Greetings from the President

I am Masahiko Kawaguchi of Nara Medical University, and I have been appointed as the president of the Japanese Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care, as a successor of Dr. Hiroki Iida, the first president of this Society. The society was established in 1997 as the Japanese Society of Neuroanesthesia. Dr. Takefumi Sakabe of Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine served as Secretary General, and Dr. Koki Shimoji of Niigata University School of Medicine held the first Japanese Society of Neuroanesthesia and Critical Care in Niigata. In 1999, the society was renamed as Japanese Society of Neuroanesthesia and Critical Care (JSNACC), thereafter in 2014 it was renamed to the Japanese Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care. Dr. Hitoshi Furuya of Nara Medical University has served as Secretary General since 2009, and I have been a Secretary General since 2014.

The field of neuroanesthesia and critical care is diverse, including 1) management of patients undergoing brain surgery, neurointensive care, neuromonitoring, and neuroradiotherapy, 2) content related to the brain, peripheral nerves, spinal cord, consciousness, pain, memory, neuromuscular junction, and autonomic nerves in the field of anesthesiology and critical care, and 3) management of patients with neurological disorders, neurotoxicity of anesthetic drugs, delirium, cognitive impairment, cerebral infarction, and perioperative brain health. It includes many contents that are faced in most of the hospitals. In 2016, our society began certifying those who have sufficient expertise and skills in neuroanesthesia and intensive care as a subspecialty of anesthesiologists as instructors of Neuroanesthesia and Critical Care.

We hope to develop this organization as a valuable forum for experts of neuroscience in the fields of neuroanesthesia, neurointensive care, and pain management to ensure and improve the clinical quality and safety of these fields, and to discuss clinical and basic research, as well as to provide opportunities to learn about these fields widely, as the core of academic exchange for all doctors in the fields of anesthesiology and intensive care. Especially in today's super-aging society, prevention and treatment strategies that preserve neurological function are extremely important. I also hope to contribute to improving patients' functional prognosis by proactively collaborating with medical staff involved in the fields of neuroanesthesia and neurointensive care, in addition to doctors.

As president, I intend to work hard to further develop this Society with the cooperation of many people. I look forward to your guidance and encouragement.