APSR timeline

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1986
APSR founded
To promote advances in knowledge of the respiratory system in health and disease.
To promote the exchange of knowledge among respirologist in the Asia-Pacific region.
First president of the APSR
Michiyoshi Harasawa
See also...
Origins of the APSR
1987
(Details will be uploaded when available)
1988
Tokyo
Congress president: Michiyoshi Harasawa
First APSR Travel Awards, available to speakers at the 1988 Congress
Two 2-page newsletters (May and July 1988) in the run-up to the 1st APSR Congress
1989
Bali
Congress president: Hood Alsagaff
1990
Volume 1 Issue 1
Editor: Shiro Kira
1991
(Details will be uploaded when available)
1992
(Details will be uploaded when available)
1993
Singapore
Congress president: Wan-Cheng Tan
New president appointed
Wan-Cheng Tan
1994
(Details will be uploaded when available)
1995
Pulmonary function symposium
An APSR educational activity held in conjunction with the 14th Annual Chest Convention in Manila, Philippines
1996
4th APSR Congress
Beijing
Congress president: Wei-Ci Luo
APSR Workshop
An APSR educational activity at the 36th congress of the Japanese Society of Chest Disease (JSCD), April 1996
Respirology inaugural issue


Editor in Chief: Shiro Kira
Associate Editors:
Norbert Berend
Yoshinosuke Fukuchi
Paul J Seale
APSR Secretariat Office renovation
Yoshikawa Bldg, No.2,
2nd Floor 2-9-8 Hongo,
Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo 113
International Respiratory Epidemiology course
An APSR educational activity in Malaysia, jointly organized by the APSR, IUATLD, MTS and Institute of Respiratory Medicine
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Kuala Lumpur
New president appointed
Wei-Ci Luo
1997
2nd APSR Workshop at 37th Congress of the Japan Society of Chest Dieseases (JSCD)
Yokohama
Asthma Guidelines Workshop
Singapore
Respirology recognized by US National Library
Selected for indexing and inclusion in Index Medicus and MEDLINE from Volume 1
1998
Sydney
Congress president: J Paul Seale
New APSR Executive Manager
Mrs Hideko Sato Cochrane
3rd APSR Workshop at the JRS Congress
38th Annual Congress of the Japanese Respiratory Society
Kumamoto
New president appointed
Ann J Woolcock
1999
(Details will be uploaded when available)
2000
Florence
Congress president: Ann Janet Woolcock
APSR Joint Convention with the PCCP
Philippines
5th JRS-APSR Workshop
Hiroshima
New president appointed
Shiro Kira
2001
Respirology: New Editor in Chief
Philip J Thompson
Editorial Office moves from Tokyo to Perth
6th APSR Workshop
Tokyo
APSR booth at ERS Annual Congress
Berlin
APSR website launched
Registered "apsresp.org", being abbreviated portmanteau of "APSR", "respirology" and "organisation".
Webpages maintained by the publishing company of Respirology
2002
Taipei
Congress president: Kwen-Tay Luh
Atlanta
APSR Education Committee established
to plan, promote and coordinate APSR educational activities
New president appointed
Wah-Kit Lam
2003
Kuala Lumpur
Congress president: Chong-Kin Liam
Harasawa and Woolcock Memorial Lectures established
Presentations at APSR congresses in honour of our two late past presidents Professor Michiyoshi Harasawa and Professor Anne J Woolcock, two giants in respirology who had contributed so much.


