Dear Colleagues,
I am extremely grateful for the honor of being nominated as your next president. The strength and potency of our society, the European Society of Hypertension, is the direct result of the dedication of its members and officers. To be the president of this fine organization requires a never-ending commitment and a strong sense of duty. We have all been fortunate enough to witness these capabilities by the performance of Stephane Laurent, and that of his predecessor, Sverre Kjeldsen. I had the good fortune to serve as general secretary under both of them. They have demonstrated a standard of excellence in the performance of their duties, which your next president can only hope to maintain and carry forward as our society continues to grow.
Let me take the opportunity to speak for all the members of the ESH attending the 2009 annual meeting, and direct a big "Thank you" to our Prof. Giuseppe Mancia and other members of the Organizing Committee in Milan.
Even though we will all go our separate ways after the Milan meeting, our work together will go on as always. To facilitate this, I will keep the lines of communications, including the new ESH portal, open and buzzing. You will hear from me and other ESH Council members from time to time when important issues arise which concern the progress and well-being of our vibrant, growing society. And of course, our eyes and ears will be open to any input coming from all ESH members.
I wish each and everyone of you success in the coming weeks and months in all your efforts. Now, let us part ways for the time being thinking ahead to the annual meeting in Oslo next year.
Krzysztof Narkiewicz
ESH President