The American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA) held its convention Aug. 29-Sept. 1, at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. With nearly 250 participants, it proved to be the largest AOBTA convention held so far.

In addition to offering myriad educational opportunities from master instructors of great stature, the association honored some of its most outstanding contributors, and conducted new business. Members voted for and implemented a new position on the board of directors: Director of Council of Schools and Programs. They also established a new state chapter in Maryland, and officially recognized a new form of Asian bodywork, Medical Qigong, as meeting its professional level curriculum. Medical Qigong joins the ranks of Acupressure; Amma; Amma Therapy; Chi Nei Tsang: Five Element Shiatsu; Integrative Eclectic Shiatsu; Japanese Shiatsu; Jin Shin Do; Bodymind Acupressure; Macrobiotic Shiatsu; Shiatsu Anma Therapy; Traditional Thai Massage; Tuina; and Zen Shiatsu as an official form of Asian bodywork.

Among a long list of award winners recognized:

• The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Kiku Miyazaki-Zutrau.
• A special award was presented to Director of Membership Maria Spuller.
• The President's Award went to Stuart Watts, treasurer, in recognition of over 30 years of support and promotion of AOBTA, Asian Bodywork Therapy and Chinese Medicine in the United States and around the world.

The AOBTA looks forward to its next convention, which will be held in San Francisco in 2005. Delighted with the success of the 2003 convention, AOBTA President Debra Howard remarked, "This has been outstanding! The only complaint I heard was that we ran out of larger sized T-shirts!"