From the Kauppi Campus: Information and News from the Central Office

Dear WAIMH members

The year 2009 has been very busy here at the WAIMH Central Office at Kauppi Campus. After the office transfer we have worked very hard developing the WAIMH website together with Tina Houghton and Carl Raymond from Michigan State University and the staff at the Internet4Associations. Because of the Leipzig Congress, we have been developing an electronic submission system customized specifically for WAIMH. All problems have been fixed, and we believe that the end result is going to be wonderful and something we can successfully use for many years to come.

Developing the electronic submission system usually does not go without some problems, as some of you may have noticed. We have received feed-back that adding additional presenters data and copying the abstract text have been difficult. The main problem turned out to be that the additional presenters data were not saved, if their e-mail data were not filled in! Unfortunately it took quite a while, and many meetings until the coding was corrected. The system has been planned to be as easy and flexible as possible to WAIMH members, who can use their membership logins for filling in data, and much of their information is pre-filled. However, this means that changing your personal data in the Congress submission area, also changes your data in the membership register. Please remember that the logins and passwords are for personal use only!

The development of the affiliate pages of the website have had to wait their turn, but in time they will also provide new possibilities for WAIMH to serve you. We would like to remind all our affiliates that even now you can send information to the WAIMH website about events you are organising. You can also read the past issues of Signal on our membership pages, and search information of WAIMH members, if you wish to establish contacts with members in other countries.

Please note that it is time to renew your membership, which you can easily do on our website. The membership goes yearly from January to December, and if 2009 is not yet paid for the system automatically offers the current year first for payment. We encourage you to tell about our organisation to your colleagues and friends working on the field of infant mental health, and ask them to become members, too. One remarkable bonus of becoming a member is that you can order the Infant Mental Health Journal for a reduced price. The Journal is slowly but steadily becoming more prestiged and influential, thanks to the persistent work of editor Joy Osofsky and new editor Hiram Fitzgerald. WAIMH membership together with the journal is truly a good bargain.

And finally, the 12th World Congress of WAIMH in Leipzig, Germany is nearing. The program will be rich in knowledge, and the social program in music! So come to Leipzig, and encourage your colleagues and friends to come and experience the inspiring and unique atmosphere of WAIMH World Congress.

With our warm greetings from the cold, snowy Finland.

Minna, Kaija & Pälvi

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From the Kauppi Campus: Information and News from the Central Office