Happy New Year to all IET and Healthcare Technology Network members.



I hope that many of you received an email newsletter in January which included a summary of my previous network update as well as an events planner for 2014. (If you didn't, go to MyIET and select the Healthcare marketing option so that you can receive future updates.)



This newsletter is the latest step in our programme of community engagement and I was delighted that it prompted many long-standing network members to get in touch, both to suggest new ways in which we can support our membership and also to provide feedback our current activities. The mailing has led to a significant increase in membership of the network.



The network has begun to consult with some of its younger members to devise events and resources that are relevant to engineers who are at the beginning of their career in healthcare-related engineering.



The committee's next meeting will be in April when we will meet with our Technical Advisory Panel (made up of long-standing members of the network including former committee members) to determine our programme of events for 2014/2015. Please get in touch with me by email or via the myCommunity forums if you have an activity that you would like us to support from October.



Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Steve Benveniste, the HTN's Community Relationship Manager, who is moving onwards and upwards within the IET later this month. Steve has been a motivating yet steadying presence in the Network over the last few years, instigating and supporting many of the initiatives which we are now able to offer.



If you don't already, I'd strongly recommend that you look at his series of blog posts covering many diverse topics within engineering, including healthcare technologies. On behalf of the network and the committee, thank you Steve and good luck in your new post!



Dr Peter Bannister, CEng

Chairman, Healthcare Technologies Network

prbannister@theiet.org