I would like to extend my appreciation to the planning committee of this outstanding conference, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics (ASLME) for allowing me to have this great opportunity to share my experience in teaching and studying medical and public health law and ethics with my U.S. colleagues. This morning, USA Today is reporting that Brundtland, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), finally declared that the aggressive control measures have stopped SARS. I think it is a special achievement on her part as she departs the WHO in less than two weeks. The new Director General of the WHO, JW Lee, is a close friend of mine.