It has been a privilege and a pleasure to have served as the Society’s president over this past year. The ride was a relatively smooth one. We continue to enjoy a measure of financial security. We continue to grow our membership, with several exciting initiatives in global expansion and presence. The quality of science, as reflected in papers presented at our annual and SRNT’s satellite meetings, and those published in our journals, continues to improve. We are increasingly being externally recognized as the authority on the science related to tobacco dependence and its control. At the same time we face many challenges, including the perennial challenge of accommodating a diverse group of scientists, and the challenge of maintaining gender and cultural sensitivity and balance. We must continue to recognize and encourage participation by our junior colleagues. The Society, in the coming year, faces additional challenges, including expanding our global presence in a coherent fashion; expanding our management resources so as to better accommodate growth and development; and continuing stewardship of our journal so that it can represent a major revenue stream. There are external challenges as well, including pending legislation to regulate tobacco by the FDA, and our role in this process, and the globalization of tobacco production and new product development that threaten to undermine efforts, for example, by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. I am confident the Society will not only successfully face these challenges, but will continue to be an important and essential voice in tobacco control.

In closing, I’d like to thank everyone whose contributions have made the Society stronger. This starts with the Board of Directors, whose sage guidance has aided in making timely decisions on topics ranging from our role in providing scientific assistance to various non-scientific bodies and agencies, modifying bylaws to adapt to the changing needs of the Society, managing our funds and contracts, expanding our global presence, and helping to maintain the scientific integrity of the Society, especially keeping the quality of our showcase annual meeting so high. All of the various committee chairs and members are also to be commended for their hard work and persistence. Every one of them volunteers their time and effort, and have helped establish the SRNT as the pre-eminent scientific organization regarding matters related to tobacco and nicotine. I would also like to acknowledge the quick, reliable, and indispensable services of our Executive Director, Bruce Wheeler, and his able colleagues at the Rees Group. And finally, I would like to especially thank outgoing past-president Ellen Gritz, and incoming president Scott Leischow, who have helped steer the ship and have made this past year a wonderfully gratifying experience.