The A. J. Drexel Plasma Institute recently hosted the 2nd International Conference on Plasma Medicine (ICPM-2) in San Antonio Texas on March 16th - 20th, 2009. Of the 150 participants, 14 countries were represented to include France, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. The 1st International Conference on Plasma Medicine (ICPM-1) was a great success, as can be seen from the special issue on plasma medicine consisting of selected contributions from conference participants. This year’s conference saw an increase in the amount of contributing attendees, as well as the establishment of the International Society on Plasma Medicine (ISPM). Prof. Alexander Fridman has been elected as the president of ISPM. Contributions from 19 Drexel affiliates were represented, to include four MEM faculty and four MEM students.

The reins of the conference were given to Dr. Klaus-Dieter Weltmann, Director of the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science, and the host for ICPM-3. With ICPM-3 set to occur in Greifswald and future plans to host in South Korea and France, the international conference is increasing it’s scope and visibility throughout the world and continues to advance the field of plasma medicine.