College of Medicine Professor Elected to Lead AACBNC

The Association of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Neurobiology Chairpersons (AACBNC) has elected A&M System Health Science Center College of Medicine Professor and Head of Human Anatomy and Medical Neurobiology James R. West, Ph.D., to be president-elect for 2003-04. Dr. West, who is also the interim vice president for research at The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, begins his presidential term in January 2004.
His responsibilities as AACBNC president-elect are to select the keynote speaker for the American Association of Anatomists (AAA) 2004 annual meeting in Washington, D.C., and to organize the President’s Symposium for the AAA annual meeting in 2005. As President-elect, he will select the site for the 2005 AACBNC meeting and set the agenda and range of topics for that meeting.
“The AACBNC meeting is designed to be a valuable meeting as some members have been attending for 20 and 30 years,” said Dr. West. “Agenda items for the meeting often relate to current issues such as science policy, stem cell research, scientific ethics and other closely related issues.”
The AACBNC is comprised of chairs and department heads from anatomy, cell biology and neurobiology departments in medical, dental and veterinary schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The Association provides leadership and advocacy in the biomedical sciences, especially the disciplines of cell and developmental biology, neurobiology and anatomy.
The Association represents at the national level the interests of the academicians and investigators working in these disciplines, develops policies consistent with these interests and influences public policy, particularly with regard to research support in these disciplines. The annual meeting is important to Association members in order to identify and address emerging issues that affect these scientific disciplines. The annual meeting provides the venue to share their experiences and provide expertise for the improvement of academic medicine and basic biomedical science.
About The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center College of MedicineThe Texas A&M University System Health Science Center provides the state with health education, outreach and research. Its five components located in communities throughout Texas are the College of Medicine, Baylor College of Dentistry, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology, and the School of Rural Public Health.