The 54th International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine will be held in Bangalore, India. The Congress will provide up-to-date information on scientific advances directed toward the Aviation Medicine and Space Medicine issues of today and the future. The Organizing Committee has developed a comprehensive series of slide presentations, panel discussions and poster sessions to meet your needs. The topics will encompass a wide range from aeromedical evacuation, clinical aviation medicine, passenger health, long haul operational issues and modern airplane designs presenting new physiological, life support and human factors problems. I know you will find this Congress to meet your needs in keeping abreast of the discipline of Aviation and Space Medicine. The Congress venue is in a unique and important center of scientific endeavor and cultural diversity. Bangalore is known as the Garden City of India. The cultural and social program will provide a welcome addition to the scientific endeavors.

The exchange of information among the world’s leaders in the aviation and space medicine field will be critical to the advancement of aviation and space medicine in the coming years. I look forward to seeing each of you at the Congress in Bangalore in September 2006.

It gives me immense pleasure to welcome delegates to the 54th International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine (ICASM) being co-hosted by the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine (IAASM) and the Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine (ISAM).

This is the second time the ISAM has been conferred the honour of organising the ICASM, the first was in 1994 at New Delhi. This time around, the venue is Bangalore. Bangalore is the aviation production and training hub of India. It is also known as the IT capital of India and is famous for its gardens and tourist escapades. India is on the threshold of expansion in the civil and military aerospace field and it is befitting that at a time like this, 54th ICASM is being organised here.

On this occasion, I welcome all specialists from the field of Aerospace Medicine and its allied specialities, institutes and agencies involved in making aviation safe and effective, companies involved in production of aviation and aeromedical equipment and all others to participate in the Congress and benefit from it.

The scientific sessions, panel discussion, posters and the deliberations that follow shall be the nucleus around which all other activities of the Congress shall revolve. However, for the companies that choose to participate, the Congress would provide an excellent business opportunity and a prospect to showcase products/ technology/ expertise- domain and to gain widespread publicity. As the President of the Society, I exhort you all to participate in this event and make it a great success.

1. International Academy of Aviation & Space Medicine (IAASM)
   

   President	: Prof Frank S. Pettyjohn M.D.
   Secretary General	: Dr. Claude Thibeault M.D.

   
   
2. Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine (ISAM)
   

   President	: Air Marshal HK Maini VSM DGMS(Air), Indian Air Force
   Secretary	: Gp Capt CK Ranjan

   
   
3. Organising Committee, 54th ICASM
   

   Chairman	: AVM JK Gupta AVSM
   Chief Coordinator	: AVM TS Raghu Raman
   Coordinators	: Air Cmde H Subramanya Air Cmde RK Ganjoo AVSM VSM Air Cmde RC Kashyap Air Cmde S Murali Mohan
   Chairman, Social Committee	: Air Cmde K Fernandez
   Chairman, Scientific Committee	: Air Cmde KM Suryanarayana VSM
   Chairman, Finance Committee	: Gp Capt Y Sanadhya
   Organising Secretary	: Gp Capt PS Sodhi
   Asst Org Secy	: Wg Cdr Vipin Sharma