The 2002 joint meeting of the Wound Healing Society and European Tissue Repair Society in Baltimore in May was a great success. A good number of our members attended and the ETRS stand was kept busy giving information about the Society and upcoming meetings including next year's meeting in Amsterdam which is being organised by Esther Middelkoop. Information concerning the Amsterdam meeting next year, as well as other aspects of our Society, can be obtained on our newly formatted website:

http://www.etrs.org

We would like to have your comments on its layout and would appreciate any feedback or ideas. Please e-mail them to the ETRS Business Office at:

OxfordWoundHealingInstitute@compuserve.com

Minutes of the Board meeting held in Baltimore are also contained in this issue. A variety of articles ranging from poetry and science to the ETRS Focus meeting to be held in September are featured. A selection of the abstracts for this meeting 'The status of new technology in tissue repair ranging from gene therapy to physical forces' are in this issue. In addition we are featuring an article by Paul Banwell, a plastic surgeon who has carried out both research and clinical work on the use of topical negative pressure therapy in treating wounds. We also welcome two new corporate sponsors KCI and Johnson & Johnson.

Lastly, preceding the Focus Meeting in Nice is the First World Union of Wound Healing Societies' strategy meeting in Monte Carlo, France, which is being organised under the direction of Luc Téot. One of its aims will be to outline this group's goals as well as planning the organisation of the Second World Union of Wound Healing Societies' meeting in Paris, France, 8-13 July 2004. Luc Téot, one of our Board Members, will be ETRS President in 2004 Further information on this group can be found on its website:

http://www.wuwhs.org

George W. Cherry
Editor