Making the connection: perspectives on tropical medicine research in the United States.

Because this Presidential address is typically given at the end of one year in office, it has been likened by past Presidents of this Society to a ''state-of-the-union'' message. I had hoped to use my time at the 47th annual meeting to develop that analogy, to reflect on our current condition and share with you some opinions on where we as a Society need to be headed. To the great disappointment of those who had worked so hard on preparations, and all who had looked forward to an educational as well as fun-filled week in the Caribbean, the Society was forced to make the difficult decision to cancel the meeting only two weeks before it began, due to damages suffered in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Georges. This was the first time an American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) meeting was forced to be cancelled—a certain distinction for the outgoing President! Thanks to the efforts of our Society historian, Don Burke, we have discovered, however, that our precursor Society , the ASTM, was also forced to cancel its 1918 meeting due to the influenza pandemic that was ravaging this country at that time. While I regret my lost opportunity to address the Society in person, I hope that the membership will take a few moments to read and reflect on this written version. I have chosen to focus on the topic I know best, which is the subject of research on tropical medicine, as conducted in the United States and by U.S. investigators overseas. I recognize that this is not the only focus of members of this Society, and I ask for the indulgence of those who are more concerned with other aspects of tropical medicine. As I prepare this article for publication, I am pleased to report to the membership that the present state of tropical medicine research in this country is strong! In recent years we have experienced a period of tremendous promise for our field and for the members of our Society. There is an increasing recognition by those in political power of the in-terconnectedness of peoples around the world, an inter-con-nectedness that may be largely dependent on economics, but is equally manifested through international health. The nation , and the world, is now poised to think in a new light. With the public attention afforded to what are now termed ''emerging and re-emerging diseases'' has …