M Harasawa & A J Woolcock
The first Woolcock Research Award

presented to Dr Masayuki Ando
First APSR Award for Research on Asthma
APSR Award for Research on Asthma in the Asia-Pacific region
SARS epidemic
Regional outbreak of SARS (March to June) forced postponement of congress from 17-20 July to 1-4 December
APSR joins FIRS
(Forum of International Respiratory Societies)
First APSR Education Series
Tokyo
2004
Hong Kong
Congress president: Wah-Kit Lam
JRS joins APSR en bloc
Japanese Respiratory Society; the first society to join the APSR en bloc
New design
New president appointed
Yoshinosuke Fukuchi
2005
Guangzhou
Congress president: Nan-Shan Zhong
APTA becomes an NPO
Non Profit Organization (NPO) status approved
TSANZ joins the APSR en bloc
Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand
PCCP joins the APSR en bloc
Philippine College of Chest Physicians
APSR Assemblies launched
First Assembly meetings held at APSR 2005 Congress, Guanzhou
Respirology receives its first impact factor
Number of issues published increases from 4 to 5 issues per year
2006
Kyoto
Congress president: Yoshinosuke Fukuchi
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Chengdu, China
First issue published
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Tokyo
TSPCCM joins the APSR en bloc
Taiwan Society of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Jakarta, Indonesia
Respirology increases publication to 6 issues per year
APSR website
APSR Secreariat Office takes over website maintenance and development (from the publishers).
The website comprised 13 pages only.
New president appointed
Norbert Berend
2007
Gold Coast
Congress president: Christine Jenkins
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Tokyo
Donation: One and half million yen to APSR
by Dr Fukuchi's sister and brother-in-law, Dr Y Aihara
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Gold Coast, Australia
APSR Dual membership discount launched
For APSR members who join the ATS or ERS
Respirology back issues
All back issues available online
2008
Bangkok
Congress president: Arth Nana
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Hong Kong
New APSR membership dues structure
For individual and en bloc membership
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Bangkok
New Council structure
to match the growing number of members and member societies
APSR Medal starts
APSR Short-Term Research / Training Fellowship starts
Later renamed APSR Short-Term Research / Training Scholarship, to avoid confusion with APSR Fellowship (FAPSR)
APSR Travel Award to ATS International Conference starts
KATRD joins the APSR en bloc
Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
Respirology increases publication to 7 issues per year
New president appointed
Young Soo Shim
2009
Seoul
Congress president: Young Soo Shim
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Singapore
New APSR Executive Manager
Mr Yasutomi Yamanaka
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Darwin
Respirology New layout and cover design
Publication increased to 8 issues per year
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Hong Kong
Respirology: New Editor in Chief
Yun Chor Gary Lee
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Seoul
APSR Roadshow Programme
China
Bulletin launched
First issue (4 pages) this monthly Bulletin, distributed to all members in PDF or email format.
Respiratory Updates launched
Volume 1, issue 1 published, replacing Respiratory Research Review
2010
Manila
Congress president: Teresita de Guia
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Singapore
Year of the Lung (YOTL)
YOTL 2010, Chair: Norbert Berend
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Six locations throughout China
Fukuchi Award launched
for the Best Original Paper in Respirology, sponsored by Prof Yoshinosuke Fukuchi
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Shanghai, China
Membership Committee formed
Chair: Paul Reynolds
New president appointed
Mary Sau-Man Ip
2011
Shanghai
Congress president: Chunxue Bai
Respirology; New Editor in Chief
Peter R Eastwood
ISR joins the APSR en bloc
Indonesian Society of Respirology
2012
Hong Kong
Congress president: David Hui
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Shanghai, China
ERS honorary membership
Yoshinosuke Fukuchi and Norbert Berend awarded honourary membership to the European Respiratory Society.


Y Fukuchi


N Berend
Fellow of the APSR (FAPSR) established
New president appointed
Arth Nana
ATS Young Investigator wins award to attend the APSR Congress
ERS Young Investigator wins award to attend the APSR Congress
2013
Yokohama
Congress president: Toshihiro Nukiwa
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Presidential Commendation to Professor J Patrick Barron
Presented at the Congress in Yokohama
Editor in Chief, Norbert Berend
Online and open access.
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Shanghai, China
MTS joins the APSR en bloc
Malaysian Thoracic Society
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Yokohama
Account launched
TSANZ Young Investigator wins award to attend the APSR Congress
JRS Young Investigator wins award to attend the APSR Congress
2015
Kuala Lumpur
Congress president: Roslina A Manap
Second APSR Session at ATS International Conference
Denver
First APSR Session at ERS Congress
Amsterdam
Respirology's 20th anniversay
Printed copies cease, future issues online only
New cover design
APSR Assembly "Troika" Structure established
consisting of a Head, a Head-Elect and a Deputy Head for each of the 16 assemblies
Teaching Library launched with invitation to add cases for self-study.
Dr Kwun Fong adds first: Lung cancer - mediastinal staging.
APSR website renewal
New responsive design to accomodate smartphones and mobile devices
APSR Twitter & Facebook accounts launched
APSR Twitter
APSR Facebook
New membership cards
Presented to Fellows of the APSR (FAPSR)
Presented to People who have made a donation to the APSR.
Presented to members who join the APSR individually (i.e. not en bloc).
KTS joins the APSR en bloc
Kyrgyz Thoracic Society
SLCP joins the APSR en bloc
Sri Lanka College of Pulmonologists
VNRS joins the APSR en bloc
Vietnam Respiratory Society
Annual award launched
Annual award launched
APSR / IASLC Book Prizes
Special awards for 2015 only
2016
Bangkok
Congress president: Sumalee Kiatboonsri
Educational Seminar of the APSR
Legazpi City, Philippines
First APSR-ISRD Session at ATS International Conference
San Francisco
Video
Interim Editor in chief: Paul Reynolds
followed by
New Editor in Chief: Dr Christopher Lai
Increases publication to 6 issues per year.
Apps created
Respirology
on Android
on iOS

