Message from the president Dr. Tetsuya Tagami

Executive Council of the JTA

Annual Meeting Record of the JTA

Special Committees of the JTA

Message from the president Dr. Tetsuya Tagami

President
Tetsuya Tagami

At the General Meeting of Members held on November 21, 2023, I was appointed as the 7th President of the Japanese Thyroid Association (JTA). I am very honored to be elected as the President of this historical society. It is no exaggeration to say that I have been nurtured by the JTA since my residency, and I have been involved in the management of the society since 2006 with the establishment of the Virtual Clinical Thyroid College and since 2017 as one of the board members in a very small way. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the support I have received from our members, councilors, directors, and auditors.

The JTA is an academic organization that aims to advance and improve thyroid science by holding academic meetings, promoting international exchange, and fostering researchers and excellent clinical doctors.

The objectives of the Society are as follows. Specifically,

(1)	Research and education on thyroidology
(2)	Organize academic meetings, educational workshops and seminars related to thyroidology
(3)	Publishing journals and academic books on thyroidology
(4)	Activities for the accreditation of thyroid specialists and thyroid specialist facilities
(5)	Interaction and collaboration with related academic societies and organizations in Japan and abroad
(6)	Other activities necessary to achieve the objectives of the organization.

The Society was founded in May 1958, and the first academic meeting, the 1st Thyroid Research Meeting, was held in Kyoto by Dr. Tadashi Miyake of Kyoto University. Since then, academic meetings have been held annually in various regions of Japan under the auspices of universities and specialized hospitals throughout the country, and in May 1980 the Society became a thyroid subcommittee of the Japan Endocrine Society. We will do our utmost to further develop this society.

As for our aspirations for the future, there are many things that we must continue to do and new things that we must start. First of all, former President Akira Hishinuma has been working toward registration with the Japan Medical Association,

(i)	Training of young thyroid doctors: Despite the high frequency of thyroid disorders, there are many patients who have not yet been diagnosed or treated. We train thyroid doctors who can correctly diagnose and treat such patients. The Virtual Clinical Thyroid College plays a part in this effort.
(ii)	Enhancement of the specialist system: The treatment of thyroid diseases requires the cooperation of not only medical doctors, surgeons, and pediatricians, but also radiologists, laboratory physicians, pathologists, otolaryngologists, head and neck surgeons, obstetricians and gynecologists, and other specialists. Each of these specialties will be utilized to train medical specialists. Specialist education seminars held at the time of the Annual Meeting and the Young Investigator Research Encouragement Award are part of this effort. We will also support the establishment of the next-generation committee of thyroidologists in the JTA (NexT-JTA) in 2023.
(iii)	Standardization of thyroid tests: In Japan, there are about 10 manufacturers whose hormone test kits are approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW). Although the harmonization method for TSH has been developed for the age range of 20 to 60 years, the standard ranges for children, the elderly, and pregnant women have not yet been established. Standardization of FT4 has also not been achieved.
(iv)	Support for women: Thyroid diseases are common among women (women are 2 to 5 times more likely to suffer from thyroid diseases than men). However, the number of specialists and councilors is predominantly male. To solve this problem, J-WIT (Japan Women in Thyroidology), a support committee for female thyroid doctors/researchers, was established in 2018. Furthermore,
(v)	Research grants and dissemination of research results: We will support basic researchers (e.g., basic medical research grants), publish diagnostic guidelines and other past results in the newly launched English-language journal (Thyroid Science), promote international exchange, and update and renew the JTA website.
(vi)	Awareness-raising activities for the general practitioner: We will continue to resolve a number of important clinical issues related to thyroid diseases so that they will be useful in daily medical practice not only for our members but also for the general public. We will also add, revise, and disseminate various medical practice guidelines.
(vii)	Patient awareness: World Thyroid Day is celebrated every year on May 25. The COVID-19 pandemic has calmed down and we have resumed public lectures since 2023. We aim to hold this event every year in the future. We will continue to enhance and develop the above. In addition,
(viii)	Cooperation in the development and adaptation of new drugs: For example, the therapeutic agents for Graves' disease have changed little in 80 years. But now, various new antibody drugs and molecular-targeted drugs have been developed and clinical trials have started in Japan. The Society will be actively involved in these trials to carefully evaluate their indications.
(ix)	Assistance for thyroid study groups held throughout Japan: Currently, study groups on thyroid diseases are being held independently in various parts of Japan. However, support from local sponsors has been decreasing year by year. Therefore, the JTA will seek for ways to support these events.

