International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine

The International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine was founded as an elected honorary society for aerospace medicine professionals in 1955. From the beginning, the Academy's requirements for election to membership have been exceedingly stringent. The Academy's international character is emphasized by the requirement that all documentation be provided for members in both French and English. The Academy is administered through the offices of an elected Secretary-General who handles all routine correspondence, membership and meeting questions, and the academy's finances. Since its inception, the Secretariat has been located in America, Belgium, Canada, France, Portugal, and New Zealand.

Eligibility requirements for Academy membership are of the highest order. At any given time, membership is restricted to not more than 250 members selected from all countries without regard for the candidates' political beliefs or the politics of their countries of origin. Consequently, membership provided a sometimes rare opportunity for an exchange of knowledge across the political boundaries that existed during the Cold War and this is evident in much of the correspondence between the Secretaries-General and the members for eastern European nations.

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