Winners of the Rubinstein Award for the best paper in neuro-oncology were G. N. Fuller, K. R. Hess, C. H. Rhee, J. M. Bruner, R. A. Sawaya, W. K. A. Yung, and W. Zhang from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for their presentation Molecular classification of human gliomas by gene expression profiling (Abstract #13). Honorable Mention of the Rubinstein Award was awarded to P. E. North, A. Mizeracki, M. Waner, M Mihm, and R. E. Mrak, from the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, for their paper Do juvenile hemangiomas originate from endoneurial microvasculature? (Abstract #39).

The Weil Award for the best paper in experimental neuropathology was awarded to L. Refolo, K. Duff, B. Malester, J. LaFrancois, R. Wang, K. Sambamurti, G. S. Tint, T. Thomas, and M. A. Pappolla for their presentation Hypercholesterolemia accelerates amyloid accumulation in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's Disease (Abstract #20). Honorable Mention for the Weil Award was given to W. G. Tourtellotte, C. P. Keller-Peck, J. Kucera, W. D. Snider, and J. D. Milbrandt, from Northwestern University for their paper Gamma, but not alpha, spinal motor neurons require glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) for their survival in vivo (Abstract #136).

The Moore Award for the best clinicopathological correlation was presented to A. Messing, A. B. Johnson, O. Boespflug-Tanguy, D. Rodriguez, J. E. Goldman, and M. Brenner for Mutations of GFAP associated with Alexander Disease (Abstract #143). Honorable Mention was awarded to T. W Smith, O. Sanchez, and M. Ramzan for their paper Subacute diencephalic angioencephal-opathy with extensive brainstem involvement (Abstract #43).

Minutes enclosed.

Case summaries and discussions enclosed.

The Seventy-sixth Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neuropathologists was held at the SHERATON ATLANTA Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia from June 8-11, 2000.

The special course, The Hippocampus in Health and Disease, organized by President Suzanne S. Mirra and Bradley T. Hyman, included lectures by Drs. Gary W. Van Hoesen, Bradley T. Hyman, Dennis W. Dickson, Ronald C. Petersen, Carol A. Barnes, Larry R. Squire, and Dawna L. Armstrong.

The Saul Korey Lecture, Neuropathology and Forensic Pathology: A Natural Synergism, was given by Dr. Mary Case.

The Presidential Symposium included the Presidential Address by Dr. Mirra, entitled The Neuropathology of Alzheimer's Disease: A Gray Matter. Dr. Seymour Benzer, the Matthew T. Moore Distinguished Lecturer, spoke on The Neuropathology of Drosophila. Other lecturers in the Presidential Symposium were Dr. Douglas C. Wallace and Dr. Maria Grazia Spillantini who discussed Mitochondrial Genetics and Neurodegeneration and Tau, AlphaSynuclein, and Neurodegeneration, respectively.

Dr. William R. Markesbery was honored as the recipient of the 2000 Meritorious Service Award to Neuropathology. A total of 198 abstracts were presented at the meeting's scientific sessions.

This year members will have the option of submitting abstracts electronically (online via our web page), or as in the past, by mail. Our Program Committee Chair, Dr. Jeff Golden, has been working closely with Allen Press to make electronic submission a reality this year. If submitted electronically, confirmation of receipt and notice of acceptance will be sent by e-mail. For those members wishing to submit abstracts as previously, customary blank blue sheets and postcards are included in this mailing.

Please submit your abstract by only one submission method (i.e., electronically or by mail, but not both).

Electronic submission should be available no later than January 7, 2001.

Regardless of the method of submissions, abstracts for the Chicago Meeting must be received by Friday, January 26, 2001. The Executive Council has instructed the Program Chair to refuse acceptance of any abstracts after this date THIS DEADLINE WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.

For each abstract accepted for presentation at the Chicago meeting, regardless of the method of submission, a signed Copyright Release and Disclosure/Conflict of Interest forms must be on file. These should be signed by at least the first author and sent by regular mail to the Program Committee Chair.

The 2000 AANP Membership Directory was mailed to all members in good standing with the August issue of the JNEN. Maintaining accurate up-to-date membership data is a major challenge that requires the cooperation of all members. If you have changes to your mailing address, phone, fax or e-mail, or if you recognize any inaccuracies, please contact the Secretary-Treasurer as soon as possible. Changes or additions also can be communicated on the 2001 dues notice form. To be included in the 2001 Membership Directory, your dues must be received no later than December 31, 2000.