We will do our utmost to achieve the above goals, and we would like to ask for your continued support for the development of the JTA, as well as the directors, auditors, councilors, and members of the association.

Executive Council of the JTA

President

Directors

Auditors

Annual Meeting Record of the JTA

【Coming Meetings】

65^th Annual Meeting

November 1～3, 2022
Osaka International Convention Center (Osaka)
Chairman, Nagaoki Toyoda. Kansai Medical University, Osaka

【Past Meetings】

64^th Annual Meeting

November 18～20, 2021
Toshi Center Hotel Tokyo (Tokyo)
Chairman, Tomonobu Hasegawa. Keio University, Tokyo

63^rd Annual Meeting

November 19～December 15, 2020
(WEB)
Chairman, Tetsuya Tagami. National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center, Kyoto

62^nd Annual Meeting

October 10～12, 2019
Maebashi City Culture Center (Gunma)
Chairman, Masanobu Yamada, Gunma University, Gunma

61^st Annual Meeting

November 22～24, 2018
Westa Kawagoe (Saitama)
Chairman, Akira Hishinuma. Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi

60^th Annual Meeting

October 5～7, 2017
Beppu International Convention Center (Oita)
Chairman, Shiro Noguchi, Noguchi Thyroid Clinic and Hospital Foundation, Oita

59^th Annual Meeting

November 3～5, 2016
Toranomon Hills Forum (Tokyo)
Chairman, Jaeduk Yoshimura Noh, Ito Hospital, Tokyo

58^th Annual Meeting

November 5～7, 2015
Fukushima Prefectural Culture Center (Fukushima)
Chairman, Shin-ichi Suzuki, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima

57^th Annual Meeting

November 13～15, 2014
Congress Convention Center (Osaka)
Chairman, Yoshinori Iwatani, Osaka University, Osaka

56^th Annual Meeting

November 14～16, 2013
Wakayama Prefectural Cultural Hall (Wakayama)
Chairman, Takashi Akamizu, Wakayama Medical University , Wakayama

55^th Annual Meeting

November 29- December 1, 2012
ACROS Fukuoka (Fukuoka)
Chairman, Yuji Hiromatsu, Kurume University, Fukuoka

54^th Annual Meeting

November 21-23, 2011
Osaka International House (Osaka)
Chairman, Mitsushige Nishikawa, Kansai Medical University Hirakata Hospital, Osaka

53^rd Annual Meeting

November 11-13, 2010
Nagasaki Brick Hall (Nagasaki)
Chairman, Shunichi Yamashita, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki

52^nd Annual Meeting

November 3-5, 2009
Nagoya Congress Center (Aichi)
Chairman, Mitsuyasu Ito, Fujita Health University

51^st Annual Meeting

November 21-23, 2008
Utsunomiya, Tochigi
Chairman, Tamio Ieiri, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi

50^th Annual Meeting

November 15-17, 2007
Kobe, Hyogo
Chairman, Akira Miyauchi, Kuma Hospital, Hyogo

Special Committees of the JTA

Thyroid Clinical Boarding Committee

Yuji Tanaka （Chairperson）, Ritsuko Okamura, Koshi Hashimoto

JTA Journal Editorial Committee

Nagaoki Toyoda （Chairperson）, Naoko Arata, Misa Imaizumi, Takahiro Okamoto, Koichi Suzuki, Toru Takano, Tetsuya Tagami, Yuji Tanaka, Keisuke Nagasaki, Shohei Harada, Akira Hishinuma, Sanae Midorikawa

Pediatric Thyroid Disease Committee

Kanshi Minamitani （Chairperson）, Naoko Arata, Tomonobu Hasegawa, Masatsune Ito, Hiroaki Inomata, Shinya Uchino, Hidemi Ohye, Kazumichi Onigata, Koichi Sato, Shigetaka Sugihara, Keisuke Nagasaki, Satoshi Narumi, Yukihiro Hasegawa, Shohei Harada, Shuji Fukata, Mako Hisakado, Takashi Misaki, Tetsuya Mizukami, Susumu Yokoya, Jaeduk Yoshimura Noh