Recently, the number of members in the ASRS has increased to 3,500. The ASRS is now the second largest society devoted to sleep research. Only the U.S. has a larger society. While our membership continues to grow, so does the quality of research which we support.
New ASRS executive committee members were recently elected at the meeting of the Executive Council and General Assembly at the 5th Congress of the ASRS held in Seoul, Korea, in 2006. On this occasion, I proposed to foster the careers of young scientists. I would be especially pleased if I could make future proposals that would further advance the important work of the ASRS for the 3 year period after the departure of Dr. Mohan Kumar as president of the ASRS.
As you know, the objective of the ASRS is to promote all aspects of sleep research, including the organization of scientific meetings, the promotion of training and education, the dissemination of scientific information, and the establishment of fellowships and awards. Every 3 years, the Congress of the ASRS provides a scientific report on our progress and accomplishments for all members.
In addition to these activities, I would like to help formulate an additional objective of activism on the part of the ASRS to promote sleep research though international comparative studies based on common research protocols. The mission here would be to discover environmental and genetic factors that contribute to sleep disparities throughout Asia. A useful vehicle for the presentation of such findings would be publication in the journal, "Sleep and Biological Rhythms “(SBR)*, which has been published since 2003. I would like to encourage all of Asia to contribute to the SBR, so that this new objective becomes fulfilled. Further discussion will be needed on this matter in the near future.
I would like to end this message with the assurance that the ASRS will continue to support and encourage growth in sleep medicine and sleep research throughout Asia.
www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/sbr
 |
DR. MASAKO OKAWA President, Asian Sleep Research Society |