Beginning January 2001, we plan to have an active online electronic Membership Directory. As discussed at the business meeting, this will be maintained by Allen Press and updated periodically (at least quarterly) by the Secretary-Treasurer. The online Directory will be similar in format to the printed (hard copy) edition that is published annually. Each member listing will include the Member Name, Degree, Membership Status, Department, Institution, Street Address, City, State, ZIP/ Postal Code, Country. Phone, Fax and e-mail. An example follows:

Doe, John, MD, PhD ACT
Department of Pathology
University of Anywhere
123 Smith St
Anywhere, US xxxxx
Phone: xxx-yyy-zzzz
Fax: xxx-yyy-zzz
E-mail: doe.john@uanywhere.edu

If you wish to have your name included, please indicate this on the 2001 dues form where the question is posed, or please contact the Secretary-Treasurer. If you do not respond in the affirmative either on the dues form or by direct notification of the Secretary-Treasurer's office, you will not be listed in the internet directory. Your cooperation is appreciated.

The International Society of Neuropathology and the British Neuropathological Society were delighted to welcome an international gathering of delegates at the XIVth International Congress of Neuropathology in Birmingham, UK, September 3-6, 2000. Congratulations to the organizers of a very stimulating, successful and enjoyable Congress.

The XVth International Congress of Neuropathology will be sponsored by the International Society of Neuropathology and the Italian Association of Neuropathology and will be held at the Lingotto Center, Turin, Italy, September 14-18, 2003. Additional information is available at the ISN website, www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/npsoc.

The Seventh European Congress of Neuropathology, sponsored by the Scandinavian Neuropathological Society, will be held July 14-17, 2002 in Helsinki, Finland. A preliminary announcement of the meeting is included in this mailing. Additional information is available at the congress website, www.congress.fi/neuropathology2002.

San Francisco, CA has been selected as the site of the XVIth International Congress in September 2006. The Congress to be sponsored by the AANP and the ISN will be held in early to mid September, although the exact dates are not yet firm. The San Francisco area offers a wealth of meeting sites and attractions and it is anticipated that this will be a popular meeting to attend. Details will be announced in the AANP Newsletter and posted on the AANP and ISN websites as they become available.

Please take the time to read the AANP Professional Affairs Committee document enclosed in this mailing. This document provides the most up-to-date and accurate work-force data for Neuropathology. Obtaining these data remains a continual challenge. Any comments may be communicated to Dr. Wiley or any member of the Committee.

CME notices were unavoidably delayed this year due to an unexpected difficulty with our bulk mail account. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. The CME letters were included with the 2001 dues notices and mailed in mid October. If you did not receive your CME letter or believe that it is in error, please contact the Secretary-Treasurer at your earliest convenience.

On October 23, 2000, Drs. Mark Cohen and Joe Parisi met in Cleveland with representatives from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to renew accreditation for attendance at the Annual Meeting. Although official approval will not be known until Spring 2001, we already have instituted additional policies to ensure compliance with all ACCME guidelines. Also, beginning with the Chicago 2001 meeting, attendance at the Diagnostic Slide Session will qualify for an additional 3 hours of Category 1credit.

As approved at the Business Meeting, dues for 2001 have been increased largely to off set increases in production costs of the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology. Dues for active, associate and affiliate memberships are now $165, $155 and $140, respectively. Please note that this is the first increase in membership dues since 1990.

While AANP mailings and copies of JNEN are sent by relatively economical bulk mail to members residing within the United States, these must be sent by First Class Mail to Canadian and overseas members. The previous surcharges for members residing outside of the US no longer cover the ever-increasing mailing costs. For this reason, members in Canada will be charged an additional $16 and members outside of North America an additional $32 to cover mailing expenses.

Dues notices for 2001 were sent in mid-October. Members who have not paid their dues by December 31, 2000, will NOT be eligible for abstract acceptance, listing in the Directory, JNEN or Association mailings. If you have not received your dues notice, or if you believe that yours is inaccurate, please contact the Secretary-Treasurer as soon as possible.

On a festive note, this year at the Annual Reception, a new and what we hope will become an annual event was instituted. The Door Prize, a sack of Sacagawea golden dollar coins, was taken home by Mrs. James E. McLaughlin of London, UK. We hope to be able to have additional door prizes provided by corporate sponsors in the future.

It is with great sadness that we report the death of member, Dr. Kenneth A. Osterberg, who died at his home in Mentor, MN on October 16, 2000.