From the President

As flagged in the last issue of Microbiology Today, the Microbiology Society has been undergoing a number of significant changes

Some of these will be highly visible to members, such as the new website launched just before our excellent Spring Conference in March, and others, such as the gradual relocation of the Society’s offices to London, should be more transparent. By the  end of 2013, we should be in a much better position to support members, engage with other learned societies and influence policy-makers.

The Society has already begun to have more influence in helping shape UK policy in areas of microbiological concern. When Professor Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer for England, published her report on the threat of antimicrobial resistance in March, the Society was asked to comment by the Department of Health and we were quoted in their press release. This led to interviews on BBC News, BBC World and Sky News, as well as contributions to the Channel 4 website from the Society and from individual members. More information on this and our sponsorship of European Antibiotic Awareness Day are included in this issue.

It is crucial that microbiologists help avert the threat of antimicrobial resistance, which Professor Davies likened to terrorism in terms of its global impact. We can help directly by developing new antibiotics, identifying new targets in pathogenic micro-organisms and developing rapid diagnostic techniques that will allow GPs to prescribe the correct antibiotic during a consultation. We can also help indirectly through public engagement to reduce public expectation of antibiotic treatment for every minor infection and by influencing governments to incentivise companies to search for new antimicrobials and to reduce the prophylactic use of antibiotics in agriculture and aquaculture. Our reach must extend beyond the UK and Ireland if this global problem is to be effectively tackled.

We are about to launch our second Position Statement with the intention of making policy-makers and others aware of another major microbiological issue – sexually transmitted infections. This will be launched at the House of Commons later in the year. As this issue of Microbiology Today indicates, the increasing incidence of STIs is a major public concern and our Expert Panel has drafted a report, which will be available to all members and to members of the UK and Irish parliaments.

The Society continues to contribute to national consultations which affect our members. During the first 3 months of 2013, we responded to consultations on Open Access publishing, on the Triennial Review of Research Councils and on BBSRC’s review of its Strategic Plan. Our responses can be found on the website. If you wish SGM to contribute to a consultation in the UK or Ireland, or indeed at a European or wider international level, please let our Policy Officer, William Burns, know.

The Society is a membership organisation. As always, if you have suggestions for how the Society could better serve you, I will be pleased to receive your emails, which should be sent to [email protected]

NIGEL L. BROWN
President