Welcome to the American Pancreatic Association (APA) Web Site. The APA represents the interests of a diverse group of basic scientists, surgeons, gastroenterologists and clinical practitioners focused on diseases of the exocrine pancreas. Our goal is to foster science and education, encourage collaboration and sharing, and advocate for support of efforts to eradicate diseases of this organ.

A centerpiece of the organization is the annual meeting which is held each year in Chicago in early November. The 2007 meeting was the largest ever with over 250 persons attending. Despite the size of the meeting, the organization did very well financially due to the diligent efforts of our Secretary-Treasurer, Dr. Ashok Saluja. This year the meeting was held in conjunction with a joint meeting organized with the Lustgarten Foundation on pancreatic stem cells. This focused meeting was conceived and organized by our out-going president, Dr. Raul Urrutia. This outstanding meeting was considered a great success by all.

As per APA tradition, I assumed the mantle of president at the end of the 2007 meeting. This is a great honor for me and I will do my best to serve the organization well. Dr. Andrew Warshaw was elected as president-elect and I look forward to working closely with him over this next year. Dr. Rodger Liddle was selected as the latest councilor and has already made several excellent suggestions for next years meeting. The Executive Council currently also consists of Drs. Chari, Simeone, Saluja and Forsmark. This is an outstanding group of individuals that is committed to maintaining and improving this organization.

As was discussed by our outgoing president at the annual business meeting, it may be time for the APA to consider taking on new roles. Besides running our signature meeting, we are currently considering strategies to improve the overall status of pancreatic research. We recognize that these are difficult times for many researchers. It is clear that the pancreas has been neglected in terms of national attention and funding for several years. Furthermore, as resources have shrunk pancreatic research is lagging further behind. Fortunately, outstanding non-profit organizations including the Lustgarten Foundation, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan), and the National Pancreas Foundation have taken on our cause in recent years. Our goal is to work with these organizations and with the NIH to improve the situation for pancreatic basic and clinical research. To be truly successful we will need participation from our membership. My goal is to keep the membership well informed and to seek feedback as we proceed. It is your organization, so please take an active interest and let’s see what we can do together.

The entire governing board will welcome your ideas and suggestions to make the APA a better and more effective organization.

Thank you,
Craig D. Logsdon, Ph.D.