During the week of September 21-25, I attended and served as plenary chairperson at the 7th Annual IQPC Cold Chain Distribution for Pharmaceuticals Conference in Philadelphia and delivered a presentation at the United States Pharmocopeia Annual Scientific Meeting in Toronto. It was a hectic week.

I always look forward to these events - not only to keep up with what is going on within the industry - but to meet and reconnect with the many colleagues, friends and associates I have had the pleasure to know over these many years in cold-chain - many of whom I get to see only once or twice a year. 

I'd like to apologize to those who attended either of these conferences with whom I might have appeard distant or distracted. I was consumed by a bit of a personal nightmare during that week, a family tragedy which occurred only days before, on September 19th, and it permiated nearly my every thought and action and required considerable time, attention and energy.  

My thanks to those few colleagues with whom I shared this knowledge during the conferences and whose care, compassion, condolences and understanding really helped me get through through a most difficult week.