February 17, 2005

Dear Cocci Study Group Member:

The tentative program for the upcoming April 2nd meeting is now available. Dr. Francesca Geertsma is our host for this meeting and we are all very grateful to her for doing the work needed to make this happen.

The meeting will be held at The Pines Resort and Conference Center at Bass Lake (see attached map). Please contact The Pines Resort directly should you still need lodgings (1-800-350-7463 or 559-642-3121; http://www.basslake.com/).

As usual, there is no registration fee. Also, lunch, dinner and refreshments will be provided at no charge for those who are registered for the meeting. Click here for registration information.

To get an accurate head count, please fill out and return the registration form accompanying this announcement and either mail or fax it to Dr. Geertsma using the information shown on the form.

Getting to and from The Pines Resort

A map is attached. For those arriving at the Fresno Airport, a car rental is preferable to a cab fare. For additional information, p lease contact The Pines Resort directly at (800) 350-7463 or (559) 642-3121.

Program Details

Click here to view the 49th Annual Cocci Study Group Program

As usual, speakers should plan to use no more than 10 minutes for their presentations and allow 5 minutes for questions.

You will note that Session III is reserved for the presentation of unusual and interesting cases. If you would like to present a case during this session, contact Janis Blair directly (Blair.Janis@mayo.edu) and she will work out the details.

If there are any late-breaking presentations, let me know what you would like to present and we’ll try to fit it in.

With respect to audio-visual equipment, we expect that most, if not all, presentations will involve Powerpoint files. A PC computer and an LCD projector will be available for this purpose. Please plan to bring your presentation on a CD ROM or on a USB RAM drive for loading onto the PC. If other audio-visual arrangements are needed, please contact Dr. Geertsma well-ahead of the meeting to agree on the details.

The business meeting this year is especially important. Plans are underway for the Sixth International Symposium in 2006, and this will be an opportunity for discussing the current status. Also, Hillie Levine has announced that he will be stepping down from serving as Chair of the Study Group, and therefore we shall need to select someone to take his place.

Social Activities

A bus trip to & from Yosemite Valley Floor on Sunday, April 3, (all-day tour) is available if we get a sufficient number of interested persons. The cost would be approximately $50 per person which would include park entrance fees. There is the possibility that we may be able to have this excursion funded, but that is not at this point definite. Please indicate your interest on the registration form in regards to how many people in your party would participate in the tour if this activity is or is not funded by an outside source.

Look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

Sincerely,

John N. Galgiani, M.D.

Secretary