Greeting

Greeting
Kiyoko Kato, Chairperson of the Executive Board, Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology
An organization committed to being strong, kind, and reliable in keeping with the Society’s slogan: “living, cooperating, and creating together”

　I wish everyone ongoing success and prosperity.
　I am Kiyoko Kato, the designated sixth-generation chairperson of the new Executive Board as established following the General Assembly on June 24, 2023. Our Society introduced the position of chairperson of the Executive Board in 2005, and the Society has undergone significant development under the first- to fifth-generation chairpersons; Prof. Yuji Taketani, Prof. Yasunori Yoshimura, Prof. Ikuo Konishi, Prof. Tomoyuki Fujii, and Prof. Tadashi Kimura. I will exert my utmost efforts to serving the term of two years alongside members of the Society in pursuit of the following objective: Contributing to the welfare of humankind and society through the advancement and development of obstetrics and gynecology.
　At first, I introduce myself. After graduating from the Kyushu University School of Medicine in March 1986, I joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University. Following completion of my residency at the affiliated hospital, I married and moved to the United States where I worked at the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation (now the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute) in San Diego, California, for three years. Upon returning to Japan, I worked at the Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University Hospital, in Beppu, Oita, and then Kyushu University Hospital in Fukuoka, followed by Juntendo University in Tokyo. Since 2012, I have been a professor in the Department of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kyushu University Hospital. In our Society, I served as an Executive Board member responsible for public relations for two years and editing for eight years. Regarding the editing duties, I was editor-in-chief (EIC) of the official organ in Japanese and the official publications in English of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (JOGR). As a Board member of the Asia and Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (AOFOG), I helped to promote international relations with Asian countries. Moreover, I also served as vice chairperson to the then chairperson Prof. Kimura for operation of our Society over a four-year period and headed the Women’s Health Care Committee and the Research Committee for the Former Eugenic Protection Act. In August 2022, we held the 74th Annual Congress of JSOG in Fukuoka.
　For those in clinical practice in obstetrics and gynecology, given the uneven distribution of physicians, new challenges have emerged, including providing support for physicians who wish to return to work following maternity leave, and addressing issues related to molecularly targeted drugs and exhaustive genome sequence analyses that have become clinically available through advances in molecular biological methods in related academic fields, as well as the urgent need for ethical oversight in relation to personal/gene information. Strategies to address novel infections, including COVID-19, have also appeared as a new challenge. Internationalization of an academic society is also important in the post-COVID-19 era. From a societal perspective, we face a mountain of issues related to noninvasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT) and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A/SR and PGT-M); activities in the area of sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) regarding abortion, contraception, sexual assault, and sex education; and how to respond to the trend toward later-age marriage and childbearing, along with the declining birthrate. “Adaptation to diversity” and “cooperation” could be future keywords when we consider those issues in detail.
　Based on the above, we will clarify our mission and vision as an academic organization to construct a system that allows us to address the different issues in cooperation with other academic societies and parties in other fields in being a strong, kind, and reliable Society under the slogan: “living, cooperating, and creating together.”

　Our specific action plans are as follows:

1. Improvement of academic level: Publishing study results internationally through academic conferences together with the Acta Obstetrica et Gynaecologica Japonica and JOGR. Sending individuals, primarily young physicians who have won awards at our academic conferences, overseas to raise their level of competence to reach global standards (organizations in charge: Academic Panel, Editorial Board, External Affairs Committee, Future Committee, Education Committee, and Clinical Research Review Board).
2. Promotion of international relations: Promoting relationships with Western and Asian countries to contribute to international research activities and cultivate human resources (organizations in charge: Public Relations Committee and Diversity/ Human Resources Development Committee).
3. Construction of a system to supervise clinical ethics: Taking the initiative for the early establishment of a public platform so that action can be taken regarding urgent issues related to NIPT and PGT after consultation with the relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (organizations in charge: Clinical Ethics Supervisory Committee and General Affairs Committee).
4. Construction of a secure and safe medical system in obstetrics and gynecology: Constructing a secure and safe medical system to address specific situations, such as disasters and infections, in cooperation with the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Japan Pediatric Society, four academic societies for subspecialties in obstetrics and gynecology, and regional obstetrics and gynecology societies. In particular, we will proceed with the construction of a system for perinatal care while negotiating with local governments in consideration of future changes in the number of physicians, and we introduce initiatives for work system reform. In addition, we are working to establish a healthcare program and medical system that can cultivate members of our Society and other people for SRHR-related actions, and reflect public opinion (organizations in charge: Medical System Review Committee, Social Insurance Committee, Local Liaison Committee, Disaster Emergency Committee, Infection Control Cooperation Committee, Guideline Committee, Medical Safety Committee, and SRHR Promotion Committee).
5. Proposal on work environment improvements for better working conditions: Actions for work-style reform that will be initiated in 2024 are urgently required. The number of physicians in each area and the changes in working hours of physicians at each institution will be evaluated so that proposals regarding work environments can be made. As for members of our Society, the proportion of young female physicians is higher than 60%. We will examine a working style whereby both men and women can find satisfaction in referrals from overseas cases so that female physicians can advance their careers while working continuously (organizations in charge: Construction of Sustainable Medical System Committee, Medical Specialty Board, Diversity/Human Resources Development Committee).
6. Promotion of the operations/activities of our Society in such a way that they are understood by both members and the public and the provision and sharing of relevant information: We are committed to maintaining sound operations aimed at gaining understanding and cooperation from our members and the public. Furthermore, we will create and maintain an attractive website to inform visitors of our activities, increase access numbers, and develop a means of sharing information using social networking services (organizations in charge: Accounting Board, Public Relations Committee, and Public Benefit Service Promotion Committee).

　If any new issue arises, we will construct an additional system to facilitate rapid action. Thank you in anticipation of your understanding and cooperation with our operations and activities.

Kiyoko Kato, MD, PhD
Chairperson of the Executive Board
Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology