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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
A Sincere Thank You
As my time as ISAKOS President draws to a close, I would like to take this moment to thank the membership of ISAKOS for their support. More specifically, thanks are owed to the ISAKOS Executive Committee for their diligence and dedication to making ISAKOS the worldwide powerhouse we have become. These men and women are not only fantastic surgeons who are pioneers in their fields, but great friends and I have greatly enjoyed working closely with them for my presidential term.
Over the last few weeks, I have taken more than a few moments to reflect on my time as part of the ISAKOS Presidential Line. Following my appointment as Second Vice President at the 7th Biennial ISAKOS Congress in Osaka, Japan in 2009, ISAKOS has made fantastic strides. The introduction of the ISAKOS Global Link, our online learning platform, has been a particular source of pride. ISAKOS has helped to forward research in our field with the three recipients of the ISAKOS & OREF Global Research Grants, with each grant involving more than two centers on two continents, and continuing to strengthen the bonds of friendship cultivated by our wonderful fraternity of surgeons around the world. ISAKOS has gone into the field to hold courses in India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia, as well as strengthening our Approved Course process and Teaching Centers. We have experienced two incredibly successful ISAKOS Congresses in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2011, and Toronto, Canada in 2013. We have published multiple booklets and even some textbooks for the reference and continuing education of our membership. These are all accomplishments that could not have been completed without our strong committee leaders, and the support of the ISAKOS Office.
My predecessors have said that we stand on the shoulders of giants, and that is especially true of the office of ISAKOS President. Dr. John Bergfeld, Dr. Freddie Fu and Dr. Moises Cohen have been fantastic mentors to me as I took on this momentous job. Trying to satisfy the educational needs of our diverse population is a constant challenge, but it is my belief that this group thrives on providing not only quality science, but information ranging from basic topics to advanced techniques. We are strong because we are diverse!
I leave you in the very capable and caring hands of our incoming Presidents – Dr. Philippe Neyret, ISAKOS President 2015 – 2017, and Dr. Marc Safran, ISAKOS President 2017 – 2019. It is my firm belief that they will continue to guide and improve on the strong history and traditions of this great organization, while also driving forward to employ the newest cutting edge technology to best serve our community.
I thank you for your support and look forward to the next 20 years of ISAKOS!
Masahiro Kurosaka, MD, Japan
ISAKOS President 2013–2015
01 ISAKOS Presidential Line
G. Poehling, R. Jakob, B. Tietjens, P. Renstrom, J. Bergfeld, F. Fu,
M. Cohen, M. Kurosaka
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2 ISAKOS NEWSLETTER 2015: Volume I