A celebration with a champagne toast and cake marked the fifth birthday of the North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies. The birthday party was held January 19, in conjunction with the Alliance for CME 2007 Annual Conference. Founded in 2002 by CME veterans Jacqueline Parochka, EdD; Karen Overstreet, EdD, RPH, FACME; Richard F. Tischler Jr., PhD; and Mark Schaffer, EdM, NAAMECC's mission is to advocate for and educate medical education and communication companies.

“I'm thrilled about what NAAMECC has accomplished in its short history and grateful for the dedicated volunteers who continue to help the organization address the needs of MECCs,” says Overstreet, NAAMECC president.

For the future, NAAMECC plans to convene a roundtable for attorneys familiar with CME regulations to discuss ways to mitigate risks in educational grants, and to produce a monograph based on the discussion. NAAMECC also aims to develop a series of educational webinars for members and design a searchable database for members' information.