Returning to “Normal”: Reflections on the Past Year
Isao Kamae, DrPH, MD, ISPOR President; University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
While I am the third ISPOR President whose term has been virtual due to the global pandemic, I am delighted to be the President to welcome members back to an in-person meeting. We certainly missed the experiences of face-to-face networking and knowledge-sharing with colleagues. The stellar attendance at ISPOR 2022 certainly proves how ready we are to be back together.
I would like to emphasize how important it is to be resilient and to persist during challenging times like these. In my presidential theme, I noted 5 words that describe our society: Involved, Scientific, Professional, Outstanding and Resilient.
ISPOR Is Involved:
Its members stay involved in the global HEOR community through the Society. Our virtual events comprise state-of-the-art international scientific programs and through member participation, we strengthen ISPOR’s ability to share leading research.
ISPOR Is Scientific:
The Society drives the strategic scientific agenda in the field of HEOR through a new science strategy and the involvement of thousands of experts.
ISPOR Is Professional:
ISPOR is the leading professional society for HEOR globally. We have a strong roadmap for the future that builds on the input of many stakeholders.
ISPOR Is Outstanding:
The Society supports outstanding achievement in the field of HEOR. Our awards program, which was recently expanded to include a new award for members reflecting HEOR excellence in low- and middle-income countries, confers acknowledgement of leading work globally.
ISPOR Is Resilient:
The Society has been driving innovation in the field for more than 25 years.
And ISPOR has proven its resilience. The pandemic has impacted so much—including healthcare, the economy, research, and HEOR. HEOR has never been more important, and its influence continues to grow. The Society has taken advantage of opportunities during these challenging times to develop new virtual content and ways of connecting and learning. It has been my pleasure to work with an outstanding Board of Directors, Executive Director, and staff in continuing to achieve our mission.
I am honored to have had the opportunity to lead the Society and to be the first President from Asia. During my term, there were many important objectives that we have successfully achieved:
• Ensuring that a stable and evolving Society transitions to your incoming President, Jan Hansen. While continuing to expand its reach, ISPOR has maintained a solid financial position to serve the Society for many years to come
• Prioritizing digital strategies that continue to be important post pandemic
• Continuing global stakeholder engagement, including the introduction of new virtual communities and a new call for volunteers’ section on the ISPOR website
• Participation in HTA Roundtables and Patient Roundtables where ISPOR strategically brings the voice of patients and decision makers into conversation and integrates these and other perspectives into our work
• Raising awareness of health disparities through creation of a new special interest group
• Advancing our Science Strategy
In my final month as your President, I will be hosting a global networks strategic meeting with members, focused on an update of its CHEERS 2022 report and our 2022-2023 Top 10 HEOR Trends report. The goal of this global meeting is to further my objective to be an ambassador for all members, regardless of where they live and work.
I would like to extend a very special thank you to the ISPOR Board of Directors. Your Board has been working extremely hard to support ISPOR’s strategic direction, leadership role, and sustainability during a difficult time as we navigate through the pandemic and beyond.
And lastly, I would also like to recognize the ISPOR staff. The staff are the engine that makes the ISPOR organization run smoothly, and we all appreciate them.
