Dear Friends,

Greetings from IAMM, New Delhi, and Happy New Year 2026!

At the outset, I want to thank the society for having trusted me for the job of the President of our esteemed society. Our society has taken many new initiatives from time to time to furthering the interests of our specialty. To name a few are PG-assembly, Master classes, Technologists refresher courses, legal matters, EQAS for the Country etc.

No diagnostic test is worth it unless the quality issues are met and internationally recommended guidelines are not followed in letter & spirit which will give you conviction in your science. We are lucky to have two robust EQAS centers under the aegis of IAMM that have diversified to meet the requirements. Both centers are NABL accredited PT providers & one of the centers is also awarded the Dr. S K Joshi excellence award by the QCI. But the numbers enrolled are only a fraction of the ones actually on the ground.

Our IJMM has also been progressing well after change of publisher from Wolters Kluwer to Elsevier from Jan 2021. Its Bibliometrics like impact factor & scopus cite score has improved to 1.4 & 2.4. respectively. though more can be achieved. First special issue of IJMM was also published titled as ‘Advances in vaccine development” with Dr. Balaji as its Guest Editor for which I am grateful to him for his efforts & time. We are looking forward for more special issues in the coming year as well. I am sure Dr. Sangeeta Joshi the new Editor-in-Chief will take it to newer heights from 1st Jan 2026 onwards. I urge all our members to patronize your own journal more & more.

We are holding a Mid-con 2026 on 21st & 22nd March in Aerocity, New Delhi. This event is a focused group meeting of the IAMM & Indian College of Medical Microbiology (ICMM) think tank, EC members to discuss the vision for the year 2026. We are inviting the most active Secretaries of the State Chapters to the Midcon to have a brain storming session over their chosen priority areas of the respective states. Dr. Sanjay Biswas will take it forward in the Midcon 2026. 

The resounding success of our recently concluded National Congress in Delhi deserves a mention that brought together brilliant minds, fostering vibrant discussions on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), emerging diagnostics, and innovative stewardship strategies and many more important areas. Your enthusiasm and contributions made it a landmark gathering, reinforcing IAMM's pivotal role in shaping India's fight against infectious diseases.

Your passion shone through in the lively debates, poster walks, and hands-on workshops, culminating in the prestigious IAMM Orations and Young Investigator Awards. This event not only reinforced IAMM's leadership in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases across India but also forged new collaborations that will drive our field forward.

Building on this momentum, I proudly share our bold vision statement: IAMM will pioneer diagnostic stewardship nationwide, harnessing rapid turnaround times (TAT) in microbiology diagnostics to optimize antimicrobial use, curb resistance, and transform outcomes for patients battling infections.

In our domain, TAT is not just a metric—it's a lifeline. As you all know evidence from global studies, including those from the CDC and WHO, shows that reducing TAT from 72 hours to under 24 hours in blood cultures can cut mortality in sepsis and directly improves outcomes for the millions of Indians suffering from hospital-acquired infections annually.

I urge each of you to champion TAT improvements in your labs—through streamlined workflows, advanced tools, and collaborative audits—while embedding stewardship principles at every step. 

Our unfinished job has been the course correction of our MBBS & MD/DNB Curriculum, though, NMC is trying to make a beginning.

Let us unite in our missions. I look forward to your ideas, partnerships, and unwavering commitment as we contribute to build a healthier nation.

Jai Bharat

Warm regards,