Welcome to the latest edition of JMVH, this spring edition finds the AMMA Conference committee busily put the finishing touches to the next AMMA conference to be held at the Melbourne Crown Plaza on the 12th -14th November. The conference is special as it marks the 20th annual conference for the Association and already the bookings have been strong. It will also be the last opportunity for many of us to congratulate and express our appreciation to the Commander of Joint Health Command, MAJGEN Paul Alexander AO and the Surgeon General Health Reserves Geoff Rosenfeld AM before their retirement. On behalf of the committee and members of AMMA I would like to thank them for their continued support and leadership through the challenging years of reorganizing and establishing the Joint Health Command.
The conference seems to go from strength to strength and is now recognised throughout the region and the world as one of the premier military health conferences and this year will, I am sure, enhance that reputation. Already we have two keynote speakers who are likely to simulate lively and thought provoking comments. MAJGEN Molan AO is a well know former military leader and author in Australia who has a wealth of deployment and military educational experience and Professor Ryan was Joint Professor of Military Surgery at the Royal Army Medical College, London and Royal College of Surgeons of England. His war and disaster medical experience covers military and humanitarian operations in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Nepal, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Our Journal’s reputation, too, seems to be gathering place with a reported increase in article submissions which I have no doubt will increase the quality of articles. This may be in part due to the new streamlined online submission process that the journal adopted. The committee is strongly supportive of the Journal as it believes that performs as important function for its membership, ADF members, veterans’ community as well as the wider community.
Looking forward to catching up with as many members as possible during our 20th Anniversary Conference.
Greg Mahoney
President
