Dear members of ASCVTS,

Thanks to your support, I was elected as the President at the 27th annual Scientific Meeting of the Society held in Chennai, India. Founded in 1993, ASCVTS quickly ascended to the position of Asia’s top Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery society. This would not have been possible without the wonderful leadership of past presidents and councilors, and members of the society, including Professor Furuse, the founder of ASCVTS, Professor C.N. Lee, the second president and Professor Takamoto, who was the previous president. But most importantly, it was the active participation and interest of our members that helped us grow. I assure you, I will do my utmost for the development of ASCVTS and all its members.

As you know, ASCVTS still has some catching up to do compared to American or European organizations. However, the tide is with us. Asia’s developing exponentially both socially and economically, transforming right before our eyes, expanding its footprint around the world. The emergence of Asia is also felt in the field of medicine, especially in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, as I am certain of the great potential our society holds. Asia is the world’s most populated region, and has one of the highest numbers of surgical cases. It also has a wide spectrum of disease due to its regional and environmental variation. With our concerted efforts, we can use these unique strengths of our region to our advantage, gaining the competitiveness to stand shoulder to shoulder with the academic organizations of the US and Europe. We can even go a step further and become the global leader in the field of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

We plan to communicate more closely with our members: providing various academic activities, education programs and information exchanges, proposing critical pathways, stimulating basic research and multinational joint research. We will also do more to support the development of our field in developing countries. You can expect more webpage content and webinars this year to promote discussion and exchange among members. Most of all, we intend to focus on improving the quality of our scientific meetings and journal.

ASCVTS exists for its members and it cannot develop without your participation. Together with our members, we will continue on our journey to fulfil our mission, which is, to offer a healthy and happy life to Asians and to the world through the development of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery.

Once again, I ask for your interest and active participation. Please recommend ASCVTS to your colleagues, so that more Cardiovascular and Thoracic surgeons can become members of this vibrant organization.

Thank you.