On Tuesday July 31 at the AAPM Annual Meeting in Nashville, the Women's Professional and Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittees hosted our second annual joint happy hour. Everyone in AAPM was invited to meet up for drinks and appetizers at Al Taglio restaurant in the Music City Center at 5:00 pm, before the AAPM Night Out. This year we had a great turnout of new and familiar faces, taking up all the free chairs on the venue patio, and used this time to reconnect or get to know each other and share ideas for other joint efforts.

Recently, AAPM leadership approved a new strategic goal for AAPM regarding diversity and inclusion, and this is of major interest to both the WPSC and D&I. Dr. Laura Cerviño (Chair of WPSC), myself (Chair of D&I), and Dr. Stephen Avery (Vice-Chair of D&I) were present at the happy hour to discuss the implications of this new initiative with those in attendance. This news was enjoyed even more than the delectable appetizers that were being passed around.

Last year's event, hosted at a local bar in Denver near the convention center, was just as successful, and the goal for the future is to keep the momentum going. In previous years, the major social event for the WPSC has been the annual Women Physicists luncheon on Tuesday of the meeting, but attendance is limited by the room size and with the wonderful programs and speakers each year, there's never sufficient time for networking or in-depth conversations. This is the void that happy hour fills; here you can talk to your heart's content with no time constraint. All AAPM members are invited to happy hour; you do not need to be a member of the WPSC or D&I. The exact time and location of happy hour will be advertised on the meeting website under the Special Events category. We look forward to seeing you at next year's event in San Antonio!