Discover inspiring stories from the 100-year history of the Japan Endocrine Society; progress toward future successes

Introduction

Since the Japan Endocrine Society (JES) was founded in 1925, approximately 100-years have passed. In my professional career, I was lucky to have shared more than 50% of the exciting history of the JES. Herein, at first, (1) I would like to briefly describe what caused me to take my first step into the scientific field of endocrinology and metabolism (EndoM), then (2) address, as the President, how I raised three important issues, almost all of which have become established nowadays. Finally, (3) I draw attention to the major issues that the JES must have yet to overcome, in order to progress toward future success.

1. My First Step into the Field of EndoM

When I graduated from Gunma University, the Research Institute for Endocrinology (RIE) was the one and only Institute for EndoM among many universities in Japan. This institute was located on the same campus as the school of medicine, and has continuously conducted world-leading researches in the field of EndoM. Emeritus Professor Kojiro Shichijo, the Frist Department of Medicine, was an authority in the field of EndoM in Japan and our outspoken leader. He had a strong connection with the Ministry of Japan to introduce the RIE into our University. His remarkable appearance, characterized by as smooth as a monk’s head and sharp and enigmatic eyes, was so compelling that no one could easily disagree with his decision. One night, just before I was due to graduate from the university, I received a phone-call from Prof. Shichijo. Fifty years have since passed, and evidently, it was this single phone call that momentously influenced me to alter the course of my life.

2. Roles as the JES President

In 2009, I became the 18^th President of the JES. At that time, I was concerned about the noticeable lack of new developments as it was frequently the case that little exciting data were being presented in the annual JES meetings in those days. At this impasse, the President can stimulate the transition from poor systems to brilliant new systems, which will certainly correspond to the legacy of the next generations. Thus, to convalesce our society toward success, I especially drew attention to the establishment of the novel three systems as follows.

2-1. Establishment of the specialist board system

The looming incorporation of the JES brought to light the urgent need to develop and establish a specialist board system in the field of EndoM. There was some opposition from board members, not all of whom could recognize the importance of this emergent task. If we could not implement this special board system by the deadline, the accreditation of this specialist JES system would be deferred to the next year, and the JES would fall behind other medical societies. Additionally, the scientific field of EndoM encompasses both clinical practice and basic research, including the metabolic fields of diabetes, thyroid diseases, obesity disease and bone metabolic disorders. As the President, in addition to the board of directors, I had to ensure that these tasks were approved by the board members of the JES. Thus, it is important to look at the flow of things from a historical perspective and act with conviction. With the adoption of a historical perspective, the opposing views ostensibly dissipated in the haze. The board members approved the incorporation of the JES and subsequently received the approval of the Ministry of Japan. Eventually, the JES specialist board system was successfully launched on time.

2-2. Encouragement for middle-career researchers

Nurturing young researchers, who have aspired to become the endocrinology specialist are valuable to sustain their ongoing researches in any field of EndoM. However, the JES board member never discussed about a specific policy for this purpose. As a chair of the 82^nd Annual Congress of JES in Maebashi, 2009, I took opportunity to delegate this task to 20 middle-career researchers, who had actively presented their own works at the JES meeting. I invited all of them to stay overnight at the famous Ikaho hot-spring resort in Gunma Prefecture, to engage in productive scientific discussions among the special members of middle-career researchers. After a special lecture by Dr. Shigeaki Kato of Tokyo University (Fig. 1), I asked former President Dr. Kazuwa Nakao (Fig. 2) of Kyoto University to spur the research spirits of young researchers during an all-night session, because I was very busy to have to attend other meetings. The heated discussion by the members on how to achieve scientific progress was much hotter than the temperature of the hot-water of Ikaho (Fig. 3). Nowadays, these members of the middle-career researcher group, known as the YEC (young endocrinologist conference), have organized their own symposiums at the annual JES meetings. I am pleased to see that inspiring opportunities for mutual exchanges of scientific information have remarkably increased. Apparently, their incredible success could be attributed to the historical amounts of red wine consumed during that one night-long session.

Fig. 1

The first meeting for middle-career researchers at Ikaho

Fig. 2

Celebration of the first meeting at Ikaho with Dr. Nakao (right)

Fig. 3

Enthusiastic members in the middle-career researchers

Their passionate discussions during all night, keeping the research spirit burning in the conference room, which was filled with enthusiasm and hope.

