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End of term report

END-OF-TERM REPORT 2018–2022

The APPSPGHAN Council during the Council Meeting held on October 24, 2018, have unanimously elected the following for the Executive Committee (Execom):

  • Dr. Suporn Treepongkaruna – President
  • Dr. Juliet Sio Aguilar – Secretary-General
  • Dr. Yen-Hsuan Ni – Treasurer
  • Dr. Kyung-Mo Kim – Next Congress President
  • Dr. Way Seah Lee – Next Congress President
  • Prof. Akira Matsui – Immediate Past President

PRIORITY PROJECTS

Among the priority projects of the Society to thrust forward, the council through its Execom deemed it prudent to focus on the following:

  1. Creation of the APPSPGHAN website
  2. Official registration of the Society to establish the legality
  3. Review of the Constitution and By-laws

Creation of the APPSPGHAN Website (www.appspghan.org)

  • The APPSPGHAN website, created in 2019, contains important sections and is maintained by an IT company in Thailand under close supervision by the APPSPGHAN Publicity Committee.
  • Among the significant features are online membership registration and an online educational platform. The website has an online e-learning system for the members. Lectures from past congresses, masterclasses organized by the Society, and the rerun of the collaborative webinars with the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.
  • The website also promotes all APPSPGHAN academic activities and those of sister societies when relevant as well as other important developments.

Official Registration of the APPSPGHAN

  • The Society is now a legal entity with temporary offices at Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital.
  • An official bank account is now existent under the name of APPSPGHAN.
  • A Thai Committee was created composed solely of Thai nationals as a requirement for the Thai regulation. This committee is purely for auditing the financial account of the APPSPGHAN in compliance with the Thai laws.

Review of the Constitution and By-Laws

  • The constitution has undergone two amendment processes. The updated constitution and is available in the Appendix of this report.

MEMBERSHIP

Composition

  • In 2019, an online membership system was initiated after a long period of informal and undocumented membership. The member categories include regular, emeritus, affiliate and a new one, trainee.
  • To date, more than 200 members from 23 countries have joined APPSPGHAN. APPSPGHAN welcomes colleagues from the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide to its membership.

COUNCIL MEMBERS

  • The members of APPSPGHAN Council for the term 2018-2022 along with those for the term 2022-2026 are as follows:

*Note: The replacements were by virtue of the demise of the original council members.

STANDING COMMITTEES

Composition (November 2018 to October 2022)

Output of the Scientific Subcommittees

  • The various subcommittees have organized masterclasses and other educational activities both on online and hybrid formats.
  • APPSPGHAN Position paper and guidelines
  • Management and Monitoring of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (PIBD) in the Asia Pacific Region (part 1 and 2) (Way Seah Lee, Marion Aw, et al). The manuscript has been submitted and is currently undergoing revision.
    • Guidelines on the Prevention and Treatment of Hepatitis B (Huey-Ling Chen, et al.; now in progress)
  • These committees are also in the various stages of development of collaborative research and surveys pertaining to the Asia Pacific region, among which are the following:
    • PIBD Management and Transition Practice (Way Seah Lee, et al.)
    • Etiologies of Neonatal Cholestasis in the Asia Pacific Countries (Huey-Ling Chen, et al)
    • Endoscopic Facilities and Training in the Asia Pacific Countries (Andy Darma, Katsuhiro Arai, et al)
    • Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Endoscopy Practice (Andy Darma, Katsuhiro Arai, et al)
    • Transitioning Youth with Chronic GI and Liver disease: Perspectives of Pediatricians (Marion Aw, et al)
    • A Survey on the Diagnosis and Management of Pediatric NAFLD in the Asia-Pacific Countries (Chongsrisawat, et al)

APPSPGHAN Conferences: Summary

COLLABORATIONS

To promote and enhance academic exchange with other specialty societies, the APPSPGHAN was involved in scientific activities of the following societies:

Federation of International Societies for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (FISPGHAN)

The APPSGHAN participated actively with FISPGHAN during the 6th World Congress of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition which was hosted by the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) last June 2-5, 2021. While participation was primarily virtual due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the APPSPGHAN engagement was nonetheless significant. APPSPGHAN President Dr. Suporn Treepongkaruna was among the faculty of the congress along with other members of APPSPGHAN as invited speakers and chairpersons.

APPSPGHAN also joined in the FISPGHAN Working Groups on Gastroenteritis, Hepatitis C, Malnutrition and Obesity.

APPSPGHAN President Suporn Treepongkaruna also joined FISPGHAN as its Secretary and Treasurer as well as Prof. Yen-Hsuan NI as Council Member.

Currently, the new website of FISPGHAN announces the upcoming meetings/conferences of all sister societies including APPSPGHAN.

North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN)

In March 2021, the APPSPGHAN welcomed the collaboration with NASPGHAN for academic exchanges with its maiden joint webinar initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four joint webinars were conducted in 2021-2022 with the target of having one webinar per semester.

