Abstract
The Asian-Pacific Society for Digestive Endoscopy (APSDE) was formerly the Asian Zone of the World Organization of Digestive Endoscopy (OMED), which was established as International Society of Endoscopy (ISE) at its beginning.
In April 1973, the Asian-Pacific Society for Digestive Endoscopy became independent when the 1st Congress of the Society was held. The Congress has been held regularly since then. In the beginning, it was positioned as the Asian-Pacific Zone of the International Society of Endoscopy (ISE). The ISE changed its name to OMED in July 1976.
The Asian-Pacific Zone of OMED changed its name to The Asian-Pacific Society for Digestive Endoscopy and became an independent Society in 1984. Because it was positioned as change of the name, not establishment of a new society, it would be appropriate to regard the Congress held in Kyoto in 1973 as the establishment of the Society. The Society regularly had Congress since then, and from 2000, the Congress is jointly held every year with other gastrointestinal societies under the DDW system.
Among the various businesses managed by APSDE, the most important one is endoscopy education and training. APSDE has held Hands-On training workshops for several times in Bangkok of Thailand, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam since 2004. APSDE is also planning to establish training centers in these cities, and some of the centers were actually completed the year before last year. The foundations for these centers were set up and will be managed with corporate donations and APDW surplus fund. Currently, 2 centers are being established in China, 1 in Australia, 1 in Hong Kong and 1 in India, which are going to start operation last year. There are also plans of various activities managed by the committees under the Society. Some of these activities are already started.
