The day before, during a meeting of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee, Dr. Henry Travers presented a revision of the Constitution and By-Laws. His proposals were discussed in depth and will be explained by Dr. Henry Travers later under the topic.

The Bureau Meeting was organised in Vienna and Budapest to allow the Bureau to meet with Bureau Members of the Austrian Society of Laboratory Medicine, the Slovak Society of Pathologists, the Hungarian Society of Anatomical Pathologists and the President of the Supervisory Board of Qualicont, Hungary.

Further with WHO a workshop has been organised to be held at the end of the meeting. This workshop will be chaired by Dr. Bacchus, United Kingdom and Dr. Heuck, WHO.

Concerning the future of the World Association basic questions have to be answered and strategies formed. WASPaLM is an association of societies depending on activities by individuals active in and supported by their societies. The World Association needs active participation of every Constituent Society and permanent contact to their boards. Personal contribution of these individual pathologists are necessary together with financial resources to support their valuable work.

• Give leadership in pathology and laboratory medicine
• Change of the Constitution and By-Laws to enhance the influence of Constituent Societies
• Increasing information provided to the Constituent Societies via electronic pathways
• Collaboration with Constituent Societies, with International Societies and with Industry
• Extend the role of continuing education
• Expansion of communication by using the internet and
  extensive e-mail

"I am sorry that I am unable to attend the WASPaLM Bureau meeting. I had informed the officers of this development previously. I had expected to be in full retirement well before this time with plenty of time to travel, but had agreed again to temporarily assume directorship of the regional laboratory where I have been an emeritus director until a new director could be named. This procedure, has been prolonged into the present for reasons which I presume are excusable; however, I have had no vacation or meeting time since the first of the year, and have cancelled plans through October. There is no one here with the requisite clinical qualifications to substitute for me, although there are multiple anatomic pathologists.

Not withstanding, I must express disappointment over WASPaLM developments especially concerning continuation of the excellent start we had in developing a presence in the Global Health Network for Pathology. This program offered the opportunity, especially with the superb work of Dr. Mori, to finally establish a presence for WASPaLM in the world without the expense which we clearly had not been able to afford. Dr. Merten kindly asked me to continue the relationship which had been developed with GHN and its program of "supercourses" which I was willing to do. At the time of our previous meeting, I had reported that although we had only a few courses initiated by the excellent and well received course on hemoglobinopathies by Dr. Hoffman, that multiple contacts had been made to provide a full complement of the kind of information that is so lacking throughout the world. There is a wealth of medical and pathology information available on the web from a myriad of physicians and organizations, but they are not tailored for the target audience we had in mind. GHN supplies multiple mirrored and limited access servers with translations so that those in emerging countries with obsolescent computers by general standards may receive the information. There was one criticism that a course already presented was not sophisticated enough. My response is that the courses should be compatible with the understanding and abilities of the large target audience which will certainly be lower than that of a major university staff.

One other mistaken and terribly delaying criticism was that the program would be too expensive. The Bureau had given me approval to use corporate funds for this. Amazingly, under Dr. Mori 's leadership, there has been NO COST! Unfortunately, there are multiple courses that could have been included which are now lost. It was my belief that this program should go forward properly under the aegis of the Informatics Secretariat, and I so recommended. My approach was unacceptable to the Secretariat and the College of American Pathologists, and frankly, their approach was incompatible with my objectives. There apparently was no support for my position so that I withdrew, and will not reconsider. I have been concerned that Dr. LaPorte and GHN be treated ethically and reasonably since it was their generous offer that we become the voice of Pathology internationally in their program. Their cooperation had been total, and even to the extent that Dr. Deborah Aaron of their staff at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health on short notice presented the program at our Sao Paulo seminar on informatics under the able chairmanship of Dr. Mori who again volunteered.

Another position which I encouraged apparently without success is that accreditation programs offered internationally should include a graduated approach which should stimulate rather than inhibit pathologists and other laboratorians in countries of limited means. I have seen that many such people desperately want to improve, but do not have the means to be accredited by sophisticated standards applicable to major laboratories, and are inhibited by requirements which they cannot meet.

Also, apparently the excellent program on forensic pathology training by Dr. Cordner which approved for funding through the corporate sponsors at Sao Paulo and suggested relationship with the Gordon Signy Fellowships was submitted to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and it was rejected. If the choice is to go to such funding, there are other foundations which might be approached; however, I continue to believe that it is important enough that WASPaLM should proceed in any case.

As reported previously, I have had no further communication following my letter to Dr. Young on the joint activity with the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry for which I had primary responsibility, and I have had no further direct communication concerning joint activities.

There has been no further communication to my knowledge over the disagreement concerning meeting funding and the lost WASP items presented to the French for sale. I wrote letters of inquiry before and after the Sao Paulo meetings without response.

I also cannot report on any of the other organizations, especially through WHO, the UN and PAHO contacts mentioned in previous reports for which relationships were established since I have had no communication. The only exception would be several meetings in other areas of the world covered ably by Drs. Merten, Mori and McClatchey. I have been relieved of all other committee responsibilities.

I wish you a successful meeting and a wonderful visit to Vienna and Budapest. I am sure that Dr. Merten will be an excellent host."

Dr. McClatchey read an e-mail from James W. Moore, the Acting Executive Director of the National Commission on Certification of Pathologists Assistants asking for an alliance with his organization. WASPaLM will follow the progress of this organization.

The following societies were considered for admission to WASPaLM for membership:
Foederatio Analyticorum Medicinalium Helveticorum (FAMH) and QualiCont Public Utility Co (the Hungarian in-vitro Diagnostic external Quality Control Organisation).

The applications will be considered by the House of Delegates next year subsequent to the payment of dues:
QualiCont Public Utility Co was represented at the Bureau Meeting by Dr. Dux, president of the Supevisory Board of QualiCont Public Utility Co.