On behalf of the Organising Committee it's my great pleasure to invite the international occupational health community to participate in the
36th Medichem Congress, to be held in Amsterdam, September 9-11, 2008.

Amsterdam is the vibrant capital of the Netherlands and we have secured one of its prime locations to host our Congress: Artis, our country's oldest zoo, located right in the heart of the city. Amsterdam is easily reached as it has direct connections with almost any country in the world by air, rail, road or water. In addition, Amsterdam is one of the leading cities in Europe with impressive 17th century architecture and lots of culture, including famous museums like the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum.

Of course, we hope that for you as occupational health professional, the main reason to attend the congress will be its scientific programme in combination with the opportunity to meet with colleagues from all over the world to exchange ideas and practices in the field. The theme we have chosen for Medichem 2008 is "Innovation in Occupational Health". In the multidisciplinary field of occupational health various rapid developments, such as the emerging '-omics' technology and nanotechnology but also 'evidence-based' medicine, and ethical issues raise the question what implications these changes may have for our day-to-day working practice. We hope to address some of the technical aspects of these questions on the first day, whilst on the second day the practical implications will be discussed from a variety of angles. We hope this will offer you a unique opportunity to get abreast with new developments and their practical implications. In addition, the social events will provide an ideal opportunity for all participants to discuss and debate their own special interests and priorities with experts and colleagues. We sincerely hope that you will plan to come to Amsterdam next September. We are sure that Medichem 2008 will provide you with intense interaction with your peers and induce new ideas for your own work.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Amsterdam!