President of The 31st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences
Hideyuki Saito
(Professor and Pharmacy Director, Department of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University Hospital)

The 31st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences will be held in Kumamoto City on October 9 (Sat.) and 10 (Sun.), 2021.

The Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences consists of members involved in hospitals and clinics, health insurance pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, educational institutions, and administrative bodies. The Society organizes research presentations on scientific principles related to health care and pharmaceutical science and their application, exchanges knowledge and information, and promotes collaboration and cooperation among members and between members and related academic societies. It thereby aims to advance and disseminate health care and pharmaceutical science and to contribute to the development of this academic field and the improvement of the national health and welfare. With the aging society rapidly progressing, the recent situation surrounding the medical environment and medical development has been showing remarkable changes. In order to provide society and the nation with advanced medical care of higher safety, security, and quality, those who are involved in medical care, drug development, education, and administrative bodies are required more than ever to demonstrate their respective abilities and specialties as well as cope with various challenges while working in collaboration and sharing information. In addition, we are facing frequent unprecedented disasters, such as large-scale earthquakes, heavy rains, and COVID-19, which have made it inevitable for us to establish a medical care provision system to cope with various disasters and educate and train medical staff responsible for the system.

This year’s meeting, anticipating those changes of medical situation, has set up the main theme, “Tradition, Challenge and Evolution – To provide a view of Health Care and Pharmaceutical Science with Future-oriented Viewpoint.” This theme derived from our intention to promote the academic assets and knowledge cultivated through the business activities and annual meetings of the Society and take on the challenge to promote their evolution in order to pass them on to the future generations. Together with participants from all over Japan, we would like to promote the traditional health care and pharmaceutical science and, while overseeing them, discuss how to establish the foundation to promote their further development and evolution toward the future.

In consideration of preventive measures against COVID-19, this year’s meeting will, for the first time, run in a hybrid format combining the local meeting and an online one. The special lecture will invite speakers who have been conducting cutting-edge and pioneering research. The special symposium, in consideration of the recent medical situation, will touch on disaster medicine, COVID-19 treatment, pharmacist/pharmacy education in the with/after COVID-19 era, cancer genomic medicine, AI, big data, and others. As usual, we are planning on general presentations, various award-winning lectures, workshops, public lectures, etc., and are making every effort to provide opportunities to share the research results and latest information on health care and pharmaceutical science from various perspectives and in various areas.

Some medical facilities that suffered the devastating damages caused by the Kumamoto earthquake in April 2016 have been restored and reconstructed. Nevertheless, we are aware that not a few physical and mental damages still linger in the minds of many Kumamoto citizens, including pharmacists working in hospitals and pharmacies and faculty members of the School of Pharmacy. We have decided to hold this year’s meeting in Kumamoto City in order to boost the impetus toward the revival and reconstruction of medical and pharmaceutical research and education in Kumamoto Prefecture, as well as to express our gratitude to those related to health care and pharmaceutical science all over Japan for providing their human, mental, and economic support and kind understanding.

We sincerely look forward to your abstract submissions and participation.