Message from the Chairman
My name is Tetsu Yamashiro, Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, and I am pleased to announce my appointment as President of the Japanese Society of Tropical Medicine for the year 2023. I look forward to working with you.
The Japanese Society of Tropical Medicine was founded in 1959 as the Society of Tropical Medicine, and this year marks its 64th anniversary. Since its establishment, the Society has focused on basic and clinical epidemiological research on infectious diseases occurring in tropical environments, as well as various public health issues. Many of our members specialize in diseases specific to the tropics and have their research fields in the tropics, but there are also a number of members who specialize in other fields but joined the Society because they are interested in the tropics. In 2022, a study recommended by the society received the Incentive Award of the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Medical Science. The study compared the infection status of medical personnel engaged in the treatment of novel coronavirus infection between Japan and a Central American country, and I believe that the content of the study is truly characteristic of our society.
In 2016, we partnered with BioMed Central (BMC) as an international journal, and in 2021, we published 98 articles (28% acceptance rate), In 2021, 98 papers were published (28% acceptance rate). It should be noted that more than 90% of the submissions came from overseas, mainly from tropical countries. The number of downloaded papers is more than 970,000, which is supported by a large number of scientists. In addition, the CiteScore published by BMC is 4.2, which has been rapidly improving over the past few years. I have also had the experience of submitting an article, and the response time was quick and the reviewer’s comments were sincere and appropriate. As the only journal in the field of tropical medicine in Japan, I hope that it will be added to the list of journals to which submissions should be made. Another feature of this society is that it has a student section called J-Trops. With about 75 members, students interested in the field of tropical medicine enjoy organizing lectures by invited experts (online), running student sessions at the annual conference, and planning summer camps (currently cancelled due to the corona disaster). The Society will continue to support these activities.
Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Shigeyuki Kano, the previous acting president, our society became a general incorporated association in 2017 and has been named a subcommittee of the Japan Medical Association (Japan Federation of Medical Societies). Without forgetting the main mission of the Society of Tropical Medicine, I hope to continue to support the research activities of our members and continue to shine as an academic society. My immediate goals are to further increase the number of members specializing in clinical medicine, pharmacology, bacteriology, and virology; to increase opportunities for collaborative research in the tropics through the society; to continue to support the activities of undergraduate students; and to further enhance the TMH journal. We will continue to make every effort, however small, to achieve these goals. We look forward to your further cooperation in these endeavors.
January 23, 2023
Tetsu Yamashiro, President of the Japanese Society of Tropical Medicine
