President’s Message
I would like to welcome all member Colleges and Societies to AOSR inaugaural Newsletter. Through this media we will endeavour to keep you all updated on the various activities being undertaken by AOSR and any other news that will be of interest to you. We would appreciate if you would circulate this to all your members and post it on your College/Society website.
We intend to send this twice a year.
AOCR 2018 was held in the dynamic and vibrant city of Mumbai, India from January 25 to 28. This was also the occasion of change of guards of AOSR office bearers. It gives me great pleasure and honour in stepping in as the President of AOSR for the 2018-2020 term.
The President handover ceremony happened on January 26 which is Indian Republic Day as well as Australia Day. The First Asian-Oceanian Congress was held in Melbourne in 1971, my new home, and I took the office of the President of AOSR in Mumbai, India, the country where I was born. These unique coincidences made the event extra special for me.
AOCR is a distinctive and unique academic meeting in Asia and Oceanian region. The host Organizing Committee members of Maharashtra Branch of IRIA with support from Dr Bhupendra Ahuja and Dr Mohanan K, 2017 and 2018 IRIA Presidents respectively, did a fantastic job in putting together this meeting with high level scientific contents with renowned international and national speakers. This meeting was truly international and the local OC raised the bar to a new height. Not surprisingly the social program had a very strong flavour of Bollywood, Mumbai being the hub of it. They deserve a big congratulation.
Since the inception of AOSR on 11 October 1969 in Tokyo Japan we have come a long way. The previous leaders and Councillors of the Society have made enormous contributions in what is today a well-established regional society interacting with the likes of RSNA and ESR.
However, there is still a lot to do and all future Office bearers will not have an idle moment. We are here for our member countries and to represent the Asia-Oceanian region on the global platform. The Executive Council of AOSR has a number of tasks at hand and I will be working with them closely in progressing the cause of AOSR. We will be looking at putting together initiatives to improve communication and engagement with our member countries, to improve the practice and standard of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine in this region and strengthen the relationship between various Societies, to name a few tasks.
I will be supported by an excellent team of Office Bearers and Councillors. We have also seen a change in the Office Director with Dr. Whal Lee taking over from Dr. Jongmin Lee.
We held our first ever Strategic Planning day in Kuala Lumpur on 22 April, 2018 and this gave us a great opportunity to establish a strategic direction for the Society with some goals for us to work towards. We will also review our internal governance practice, institute more policies and guidelines and strengthen some of the framework around which we conduct our business.
I can see some exciting times ahead of us but this cannot be done by the Executive Council alone and we will be reaching out to our member countries for volunteers and support.
Honorary Secretary’s report
The recent AOSR Strategic Planning held on April 22, 2018 was a great success. The event facilitated by Natalia Vukolova, CEO of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR), proved to be indispensable in setting and achieving goals, and in making decisions aligned with a larger mission and vision relevant to our society and practice. Once the strategic plan and the document is ratified by the Executive Council it will be circulated to all members.
Looking ahead, preparations for the AOCR2020 are currently ongoing and EC members are in close contact to achieve set goals. Another goal is holding an Annual AOCR to start in 2021. This was supported by the majority of Councilors.
At the 2018 AOCR the General Assembly endorsed two new member countries, Radiology Society of the Emirates (RSE) and Radiology Society of Kazakhstan. We welcome them and look forward to strengthening our activities in that region through collaborative interaction.
An application was also received from Oman Radiology and Molecular Imaging Society in March 2018 and the Executive Council has accepted them as provisional members subject to ratification at the 2020 General Assembly.
As we continue moving forward we’d like to keep you updated and hope for your active engagement in our society through this Newsletter.
Honorary Treasurer’s report
AOSR is a NOT for Profit Organization. Where does our funding come from? The regular incomes are from annual membership fee and biennial bidding fee for AOCR. Few projects have been collaborated with vendors such as AOSOR youth club.
Our regular expenses are for office management, maintaining the website and AOSR activities.There are few travelling expenses for the president or representatives who represent AOSR in major events such as RSNA and ECR. Other than that the office bearers and executive councillors pay out of their own pockets for most of the travelling for any AOSR activities.
