jsnm-jsnmt2020(The 60th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine / The 40th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine Technology)

It is my honor to host the 60th Annual Congress of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine (JSNM) in Kobe, Japan, on Nov 12 – 14 (Thu – Sat) 2020.

The 60th JSNM will be held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Congress of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine Technology (JSNMT). The venue is Kobe International Conference Center and Kobe International Exhibition Hall, which are located in Port Island within the harbor of Kobe City, Japan.

The catchword of the Congress is “Nuclear Medicine develops on the Network”. Nuclear Medicine is defined as medical use of radionuclides, and is applied to diagnosis and treatment of diseases, such as tumors and disorders of brain, heart and other organs. Therefore, clinical application of nuclear medicine needs collaboration with physicians of other medical specialties and subspecialties. Use of radionuclides also requires teamwork of physicians, technologists, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare and managerial professionals. Likewise, in research and development in regard to nuclear medicine, it is necessary for nuclear medicine researchers to collaborate with researchers of basic medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical science. Commercialization of new radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine devices needs participation of industry partners and consultation with regulatory authorities. Collaboration with overseas medical and research institutions is also important. Therefore, development of nuclear medicine depends on the “network” of professionals in various fields and organizations. It is my desire and plan to provide such opportunities of networking in this Congress.

This year, however, due to the spread of COVID-19, I would expect many participants who will not be able to come to the venue in person. Therefore, I have organized the Congress in a “hybrid” mode and provided those people with an opportunity to virtually attend the sessions, give presentations and join the discussion as much as possible without coming to the venue. We also take all possible measures to control COVID-19 infection on site, such as avoiding 3Cs (closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places, close contact) and requesting on-site attendees to wear a mask.

Kobe Harbor was one of the hub ports of domestic transportation in the Edo era, and has developed into one of the major trading ports in Japan since Meiji Restoration. I hope that the open atmosphere in Kobe City facilitates interaction and networking of the participants for the benefit of their future work and for further development of nuclear medicine.

I would appreciate support by the people concerned to make the Congress a big success and would like to welcome everyone to Kobe for JSNM2020.