Dear Members and Friends,
One of the great highlights of my professional career begins now, as I step into the role as President of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS).
I’m honored to be IGCS’ 19th President, especially at a time when our society has reached its greatest membership levels – standing united with over 3,400 members in 115 countries. Our volunteers and members have shaped and strengthened our society and your enthusiasm to achieve our mission has made us the most diverse professional organization dedicated to the study of gynecologic cancer in the world.
At the 2022 IGCS Annual Global Meeting recently held in New York City, I met with many of you, the IGCS Council (now called the IGCS Board of Directors as decided at the last meeting), and IGCS staff. As we discussed global health issues, IGCS programs, and the business of the society, I considered how I can work most effectively to lead us during these next two years of my presidency.
My goal will be to keep us focused on areas that can have the greatest impact on improving gynecologic cancer care worldwide. To me, this includes challenging our researchers to make advances in the design of clinical studies and trials in different resource settings, further developing mentorship and training opportunities and educational content for clinicians, and empowering survivors and patient advocates with knowledge and options. I also want to emphasize the importance of involving nurses in our society and programming as they work so closely with our patients.
With our patients at the forefront of all we do, IGCS’ newest commitment is to build up our patient advocacy programming through the Advocacy Committee and the International Gynecologic Cancer Advocacy Network (IGCAN). I think this is a worthy place to focus our efforts as well. This committee and network strive to unite advocates and advocacy organizations to tackle big issues like cervical cancer elimination, survivorship needs, and research advocacy.
I left New York inspired that together we can do great things. I hope that I will lead our society to reach for goals that are greater still.
If you’d like to contact me directly throughout my presidency, I encourage you to email me at keiichifujiwara@icloud.com.
Yours sincerely,
Keiichi Fujiwara, MD, PhD
IGCS President