Greeting

It is my great pleasure to announce that the 49th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Fracture Repair will be held at the Shizuoka Convention & Arts Center - GRANSHIP on June 29 (Fri.), 30 (Sat.) and July 1 (Sun.), 2023. This will be the first time for this historic meeting to be held in Shizuoka, which is the highest honor for me as one engaged in fracture treatment in Shizuoka. Simultaneously I keenly sense our significant responsibility and mission toward the success of the meeting. I intend to commit myself wholeheartedly to ensure that the meeting will be very fruitful and contribute to further advancement of medical treatment for fracture repair in Japan.

For nearly two and a half years, the COVID-19 pandemic has expanded throughout the world including here in Japan, restricting the movement and interaction among people. As a result, many academic meetings were forced to be cancelled or held online, and our society’s annual meeting was no exception, suffering significant impact. However, there were also positive outcomes; various meetings, seminars, clinical case conferences, etc. have been held on a regular basis and rather easily throughout the country, utilizing the internet to best advantage. We can say that a structure has become standardized that facilitates discussions and educational activities among participants without the need to physically gather in one place. On the other hand, society meetings are not only learning opportunities. Interchange between fellow members is also an essential element, and there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. Therefore, we plan to incorporate the following 3 innovative concepts in this year’s annual meeting.

① Meeting operation taking full advantage of the internet

While in principle convening the annual meeting in person at the venue in Shizuoka, we will leverage the internet to uphold a hybrid format to the extent possible, to deliver a combination of live & on-demand streaming. In addition, presentations (slides) registered in advance will be accessible via the society’s official website and Q&A will be available both before and after the meeting period.

② Presentations focused on “debate”

By limiting the number of halls to have participants (members) physically gather more closely, we intend to primarily focus on “theme-based sessions,” “symposia” and “panel discussions” in order to intensify the debates.

③ “3-day” meeting period

The in-person meeting at GRANSHIP in Shizuoka on Thursday and Friday will feature the program outlined in ②, and on Saturday, educational programs and general presentations (including Q&A) will take place in the “virtual meeting venue (online)” according to the concept outlined in ① above.

This year, the theme of the meeting is “Do The Best We Can!” Patients have the right to receive the best treatment at all times and we, as fracture treatment specialist doctors bear the responsibility for providing the best treatment. However, the fracture treatment field involves extremely diverse anatomical parts. Furthermore, thanks to advances in diagnostic/treatment equipment, treatment methods have undergone significant reform. Thus, what does the “best” actually mean? I would like to seek clear answers to this question through drawing on the extensive knowledge and wisdom of all our members. We have added “We Can” to the end of the theme, but this is not intended to mean one individual putting forth maximum efforts; rather this denotes what we, as fracture treatment doctors know that “We Must” accomplish or what “We Will” become capable of accomplishing.

Shizuoka is famous as a tea-growing region, yet it also boasts a treasure trove of gourmet delicacies, including fruits such as Mikan oranges, strawberries and musk melons, along with seafood such as tuna and freshwater eel. Moreover, Shizuoka basks in full view of sacred Mount Fuji. I sincerely hope that by next summer, the COVID-19 pandemic will be behind us, and that all of my fellow doctors attending the annual meeting will be able to fully enjoy the gifts of Shizuoka’s abundant natural environment.
　I look forward to meeting many participants in June, 2023 in Shizuoka.

December, 2022

Please note that plans may be subject to change
depending on the status of COVID-19.