A Message from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Takashi Higashiguchi MD, PhD.,

Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Japanese Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JSPEN),
Professor and Director of the Department of Surgery and Palliative Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine
Chief of the Palliative Care Center and Team, Chief of Nutrition Support Team in Fujita Health University School of Medicine

 

First of all, the organization members and executives would like to express thanks from the bottom of my heart to all of you who work so hard and have provided constant support and assistance from the very beginning in Japanese Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JSPEN).

This organization has achieved many developments, at a remarkable pace, through its pioneering efforts and has become one of the world’s largest nutritional science societies, boasting almost 20,000 members. Furthermore, it is a top class organization comprised of individuals from many different professions. Behind these achievements, of course, are the individual efforts of numerous dedicated people and the team-based efforts that provide the cornerstone of nutritional team care with Nutrition Support Teams (NSTs). However, the state of society is such that there is an ongoing upsurge in need for this type of work. This organization, as a scientific society focused on food and nutrition management that is the fundamental basis of human life (the people around you), must rise to meet these societal needs in medicine and nursing, and in every area of the lives of the citizenry. In order to do this, I think the time has come to stop for a moment and make clear the structure of our quickly growing organization and our course of action as a scientific society with an international and national approach. Let us establish a strong footing in order to spread our wings and head toward the future with confidence. Regarding this point, I would like to record my very first words as the chairman of the board.

I would like to touch on the future direction of this scientific society. At a time when interest in nutritional care involving NSTs is growing, I strongly hold the following to be true: (1) We must build a fundamental base for nutrition management and nutritional medicine in our own country, Japan. Toward that end, we need to (2) become a legal corporate body with a structure in which all members participate in operations. (3) It is necessary to establish a system of care which advances multi-occupation team-based treatment at the hospital ward level (for example, moving toward routine deployment of pharmacists and dieticians in hospital wards). (4) I believe clinical and basic scientific inspection and new developments in nutritional science to be absolutely critical. Taking this one step further, (5) globalizing the society and thereby establishing a position on the world stage is of great importance. I offer these five pillars as the foundations of a future vision and direction for this scientific society.

Next, I would like to propose 10 concrete goals that we as a society can work toward in the shorter term.

1. Operate transparently around a solid axis.
2. Reinvigorate and rationalize operations.
3. Clarify finances and open the books.
4. Build a system to distribute information to members and solicit their opinions.
5. Make progress toward becoming a legal corporate body.
6. Strengthen education for doctors and medical staff and establish a ratings system.
7. Publicly announce nutritional management guidelines and establish international authority.
8. Promote clinical and experimental research conducted by society leaders.
9. Propose a move toward medical remuneration based on national policy.
10. Advance regional cooperation in the field of nutrition management.

Not all of these goals can be easily achieved, but I hope that all members of the society practicing in each relevant field can come together into one working team and tackle these objectives one by one. To facilitate this, we have taken the liberty of slightly reorganizing the structure of the board of trustees and the committees. To quickly touch on the changes made, we are establishing a permanent board of trustees as well as a vice-chairmanship to streamline board operations and enhance openness among board members. Furthermore, to allow for no-nonsense operations, we are installing a unified department system; further improving finances; and establishing a mailing list for the board, the trustees, and each unified department and committee to promote cross-sectional communication and reduce the wasting of time. We are, at this very moment, working on implementing these measures. At the same time, we have newly established a newsletter and information pages. Our goal is to utilize the HP website to provide reports on the various activities of the board and the trustees, and to introduce the activities of all of the other individuals, in various locations, involved.

Finally, given the current rapid changes in societal needs related to nutrition management and the surrounding worldwide conditions, it is my view that this scientific society must take a position of leadership. For that purpose, we must swiftly bolster the operations of the society, along with domestic systems of nutrition management, while showing leadership and displaying our intentions to take a position in this field on the global stage. To do so, I would like to see the following two changes implemented. The first is “Minna no JSPEN,” or “Our JSPEN/JSPEN for All.” In short, we will be a scientific society in which members are proud of their unanimity, operations are enjoyable and magnanimous, and everyone can experience satisfaction and parlay their contentment into contributions to the society. The second is “Naiko Gaishin,” or “Inner Solidification, Outward Progress.” In favorable times such as these, I believe it is necessary to solidify the foundations of nutritional management, take a position of leadership as an organization and facilitate the exchange of information with related foreign groups and doctors in various countries around the world.

I want to dynamically move JSPEN forward by making the two aforementioned policies the axis of our activities. Toward that end, I would like us all to come together as one and as a society and devote ourselves to contributing to the advancement of nutritional medical care in this country.

To everyone! For the sake of Our JSPEN and for the sake of medicine in our country, let’s make achieving these goals our highest commitment.

 

JSPEN Membership

Board of Directors

Contact us

JSPEN Secretariat :
JSPEN-Japanese Society for Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition
3rd Floor B, Shiba-Daimon 116Building, 1-16-3 Shiba-Daimon, MInatio-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN
TEL: +81-3-5777-2314
E-mail: jspen3@lc-jspen.or.jp