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Dear readers of MT, dear members of the NVTG,

In 2017 we celebrated our 110th anniversary with a series of events including our annual symposium, a film festival, a book launch, meetings and symposia organized by different working groups as well as meetings with our members and partners on various other occasions in the Netherlands and abroad. We thank you for these encounters and your continued support in the shaping of our Society.

nvtg
Nederlandse Vereniging voor Tropische Geneeskunde en Internationale Gezondheidszorg
110
1907-2017
From tropical medicine to global health

We are about to close the 2017 chapter, looking back at an eventful year filled with good memories. Those who attended our symposium in June on 110 years of International Health and Tropical Medicine may remember how Leo van Bergen placed us in front of the mirror and reflected on how the NVTG has dealt with changing realities, challenges and opportunities over the years. The world definitely has changed, though listening to his words one might conclude that some things did not change. As in the early days, the NVTG remains a space for scientists, researchers and policy makers to meet and to discuss current matters in the wide field of international health and tropical medicine and to share ideas and experiences.

Still going strong at 110, we take this opportunity to dream about our future. Our dreams are realistic enough to be realized, certainly with the wide network of active members and other allies who have been working with us throughout all these years. We would like to share our dreams here as well as the actions needed to realise them:

  • Embracing diversity. Global health flourishes through the engagement of professionals from different backgrounds. Over the decades, the NVTG has evolved from a society with predominantly medical doctors to the society we are now, with a variety of members from different disciplines including sociologists, health scientists, epidemiologists, nurses, paramedics etc. We are realizing our dream of opening the doors of our society to all professionals interested in global health, while at the same time continuing as a professional association for Medical Doctors in Global Health and Tropical Medicine.
  • Positioning global health in the Netherlands. The NVTG is the home base for professionals who are used to working in health systems abroad, working with clients from different cultures, and dealing with tropical diseases. The art of dealing with these challenges is a valuable asset in the Dutch health (care) system. The testimonies and reflections compiled in the book Into the World describe the experiences these professionals went through and where they are now. We will, of course, continue to do our best to realize sustainable financing mechanisms for the training programme to become a Medical Doctor Global Health and Tropical Medicine.
  • Stimulating cross fertilisation. We continue to bring together experts and expertise in global health including clinicians, public health specialists, researchers in tropical medicine, and health systems analysts. We continue to look further afield and to attract new young professionals to the Society. At the same time, we are also exploring new funding opportunities such as those channelled through the Otto Kranendonk Fund, which enables young researchers at the beginning of their career to do research.
  • Providing a platform. Technological innovations enable NVTG to embrace new ways of communicating. Physical meetings will still be at the core of our work, but we will also invest in other ways of meeting and communicating through our new website (upcoming) and social media.

We wish you a peaceful Christmas and a wonderful 2018.

The NVTG Board