Moving forward, both societies endeavor to have collaborative research and educational exchanges through postgraduate training.

Latin American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (LASPGHAN)

APPSPGHAN organized a parallel session at the joint congress of the LASPGHAN with colleagues for the Ibero-American Congress and Ecuadorian Congress of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition on June 1-4, 2022 in Quito, Ecuador. The session was chaired by FISPGHAN President Dr. Marina Orsi.

The speakers from APPSPGHAN were as follows:

  • Regional Survey for Pediatric Endoscopy Service in the Asia Pacific Region (Dr. Andy Darma, Surabaya, Indonesia)
  • Endoscopic Modalities for Enteral Tube Feeding: When and How? (Dr. Suporn Treepongkaruna, Bangkok, Thailand)
  • Use of Capsule Endoscopy for Pediatric Intestinal Diseases in 2022 (Dr. Katsuhiro Arai, Tokyo, Japan)
  • Challenges in Controlling GI Bleeding by Therapeutic Endoscopy (Dr. Ujjal Poddar, Lucknow, India)
  • Use of ERCP for Children with Pancreaticobiliary Disorders (Dr. Kyung-Mo Kim, Seoul, Korea)

Journal of PediatricGastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (JPGN)

In June 2022, the APPSPGHAN formalized its collaboration with JPGN that now provides APPSPGHAN members the opportunity to access to the journal online for a special subscription offer of 100 USD per annum.

In addition, the editors of JPGN authorized APPSPGHAN to upload its monthly infographic highlights on our website https://www.appspghan.org/Educations/Section/JPGN.

APPSPGHAN EDUCATIONAL GRANTS

APPSPGHAN has established educational grants for application by bona fide members of the society. Guidelines on donation and utilization of the grant were developed and are available on the APPSPGHN website at https://www.appspghan.org/Educations/Section/APPSPGHAN-Educational-Grant-Guideline.

A scoring system was also formulated for the selection of candidates for the grants. The Education Grants Committee oversees the selection of the grantees each year.

In 2021, through an unrestricted grant given by Reckitt Benkiser (Mead Johnson), three educational grants were approved (one major grant of 6,000 USD and two minor grants of 5,000 and 4,000 USD). Two of the three recipients have received their support. In 2022, another unrestricted grant was donated by Reckitt Benkiser (Mead Johnson). So far, there have been no applications, which may be due to the limited dissemination of the grant availability.

It is hoped that APPSPGHAN can continue to provide annual educational grants for research in the amount of 15,000-20,000 USD per annum.

OTHER GRANTS

Besides the educational grants for individual research of members, it is also envisioned that multi-center position papers or clinical practice guidelines applicable to the Asia Pacific region be developed. The grant availability will be 5,000 USD for management fees and 1000 USD for publication fee.

In 2022, travel grants for the 15th APPSPGHAN Congress were awarded to five applicants – three top-ranking papers for the Young Investigator Award and two top-ranking abstracts from participants from low-resourced countries.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Since 2018, the APPSPGHAN has established the Lifetime Achievement Award for deserving members of the Society.

The nominations shall be selected by a simple majority by the APPSPGHAN Council chaired by the APPSPGHAN President unless delegated by the APPSPGHAN Council to an Award Selection Committee.

The first recipient of the award was Prof. Yuichiro Yamashiro, Professor, Probiotics Research Laboratory, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan in 2018.

In 2022, there were two recipients: Prof. Mei-Hwei Chang, Distinguished Chair Professor of the National Taiwan University and Children’s Hospital, and Prof. Geoffrey Cleghorn, Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Australia. 

NEWSLETTERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS

In June 2021, the Publicity Committee initiated the APPSPGHAN Newsletter to effectively connect with APPSPGHAN members and other colleagues in the Asia-Pacific region. A total of six issues were disseminated.

Besides these, the blast mail system was organized to swiftly announce important news and events of the APPSPGHAN. A total of thirty-three (33) blast mails were sent.

FUTURE CONFERENCES OF THE APPSPGHAN

As the term of the new presidency approaches, the anticipated major conferences that will require close study and review include the following:

It is strongly being considered that an annual APPSPGHAN Congress be organized except in the year when the World Congress of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (WCPGHAN) takes place.

The Executive Committee of the APPSPGHAN warmly extends its appreciation for the unwavering support extended by the various standing committees. We wish Prof. Kyung-Mo Kim, the incoming President of the APPSPGHAN, all the best in the succeeding term.

Submitted by:

SGD. Suporn Treepongkaruna, M.D.

President, APPSPGHAN (October 24, 2018 to October 31, 2022)

SGD. Juliet Sio Aguilar, M.D., M.Sc.

Secretary-General, APPSPGHAN (October 24, 2018 to October 31, 2022)

DATED: October 30, 2022

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