Jerome Strauss
Jerome F. Strauss III, MD, PhD
SRI President, 2003-2004
The 2003-2004 Presidential objectives included: 1) fundraising to build a reserve for programmatic activities; 2) international outreach, including the initiation of the International Summits; 3) rebranding of the Society with a new logo and tag line; 4) further developing the role for trainees and more junior members, the future of the Society. These were all part of an evolving plan that had roots in previous administrations, and that carried forward into subsequent presidencies. The successful implementation of these initiatives demonstrated that the Society had strong governance, and a highly competent full time staff.
The fundraising efforts were mainly friend raising and included the creation of an advisory board of industry sponsors to inform them of Society initiatives and priorities while avoiding inappropriate influence and conflict of interest. This was a time when industry sponsorship of scientific meetings was generous and there was still strong interest in drug and device development for women’s health. The campaign was successful with more than $400,000 generated which was a record for the Society at that time. John H. Grossman MD, PhD, MPH, Executive Vice President, was instrumental in the fundraising campaign and developing the corporate advisory board.
International outreach was a theme espoused by President Challis and the Council. The emphasis of the outreach was mainly to Europe, but plans were also set for Asia. The outreach efforts included membership recruitment, the planning for the first international SGI Summit, and the decision to commit to hold an annual meeting outside of North America, which represented a major milestone in that it projected a strong message that the Society indeed had international prominence.
The change in the Society logo engendered considerable debate among the membership and Council. In the end, it was decided that a fresh look was needed that would have broad appeal. The new logo also came with a tagline “Science in the Service of Women’s Health” to announce the Society’s main mission. In order to keep a strong link with the Society’s origins, it was decided that the original seal should be used as a watermark on Society letterhead.