Greetings from the president
On hosting the 30th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for the Study of Surgical Technique for Spine and Spinal Nerves I am Kenichi Watanabe of Kanto Rosai Hospital, and I will have the pleasure of presiding over the 30th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for the Study of Surgical Technique for Spine and Spinal Nerves (JPSTSS). I am truly honored to have been chosen as the president of the momentous 30th annual meeting of the JPSTSS, and am delighted to fulfill this role. I intend to work intensively on preparations to ensure that the conference is a great success.
The inaugural meeting of the JPSTSS was held in Tokyo in 1994, when the society was named the Research Society for Surgical Technique for Spine and Spinal Nerves. Since then, the society has continued to provide specialized hands-on training sessions on new surgical techniques based on three principles: 1) individual-level participation, 2) integration of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery, and 3) simultaneous global progress. It is my hope that these training sessions will continue in this manner in the future as well. The annual meeting is not only a means to learn and to present knowledge, but it provides an atmosphere for freely sharing ideas and holding candid discussions. Moreover, the face-to-face environment of the meeting hall ensures opportunities not only for friendly conversations, but also for casual communication with experts in the field. It is this that I feel enables the realization of the Society’s three ideals, allowing orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons to surpass the conventional boundaries of hospital departments and participate at the individual level alongside colleagues from around the world.
This year’s themes, “Linking the times, Connecting the technologies. Keep inherited, Keep innovative.” was chosen with the intention of using the historic 30th Annual Meeting as a waypoint to emphasize the hope of preserving this individuality, diligently built by the JPSTSS over the past 30 years, indefinitely into the future. The seemingly simple phrase “Connecting Technique” includes the development of new techniques, their succession, and the development and advancement of assistive technology to further enhance them, and is made possible by the passion and hard work, not only of surgeons, but of the many professionals involved in spinal surgery.
As a new endeavor for this year’s annual meeting, I will be releasing an open request for symposia, lectures, and hands-on sessions to all Society members, and I look forward to making the 30th Annual Meeting an academic gathering for obtaining new knowledge along with you all. I am eager to receive the ideas our members have to offer.
This coming year will be the fourth year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while we hope that the pandemic will draw to a close, we will be prepared to address any unforeseen circumstances that could arise.
I look forward to discussing surgical techniques for spine and spinal surgery together with you in the heart of Tokyo. I hope to see you all there.
Kenichi Watanabe, M.D.
President of the 30th Annual Meeting of the JPSTSS
Head of the Orthopedic and Spinal Surgery Department at Kanto Rosai Hospital, Kawasaki
Greetings from the vice president
My name is Yukoh Ohara of Juntendo University, and I have been entrusted with the role of Vice President of the 30th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for the Study of Surgical Technique for Spine and Spinal Nerves. I am both humbled and extremely excited to have the privilege of assisting my long-time mentor, Dr. Kenichi Watanabe. Since its inauguration, this conference has provided an invaluable setting to have discussions that transcend the traditional boundaries of department. I feel that this was the first step toward the current spinal surgery specialist system.
The themes of the 30th Annual Meeting is “Connecting Time, Connecting Technique.” I am eager to do all that I can to assist President Watanabe in realizing a “Connected” world through this year’s conference. I look forward to seeing you all there.
YuKo Ohara, M.D.
Vice President of the 30th Annual Meeting of the JPSTSS
Director of the Spine and Spinal Center, Juntendo University Hospital, Tokyo
