Kia ora koutou,

Happy New Year and welcome back to what I am sure will be another busy and productive year. I trust everybody had a relaxing holiday with their friends and family and ready to start the new academic year.

However, before we start the teaching year we have two special events scheduled for February which I hope you will all support. The first is ACSRC2020 Symposium to be held on the 14-15 February to celebrate the remarkable contributions of Distinguished Professors Bill Denny, Professor Bill Wilson and Emeritus Professor Bruce Baguley to the Auckland Cancer Research Centre.

The second is the inaugural School of Medical Sciences Research Retreat to be held on the 20th of February. This daylong event is designed to highlight and connect the different research strengths of the school. The day is designed it around 3 main themes: Research Infrastructure, Research Facilities, and Research Centres. The focus of three sessions is to provide staff and students information on the capabilities we have within the school and its associated research centres in order to enhance existing research directions and to potentially create new research opportunities and collaborations.

The retreat will then finish with a series of facilitated breakout sessions where staff and students will get an opportunity to discuss what research infrastructure, facilities and new centre the school should be investing in to maintain and enhance the School of Medical Sciences as the leading biomedical research engine in New Zealand. Your input into these strategic decisions as academic and profession staff and as post graduate students is highly valued so please make the retreat a priority.

Ngā mihi

Paul