I am pleased to report to the international community of neuroendocrinologists that important milestones in the planning of the 6th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology (ICN) in Pittsburgh, June 19-22, 2006, have been reached:

• the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has been established with Tony Plant as Chair, and they have arranged an excellent venue in the heart of Pittsburgh (see the ICN postcard on this website);
• the LOC are now busy fund-raising, and working with the Programme Organising Committee (POC), which has Iain Clarke as Chair, to produce an exciting scientific programme for the Congress;
• the POC is fully established, its members representing the geographic distribution of neuroendocrinologists around the world, all of the national and international neuroendocrine societies, and the broad ever-expanding field of neuroendocrinology;
• the POC has started the process of wide consultation with the societies and regional groups it represents to identify key speakers and topics for the scientific programme: all neuroendocrinologists should feel involved in this process through their societies and membership of the regional groups that form the INF;
• the national neuroendocrine societies are not holding their annual meetings in 2006, to allow their members instead to focus on the 6th ICN;
• the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology is holding its annual meeting in 2006 in Pittsburgh- beginning 2 days before the 6th ICN, and combining with the ICN for 1 day;
• the European Neuroendocrine Association (ENEA- an INF communicating society) has planned its 2006 meeting for October, to encourage its members to also participate in the 6th ICN in June;
• discussions are in progress with other societies with a strong neuroendocrine interest to plan their meetings in association with the 6th ICN;
• the 6th ICN has been scheduled to allow participants to attend the 2006 Endocrine Society meeting in Boston, which begins two days after the close of the ICN.

If you are not an INF member, you should join now:

• Reduced registration fees for meetings of all member societies
• Reduced personal subscriptions to journals in the field (savings of around 30%, worth at least US$25 per year)
• For younger members- eligibility for INF Congress Trainee Travel Awards (US$15000 for the 5th ICN to 25 Trainees)

How do you join?

• if you are a member of one of the INF Constituent Societies you are automatically an INF member.
• if not, then if appropriate join one of these INF Constituent Societies.
• otherwise, apply for Individual Membership- download a membership application form (PDF) (99kb) from the INF web-site, and send it to the INF Treasurer and Membership Secretary, Greti Aguilera.
• as an individual member your Regional representative on the INF Council (see Council members on this web-site) will look after your interests and represent your views.

How much does it cost?

• just $22 for 4 years!! (it’s a bargain!)

• the programme details and budget for the 6th ICN
• the election of INF Vice-Officers
• supporting regional activities

The regional and society representatives on the INF Council will be pleased to receive views of their constituents on these and other issues.