Greeting Message

The 34th Meeting of the Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery (JSHBPS) will be held at Ehime Prefectural Culture Hall on June 10 (Friday) and 11 (Statuary), 2022. It is a great honor for our department to host this event, and we are deeply grateful to JSHBPS executives, councillors, and members for their support.

Since its inception as the first Japan Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery Forum in 1989 and reorganization as well as name change in 1993, JSHBPS has grown to have a membership of over 3,500. We have striven to improve the safety of high-difficulty surgical procedures in the hepatobiliary pancreatic field through the formation and operation of our board certification system for expert surgeons and via audited safety management. We have entered the global healthcare domain with our active academic activities, which include launching an English language journal, conducting JSHBPS-led project research, and holding annual meetings with English as the instruction medium. We owe our surgical success and academic achievements relating to high-difficulty hepatobiliary pancreatic surgery in Japan to the unwavering dedication of our senior doctors and all of our members, owing to which, we are recognized worldwide for our excellence in surgical procedures. Considering that this will be the first time in the 30-something year of JSHBPS that annual meetings will be held in Ehime Prefecture, our department is putting their heart and soul into preparing for this event.

The theme for this year’s annual meeting is “Tradition and Ingenuity.” While the word “tradition” may sound rather old-fashioned, it is nevertheless close to my heart, as it was often mentioned by my mentor, Dr. Yoshio Yamaoka of Kyoto University. It means that a surgeon’s training begins by mastering the standard forms of procedures and techniques inherited through generations, upon which each individual adds ingenuity to develop a style that is unique to them. There is no doubt that this concept extends beyond the art of surgery to encompass academic research and science. We hope to witness participants presenting their artistic and scientific achievements gained through ingenuity and inspiration underpinned by their dedication to their academic and clinical work, and further to engage in a dynamic, spirited debate.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our 32nd and 33rd annual meetings were conducted online. While hybrid presentation styles are now widespread and their convenience well-recognized, we nevertheless believe that the significance of having face-to-face presentations and debates is high, especially among young colleagues. This is why we are planning to hold an in-person 34th annual meeting despite the uncertainties that still remain as to how the pandemic will settle down. The meeting has been shortened to two days to avoid overburdening our younger members who are busy with their clinical activities. This will also be the first meeting wherein credit-earning educational seminars will be offered through e-learning, with on-demand streaming planned for some of the content post the live event taking place on site. We have endeavored to create a lean, compact program.

The island of Shikoku, where Ehime Prefecture is located, is well-known for its 88-temple pilgrimage and welcoming attitude toward pilgrims. The city of Matsuyama also has a culture of hospitality, with numerous tourist destinations, including Dogo Onsen Hot Spring and Matsuyama Castle, and gastronomic delights of the land and sea at reasonable prices. Our aim is to host a meaningful, productive annual meeting in this beautiful location. We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you here.