably, disproportionately few new regular members come from India and China.
International Early-Career Physiologist (IECP) Travel Awards
On the recommendation of the IPC, APS Council established the International Early-Career Physiologist (IECP) Travel Awards in 2008 to enable students, trainees and junior faculty from outside of the US to attend and participate in Experimental Biology (EB). Council approved funding for up to 10 awards annually, each of $500. Ten awards were made in 2011 and the awardees were recognized at the APS Business Meeting at EB2011.
The IPC considers this program to be both an exciting means of encouraging the very best and most promising young international physiologists to attend EB andpresent their research, as well as a means by which The Society can engender the interest of international students, trainees, and junior faculty in joining APS.Although still a new program, the IEPC Travel Awards program has received fewer applications than the IPC had expected. In an effort to remedy this, the IPC will better promote the IECP travel award program to APS international members and will simplify the application process.
The IPC recommended that Council approve increased funding for the IECP travel award program (increasing both the number and monetary value of the awards) to ensure that APS can bring the very best young international physiologists and the most promising students to EB2012and to join in the APS 125th anniversary celebrations.
Latin-American Initiative
Established in 2000, the APS Latin-American Initiative provides financial support for symposia, conferences, courses/workshops and other events held in Latin America, with the aim of strengthening ties between APS and sister societies in Latin America, and fostering interactions between APS members and physiologists working in Latin America. Up to four awards of up to $5,000 are funded annually.
Over the past 3–4 years, the Committee has worked to improve the quantity and number of applications. Specific revision of the application guidelines in 2008 led to some improvement in quality of the applications since 2009. The primary deadline for submissions is June 30 for awards to support events in the following year. The Committee now provides applicants with a brief résumé of the review and has established the habit of calling for a second round of applications (November 1) such that applications generating enthusiasm despite specific concerns can now be revised and resubmitted with enough time remaining for funding in the following year.
In the 2011 funding cycle, the Committee reviewed a total of five applications, three of which were funded.In the coming year, the IPC will review reports of recent events funded by the Latin-American Initiative, and evaluate the outcomes and long-term value of this program.
Increasing International Membership in APS
In 2010, Council charged the IPC with finding ways to increase international membership in The Society. IPC recommended that Council remove the requirement for sponsorship of new member applications and that APS evaluate the merits ofintroducing a developing-countryreduced membership rate.The IPC recognizes that the quality of the society’s scientific meetings, especially EB, to be a major strength and that increasing attendance at EB should serve as a strategy for increasing international membership. The IPC will collaborate with the Membership Committee, to find ways of attracting new international members and increasing retention,and with the Chapter Advisory Committee, to help foster establishment of international chapters.
Survey of International Members’ Needs
In a 2010 survey of international members, IPC found that the top reason international members had joined APS was for the “opportunities to interact with physiologists from the US and other countries”. International members cited a second important tangible benefitto be “online access to APS publications”. Two thirds of survey respondents were unaware of either the IECP Travel Award program or the Latin-American Initiative. To improve communication with the international membership, the IPC will ask the Executive Director to establish an international email listserv and to provide an international page on the new APS website.