Greetings from the DRS President!

As my tenure as the President of our Society comes to a close, I reflect back not only on this past year, but on the past 20 years of the Dysphagia Research Society. The 2012 Annual Meeting and Post-Graduate Course marked the 20th Anniversary of the DRS, representing a time to celebrate, appreciate and look ahead into the future. A true highlight of the meeting that exemplified these items was the Dodds-Donner Lecture, A Global Evolution: Past, Present and Future of the Dysphagia Research Society, which I was honoured to serve on the faculty with leaders in both the Society and the field, Drs. Reza Shaker, Bronwyn Jones, Barbara Sonies and Peter Belafsky.

Not only did the annual meeting mark the anniversary of the Society, but it also set records for the most participants to attend a DRS Meeting, with over 420 people in attendance, the number of scientific abstract submissions at 239, and the number of supporting organizations at 17. All are numbers that we should be proud of, and are testaments that the Society and the study of dysphagia are growing! With 24 nations being represented, the international presence at the meeting was strong and exciting. This year, we welcomed several world-renowned researchers that are new to the topic of dysphagia to explore with us the topic of neuroplasticity as we expand our research to the yet unknown. Our Society truly represents a conglomerate of professionals across many disciplines, from all around the world coming together for educational, professional and personal development. I truly thank everyone that played an instrumental role in the success of this year's meeting.

While the meeting was a major highlight over the past year, when I first wrote to you last July, I had mentioned that during my term the items listed below would be implemented.

• Ad hoc committees focused on student involvement and fellowship, facilitated research opportunities, and cultivating relationships amongst other complementary societies within and outside of North America;
• Online case studies and a discussion forum;
• A new website layout.

I am pleased to say that with the hard work and dedication of many our members, all of these items came to fruition. However, it does not stop there; new online case studies and their discussion forums will be available this year as well. The website design and layout was completed last fall, and the website will continue to be updated, with the goal of it serving as your online resource for the Organization. The Board will also continue to review the need for ad hoc committees, and the ability to increase the Society's involvement with other organizations, such as the International Society of Maxillofacial Rehabilitation (ISMR), a society of which the DRS is now an organizational member. I encourage you to reach out to other organizations and share with them what the Society has to offer. If you are able to attend the upcoming meetings of some of our sister societies, I know that they would appreciate your support.

• 2nd European Society for Swallowing Disorders Congress: Uniting Europe Against Dysphagia, Barcelona, Spain, 26-27 October 2012, www.myessd.org
• 2012 Japanese Society of Dysphagia Rehabilitation, August 31-September 2, 2012, meeting website.

In closing, I give my heartfelt thanks for the opportunity that you have bestowed upon me to serve as the 2011-2012 President of the Dysphagia Research Society. It has been an absolute pleasure and honour to work alongside such accomplished and respected people. A year I will eternally cherish.

Warm regards,

Rosemary

Rosemary Martino, MA, MSc, PhD
2011-2012 DRS President