To the esteemed members of the Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition:
Greetings,
The Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (KSPGHAN) was founded in 1998 under the leadership of Professors Gi Seop Jung and Jeong Gi Seo and has grown immensely through the efforts and passion of former presidents and executives ever since. I am greatly humbled and feel a great sense of responsibility as the newly elected president. We have been hosting virtual conferences since the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to former president Yong Joo Kim and the executives for tirelessly preparing these conferences so that many physicians could attend during this time. Now that we have entered the "With Corona" era, I hope that we will be able to hold in-person conferences and meet with our members offline.
The department of pediatrics is facing one of the most difficult times ever, but the role of pediatric gastroenterologists and nutritionists is becoming more important with the rise of childhood obesity and inflammatory bowel disease. The number of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition subspecialists in practice and in our association has been steadily growing. The KSPGHAN is seeing improvements in the quality and quantity of research as members are increasingly conducting joint research and publishing influential papers in international journals. Because of travel restrictions, there has been an upsurge of virtual international conferences, in which members have been actively participating and giving annual presentations as well as lectures. We are expecting to host the Pacific Asia Society masterclass in nutrition online in December and the Asian Pan-Pacific Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition conference in 2023, after previously hosting it in 2009. Our academic journal, PGHN, has been registered in Pubmed, SCOPUS, and eSCI, and is mostly composed of papers from abroad. It would be a great help if you could cite these papers so that the PGHN may be listed in the SCIE.
Please find below the strategic direction of KSPGHAN.
First, we will improve educational programs, such as the program developed by the Nutrition Committee for the pediatric nutrition support team, and distribute case reports, to aid pediatric physicians in their practice.
Second, we will provide education on research methodology and expand support for domestic and international multi-institutional research to strengthen the research capacity of young researchers.
Third, we will actively participate in national policy projects, push for the additional registration of rare digestive disorders, and make efforts to establish adequate insurance coverage for nutritional consultations and pediatric endoscopies.
Fourth, we will contribute to society by providing and publicizing accurate medical information on topics such as the dangers of swallowing disc batteries and the prevention and management of childhood obesity.
I humbly ask for your support for the members who will serve on the executive board for the next two years and your suggestions on how we can better communicate with you to fulfill our plans for the organization.
Thank you.