The 79th Annual Meeting of JSRT / The 2nd ICRPT

Welcome Letter

Envisioning the Bright Future of Radiological Technological Studies

The Japanese Society of Radiological Technology The 79th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Radiological Technology President Takao Ichida

 My name is Takao Ichida, and I have been appointed President of the prestigious JRC2023, the 79th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Radiological Technology (hereinafter referred to as “JSRT 79th”). I am deeply honored by this opportunity, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all members of the Japanese Society of Radiological Technology (hereinafter referred to as “JSRT”) for selecting me, to my seniors who have nurtured me at JSRT, to my colleagues with whom I am in constant contact regarding current JSRT activities, and to all of my seniors and juniors with whom I have had the privilege of working with in pursuit of our academic quest. It is all thanks to our shared journey that I have been appointed as the President of this conference. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

 First of all, I am pleased to announce that the theme of JRC2023 has been set as “Be a Game Changer in Medicine with Radiology.” As for JSRT 79th, the 2023 Executive Committee – with the support of the Conference Committee, the Program Committee, the Academic Committee, the Education Committee, and each of the scientific divisions of JSRT – has been working eagerly to plan and organize the conference so that it is in alignment with the theme.

 It has now been 39 years since I first connected with JSRT, and if I were to summarize my academic activities at JSRT in one word, that word would be “craftsmanship.” Looking back, I feel that while I considered it my mission to diligently pursue what best served each patient from the clinical standpoint, craftsmanship was also my own “fascination” which served as my personal motivation as well. Some of the activities in which I took part include the development of various systems such as the navigation system to assist IVR doctors with catheter procedures, a variable dose system for x-ray fluoroscopies to reduce radiation exposure, the IVR-CT system, the world’s first flat observation monitor in the IVR room, the DSA imaging with FPD which also became a world’s first, and the accuracy assurance system for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy. My activities as a JSRT member have taught me a fascination with “craftsmanship.”

 During the joint JSRT 79th symposium, I would like to focus on the aforementioned IVR-CT, which was invented in Japan as a world’s-first. IVR-CT has not only contributed to the detection of small liver tumors and the identification of blood vessels that feed the tumors, but its clinical usage is expanding even further with the respective developments of IVR and CT. In the spirit of “learning from the past,” we will explore the past and present of IVR-CT, and its possibilities as a new technology.

 On a separate note, I feel that one of the most important assets of JSRT is its brilliant members. JSRT is the only academic organization in the world that advocates the study of radiological technology. We are planning an educational symposium titled “Application of Radiological Technology in Clinical Practice” with the perspectives of our young members, who are the pillars of the future JSRT, in mind. As it is customary to hold three symposiums at this event, in addition to the first symposium, the remaining two symposiums will be “Contemplating the Missions of the JSRT Scientific Divisions” and “The Future of Research in Radiological Technology”. Please stay tuned.

 This year’s JRC2022 gave us valuable new insights, from which we intend to learn and build upon at JRC2023. We hope that all participants enjoy the International Conference on Radiological Physics and Technology (ICRPT), the style of the awards, the Executive Committee Project, and so on. The Executive Committee Project of JRC2022 conducted a survey among JSRT members via e-mail newsletter. A similar survey will also be conducted following JRC2023. In order to nurture an even richer environment for future JSRT activities, we are also considering a plan to disseminate the gist of compliance, code of ethics, and digital content management.

 Moving on to the next topic… For me personally, the activities in which I engaged as a JSRT member taught me to be steadfast and unwavering when it came to the principle of “continuation.” As I reflect on my experience, the words graciously given to me by Dr. Masatoshi Koshiba, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, come to mind. At the 20th anniversary event of the Japanese Society of Circulatory Technology, which was an event related to the topic of IVR, Dr. Masatoshi Koshiba shared with me his perspective on various topics during our preliminary interview.

 “Getting the Nobel Prize was never the purpose of my research. Every day was a continuation of diligent work, work, and more work until I naturally arrived at a destination, after which point I kept on going.” He then summarized with the words “Anything is possible if you go for it.” (He has also published a book on this.) I would only embarrass myself by trying to compare my own actions to that of the great accomplishments of Professor Koshiba. However, if I may say so, I felt that his principle of “continuation” was somewhat similar to my own. It is my wish that JSRT 79^th will provide an opportunity for all participants to experience “continuation.”

 Lastly, I would like to introduce the JRC event programming method and its appeal. Since 2020, JRC events have been at the mercy of the COVID pandemic. We are providing online events as a solution to overcome this situation. In the past, there were multiple cases where online event participants were confused due to the lack of user-friendliness of the web systems. However, in the past three years, online functions have progressed, making it easier to participate, and the process becoming extremely user-friendly.

 Here I would like to mention, that in the light of clinical environments it is common for radiation staff to work in multiple modalities. In extended career paths, some may even experience working within all modalities. However, if the JRC events were limited to the physical onsite events as they used to be, no matter how many modalities you were interested in, you would only be able to attend one meeting at a time. As a matter of fact, in the past, it was considered normal to only be able to attend part of the abundant contents of JRC events. However, web services have succeeded in changing how we are now able to conceptualize events.

 It has been decided that future JRC events will be held in a hybrid form (a combination of on-site and online). Therefore, incorporating online services into our events would grant participants access to all programs. If you are able to physically join us at the venue, you would enjoy live presentations. By joining online, you are able to enjoy the full content at your leisure over the course of the online event term.

 We look forward to welcoming not only the approximately 18,000 members of JSRT, but also all of the over 55,000 radiological technologists engaged in clinical practice and research across the nation, the students who are sure to play active roles in the future of radiological technology, the professors of educational institutions which have produced talented graduates to educational and clinical spheres, and all the medical staff who have interest in JSRT. We look forward to your participation. The 2023 Executive Committee will make a sincere effort to make JSRT 79th a place where all of you can experience “fascinations” and realize “continuation.”

Best Regards