Abstract
My involvement with the International Stroke Society (ISS) spans 20 years, and began in 1989, coinciding with the inception of the ISS in Kyoto, Japan. In that time, from 1989 until 2006, I contributed to the ISS as a member of the International Board of Directors; Secretary; Vice-President; and Acting President. Until recently, I had been an Immediate-past President of World Stroke Organization (WSO).
Brief history of the ISS
The ISS was created in 1989 at the 1st World Congress of Stroke in Kyoto, Japan. Behind its inception were the enormous efforts of the Japan Stroke Society. The first Congress Chair, the late Professor Toyozo Aizawa, Keio University, who with the co-operation of Fumio Gotoh also from Keio University, and Professor Teruo Omae from the National Cardiovascular Center, (both of whom acted as a scientific program committee chair and secretary general, respectively), sought broad consultation from 20 world-renowned opinion leaders in stroke research on the validity of the establishment of an international society for stroke.
I remember that it wasn't easy to achieve full agreement as to how to establish a new international society in this field, considering the conflicts with other international conferences. However, substantial and frequent communications with those researchers, for over 3 years, finally brought the unanimous approval of leaders, and a ship named ‘International Stroke Society’ launched out into the sea.
Since then, the World Congress of Stroke has been held every 4 years until 2008, rotating from the American Continents, European and African Continents, and Asian-Oceanian countries: the venue of past congresses post Kyoto were Washington, DC, USA; Munich, Germany; Melbourne, Australia; Vancouver, Canada; and this year, Vienna, Austria (Table 1). At the Joint World Congress on Stroke convened in Cape Town, South Africa in 2006, Board members of ISS reached two big decisions: one was to change its structure and name to ‘World Stroke Organization’ and the other was to convene World Congress of Stroke every 2 years. The next congress will be in Seoul, Korea, in 2010.
ISS & WSO World Congress of Stroke
In 2005, the ISS was accepted as an official, Non-Governmental Organization of the World Health Organization. The society has supported epidemiological studies in developing countries conducted by Dr Ruth Bonita and her group. This study has been financially supported by a Global Stroke Initiatives of ISS grant to which Dr Frank Yatsu made an outstanding contribution. He led in fundraising and actually donated considerable private money to this fund. Dr Michael Brainin has conducted Educational programs for developing countries.
The most impressive topic for me was that our journal, the International Journal of Stroke, was listed in Medline with an impact factor of 1·97 last August. This extraordinary early acceptance by Medline is due to the enormous efforts of the Editor-in-Chief Professor Geoff Donnan and a dynamic, active, and contributive Editorial Board.
Elections for Board members and Executive Committee members have already been completed, and the new members have just been announced, and approved at the General Assembly. I did not stand for candidature this time because I thought it was time for a change, time to pass the baton to the next generation. Finally, I thank Ms Chie Hatakeyama, who was the private secretary of the ISS for a very long time, for her work, never sparing herself and working tirelessly, until Ms Isabelle Bourzeix of Kenes International became an official secretary of ISS, and now WSO.
I hope that WSO will continue to develop further and further in order to bring stroke under our control. I am extremely flattered and honored to receive the ‘WSO President's Award for Service to Stroke’ at the opening ceremony of the 6th World Congress of Stroke in Vienna; I wish to express my sincere gratitude to (then) President Professor Geoff Donnan, Congress Chair, Michael Brainin, and other WSO Board members, who gave me such a splendid and meaningful award.
Professor Takenori Yamaguchi was the thoroughly deserving recipient of the ‘WSO President's Award for Service to Stroke’ awarded by the outgoing President Professor Geoffrey Donnan.