Respirology Case Reports
on Android
on iOS
Industry Taskforce established
To secure a stable source of funding for research projects, free from bias, with strict observance of the APSR's Conflict of Interest policy.
New president appointed
Kwun Fong
APSR Faculty Award at JRS Annual Meeting
Award launched
APSR-ISRD Joint Session at the ATS International Meeting
Award launched
ERS Handbook Award
Special award for 2016 only
2017
Sydney
Congress presidents: Jane Bourke, Matthew Peters
APSR Instagram account launched
www.instagram.com/apsrsecretariat/
CPA joins the APSR en bloc
Cambodian Pulmonology Association
Respirology: New Co-Editors in Chief
Philip Bardin and Paul Reynolds
Timeline launched
Recognising the need to record milestones of the Society's growth, significant events are recorded in this APSR Timeline.
(Other events not directly contributing to the Society's growth are also recorded for posterity)
STS joins the APSR en bloc
Singapore Thoracic Society
Peter Sly Award launched
for the Best Paediatric Paper in Respirology
Norbert Berend Award launched
for the Best COPD Paper in Respirology
Paul Zimmerman Award launched
for the Best Physiology Paper in Respirology
APSR / JRS Young Investigator Award
Award launched
APSR / CHEST Young Investigator Award
Award launched
2018
Taipei
Congress president: Chong-Jen Yu
HKTS joins the APSR en bloc
Hong Kong Thoracic Society
Impact Factor now 4.407
2017 Impact Factor released
Respirology now ranked 10th of the 59 top respiratory journals.
BLF joins the APSR en bloc
Bangladesh Lung Foundation
APSR / Geoffrey Bush Award launched
Special award for 2018 only, for a paper presented at the APSR Congress on paediatric lung disease, jointly sponsored by the APSR and Prof Geoffrey Bush.
APSR / KYF Award launched
for a paper presented at the APSR Congress on Geriatric Respirology, jointly sponsored by the APSR and Prof Yoshinosuke Fukuchi
APSR / Malcolm Winterburn Award launched
for a paper presented at the APSR Congress on Lung Cancer, jointly sponsored by the APSR and Prof Malcolm Winterburn
APSR / TSANZ Award
Award launched
APTA Young Investigator Award
Award launched
2019
Health data added for countries in the Asia-Pacific region
MRS joins APSR en bloc
Mongolian Respiratory Society; the 14th society to join the APSR en bloc
Hanoi
Congress president: Ngo Quy Chau
Scheme launched
New president appointed
Yoichi Nakanishi
Assembly Education Young Investigator Award launched
annual award for six to nine awardees for each assembly
APSR / KF-CB Young Investigator Award launched
for a paper presented at the APSR Congress on Lung Cancer, jointly sponsored by the Prof Chunxue Bai and Prof Kwun Fong
APSR / J Patrick Barron Medical Education Young Investigator Award
Award launched, available annually until 2026
APSR Young Investigator Travel Award
Award launched
Respirology Case Reports Poster Award
Award launched, annual award jointly sponsored by the APSR Congress and Wiley
2020
New APSR Executive Manager
Ms Suga Konno
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupts several conferences, events, World Days, etc., throughout the year, including the 25th Congress of the APSR, postponed to 2021.