2-3. The re-education system for female physicians

I had often fielded some claims about the re-education for female physician of the field, such as in the cases of women leaving the JES for childbirth and childcare, as they frequently forget their clinical and research endeavors and cannot smoothly re-join the JES meeting. Therefore, the system of re-education was urgently needed for such EndoM physicians, but this important matter has yet to be discussed in the JES board at that time. I held a preparatory lunch meeting at an Italian restaurant located at the same Maebashi venue, where the main JES meeting was held. The members (Fig. 4) agreed to the notion of the re-education system after my voicing many frank opinions and ensuring discussion, and the new system was eventually launched as the JES We Can (JES women endocrinologists association), in which a series of educational lectures were scheduled and delivered by female EndoM physicians themselves. From this point of view, I concluded that it was possible to transform even the steepest untrodden road into a flower-lined path by the firm conviction.

Fig. 4

The members to discuss about the re-education system for female physicians in Maebashi. The preparatory lunch meeting was held prior to establishment of JES We Can especially for female physicians with childbirth and childcare.

3. The Challenge of Overcoming the Problems Looming in Future

3-1. Considerable shock delivered by a big wave

In April of last year 2022, a big shock jolted our scientific colleagues; the news of the dramatic decline of the recent scientific position of Japan. The Scientific Policy (Science 2022: 376; 903) reported the statistics on the number of articles originating in countries around the world, including Japan, that have proved to influence the global scientific field over the past several years. In the period of our generation, the scientific rank of Japan was at the third or fourth position in the world. During our time, the members in Japan societies generated many high-quality papers, and we frequently attended the scientific conferences especially in the United States to exchange advanced scientific information. Recently, however, the Japan’s position to produce the high-quality papers has dropped below the tenth place in the global ranking, allowing South Korea and China to outrank Japan in this regard. This must be due to the decline of Japan’s basic science capabilities, especially in the medical fields. The JES board members must get through the challenge.

3-2. Progression of our dream toward true

Three years before I graduated from the university, Drs. Andrew V Schally and Roger Guillemin discovered the structure of TRH, and two Drs were later awarded the Nobel Prize. Accordingly, the first subject of my research efforts was the establishment of a TRH assay system in human blood after producing an antibody specific and sensitive to TRH. Successively, I continued to conduct researches on a bioactive peptide at the research laboratory organized by Prof. John F Wilber in Louisiana State University, New Orleans, USA for 3 years. While life goes on, other hypothalamic hormones have been discovered one after another. These discoveries had stimulated the relentless curiosity that spurred the sprits of researchers all over the world. In line with this view, my research team in Japan identified a novel anorexigenic molecule, nesfatin-1 (Nature 2006: 443; 709), which may be a last hypothalamic hormone regulating food-intake.

3-3. You can open the new door for breakthrough

Reflecting on the history of the JES, the breakthroughs in the discipline represented a new step in two ways; the discovery of new bioactive substance/hormone and novel approach system to realize bioactivities. In those days, after presentation on a new active substance, more than ten participants used to line up in front of the microphones to ask many questions, and the conference hall was filled with enthusiasm and hope. The current JES board members should seriously discuss this dispute and the possibility of implementing a system to make the JES meetings full of enthusiasm especially for the young researchers.

In Conclusion

I believe that our members in the JES, especially taking together with the YEC members, ought to conquer the opportunity to endeavor to discover innovative substances and pathways in the field of EndoM.

Abbreviations

EndoM, endocrinology and metabolism; JES, the Japan Endocrine Society; JES We can, JES women endocrinologists association; RIE, Research Institute for Endocrinology; TRH, thyrotropin-releasing hormone; YEC, young endocrinologist conference.

Biographies

Masatomo Mori, MD, PhD

18^th President/Honorary Member

Professor Emeritus, Gunma University

Chief, Research Institute for Metabolism and Obesity

Careers in JES

2017– Honorary Member

2013– Senior Councilor

2011–2013 Director (Education and Career Development)

2009–2011 18^th President

2007–2011 Director (General Affairs)

2005–2007 Director (Public Relations and Collaboration)

2004–2007 President for Kanto-Koshin-Etsu Regional Branch

2003–2005 Director (Education and Career Development)

2001–2003 Director (General Affairs)

1985– Councilor

1973– Member

Activities in JES

2009 Chair, 82^nd Annual Congress of JES

2001 Chair, 1^st Annual Meeting of JES Kanto-Koshin-Etsu Regional Branch

JES Awards

2006 5^th JES Award

Contributions to EJ

1999–2006 Editor