To manage AOSR accounts at our office in Seoul, we have Dr.Lee, Office Director, Dr Choi, AOSOR Director and I, Honorary Treasurer to oversee and approve the budgets and expenses. We also have Executive Councillors, Dr.Danny Hing Yan Cho from Hong Kong as our internal auditor. External auditors will audit our accounts once a year. Honorary Treasurer will give the full report during the AOSR General Assembly besides annual updates at the Executive Council meetings.
Only 50% of the country members have regularly paid the annual membership fee. Since our main annual income is coming from this membership fee, I would like to encourage our members to help support AOSR by paying their membership fee so we can continue all the activities that benefit the country members.
AOSOR Director’s report
In 2013, Asian Oceanina School of Radiology (AOSOR) was established for faciliating AOSR’s educational activities throughout AOSR member societies. Professor Byung Ihn Choi from Korea is the founder Director of AOSOR. Through diligent funding for AOSOR, several academic and educational projects were initiated since 2014 including AOSOR conjoint sessions, AOSOR Youth Club, RSNA-AOSR Joint International Visiting Professor Programa and Fellowship Program. Through these projects AOSOR intends to provide various avenues for educational activities to out member countries.
It also has strong ties with the larger organisations such as RSNA and ESR and brings in educational skills through them.
Some of our activities planned for 2018 are listed below.
1. 2018 AOSOR Conjoint Sessions
2. AOSOR Youth Club
2017 Youth Club was held at Best Western Premere Hotel Kukdo, Seoul, Korea from November 9-12, 2017 and sponsored by GE Healthcare AP, Guerbet AP, Health Hub. It was attended by 13 trainees. A total of 18 tutors covered various topics including Basic Leadership, Society Leadership, Risk Management Training, Global Radiology:
2018 Youth Club
- Date: November 18-21, 2018
- Venue: Excelsior Hotel, Hong Kong
- Programs: Basic Leadership, Society Leadership, Risk Management Training, Global Radiology
- Trainees will be invited to participate from member countries whose membership is current i.e. membership fee to date.
- Please ensure that your membership fee is upto date to avail this unique opportunity for your junior radiologists to get upskilled on basic leadership skills.
3. 2018 RSNA-AOSR Joint International Visiting Professor (IVP) Program
- Country: Indonesia
- Cities visited: Bandung (West Java), Semarang (Central Java), Surabaya (East Java)
- Period: March 31 – April 11, 2018
AsiaSafe
In 2008 when Image Gently started in USA, AOSR became a participating organisation.
Image Gently has grown since, it has expanded into various sub-specialties such as paediatrics, CT, etc. Several regional organisations were formed, e.g. Afrosafe, Eurosafe, Latinsafe, Arabsafe, etc. However, there is no Asiasafe.
Meanwhile in Asia Oceania the use of radiation in medicine has grown tremendously, and as a consequence there is greater awareness and emphasis in radiation safety and the judicious use of radiation in imaging and therapy. The AOSR has decided to initiate AsiaSafe. A web page will be developed. AsiaSafe Mission and Vision statements will be drawn up. Partnership with various organizations such as the IAEA, WHO, ICRP, etc. will be considered as well.
Let us move forward with AsiaSafe.
AOCR 2020 Update
- Congress Date: 23 – 26 July 2020
- Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre
- Website: www.aocr2020.com
The College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia is honored to host the 18th Asian Oceanian Congress of Radiology from the 23 to 26 July 2020 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, our 5-star world class convention centre sits at the base of the famous Petronas Twin Towers and food haven Bukit Bintang is a mere 8 minutes walk through covered walkways. There are many options of accommodation from 2 to 5 star hotels, serviced apartments and condominiums.
This will be a unique meeting which will involve discussions, debates, workshops and demonstrations with the main goal of exchanging ideas and practical experiences. Our scientific committee will come up with
Masterclass sessions which will move away from the tedium of lectures to more practical learning points. We will also hold “Meet The Expert” sessions.
There will be opportunities for delegates to present their research and papers in our free paper sessions. In a bid to support young radiologists and those from developing countries, top abstract submitters only need to pay a highly subsidized registration fee. Accepted free paper presenters will be invited to present their work in scientific symposia sessions and selected abstract will be published in Korean Journal of Radiology (ISI journal).
We look forward to a large attendance from AOSR member countries other delegates from around the globe.
Professor Dr Norlisah Ramli
Organising Chairman
18th Asian Oceanian Congress of Radiology
Dr Amir Fuad Hussain
President
College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia
For more news please visit the website at www.theaosr.org.