ISMICS
Board of Directors

John L. Knight, MD

I am delighted and honored to serve as the President of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS) for the 2011-2012 year, and would like to thank the membership for supporting me in this important role. I am proud to follow so many innovative leaders in the minimally invasive surgery field, and will do my best to carry on their work of growing ISMICS and raising its stature throughout the world.
ISMICS is approaching its 15^th Anniversary as a society, and looking back over the past 15 years, I am amazed at the growth and success that we have experienced in that span of time.

Dr. W. Randolph Chitwood Jr., director of The East Carolina Heart Institute in Greenville, North Carolina (far right), is only the second American to earn the prestigious Bakoulev Premium Medal from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the Bakoulev Scientific Center for Cardiovascular Surgery in Moscow. Attending the ceremonies were (from left) Professor Leo Bokeria, director of the Bakoulev Center; Dr. Elena Golukova, chief of cardiology, Bakoulev Center; Mrs. Boris Yeltsin, widow of Russian President Boris Yeltsin; and Dr. Chitwood. They were among those attending a tree planting ceremony to commemorate the occasion and Dr. Chitwood's contributions in cardiovascular surgical achievement.

Dr. Knight and the ISMICS Board of Directors would like to extend sincere thanks to all who volunteered their service to ISMICS during the fall volunteer recruitment campaign. Committee assignments are being finalized now, and we will be sending invitations to serve on various ISMICS committees shortly. If you have not yet volunteered, and would like to do so, please send an email to admin@ismics.org, and we will add your name to the list.