A COVID-19 Taskforce was formed and webinars held to exchange opinions and experiences of physicians in the Asia-Pacfic area.
APSR / PCCP Young Investigator Award launched
for an abstract at the APSR Congress from a member of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians, sponsored by Dr Kuwn Fong, available annually until 2023
PCCP-APSR Joint Symposium
Advances in lung cancer - diagnosis & treatment
APSR / Hong Kong Young Investigator Award
Award launched for a HKTS or HKLF Young Investigator, jointly sponsored by the APSR and sponsored by Dr Kuwn Fong, available annually until 2021
APSR / KATRD Young Investigator Award
Award launched for a KATRD Young Investigator, jointly sponsored by the APSR and sponsored by Dr Kuwn Fong, available annually until 2027
APSR / VNRS Young Investigator Award
Award launched for a VNRS Young Investigator, jointly sponsored by the APSR and sponsored by Dr Kuwn Fong, available annually until 2025
APSR / Woolcock Vietnam Young Investigator Award
Award launched, jointly sponsored by the APSR and Dr Guy Marks, available annually until 2027
APSR website renewal
Wider screen format introduced
Assembly Virtual Meeting
Respiratory Infections Assembly symposium: "Achieving Better Diagnoses and Outcomes for Patients with Respiratory Infections, With or Without a Pandemic"
Assembly Virtual Meeting
Respiratory Infections (Non-Tuberculous) Assembly Symposium: "Exploring The Small Airway Disease"
Assembly Virtual Meeting
Asthma Assembly Symposium: "Asthma Paradoxes"
MTS-APSR Joint Symposium
Lung cancer
TSPCCM-APSR Joint Symposium
COVID-19
2021
APSR symposium at NAPCON
on COVID-19
on Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) disease
(* Name changed in 2022 to "Multi-Society Research Project")
Associate membership
For trainees or fellows in training for postgraduate degrees in medicine, nursing and related science.
Undergraduate student membership
For full-time students of medical, nursing and related science degrees.
Clinical Allied Health Section
under the Clinical Respiratory Medicine Assembly
E-Health Section
under the Clinical Respiratory Medicine Assembly
Bronchiectasis Section
under the Respiratory Infections (non-tuberculous) Assembly
Kyoto
Congress president: Shu Hashimoto
Chronic and Critical Respiratory Disease: Double Respiratory Challenge for Pulmonologists
State of the art pulmonology - Disease updates and Philippine response
Covid-19
  • APSR webinar - Covid-19 Educational Webinar
  • APSR webinar - Covid-19 Vaccine in Adolescents: Myth and Fact
  • APSR Assembly Educational Webinar - Navigating Small airways dysfunction in asthma and COPD
  • APSR Assembly Educational Webinar - How better to treat the peripheral airways
  • APSR webinar - Navigating the evidence for extrafine triple formulation in COPD
  • APSR Assembly Educational Webinar - Navigating the real life data with extra-fine formulations
Increased to 6.424
Award inaugurated
New president appointed
David Chi Leung Lam
2022
  • Respiratory Infections in the COVID-19 Era
  • Revamping Pneumonia Diagnosis and Antimicrobial Stewardship with Advanced Molecular Diagnostics
  • Respiratory infections beyond COVID-19
Seoul
Congress president: Ki-Suck Jung
2023
  • 1st Grand Rounds - Clinical problems in respiratory & critical care medicine
  • 2nd Grand Rounds - Clinical problems in respiratory & critical care medicine
  • 3rd Grand Rounds - Continuing conundrums in Covid-19
  • New practices and impacts of rapid multiplex PCR testing in diagnosis and infection control of lower respiratory infections
receives its first impact factor
Singapore
Congress president: Albert Yick Hou Lim
New president appointed
Chul Gyu Yoo
2024
New Section launched under the APSR Environmental & Occupational Health and Epidemiology Assembly
Inaugural Section Leader: Dr Henry Marshall
Hong Kong
Congress presidents: Dr James Ho and Dr Fanny Ko
2025
2026
2027
(Details will be uploaded when available)
2028
(Details will be uploaded when available)
2029
(Details will be uploaded when available)
2030
(Details will be uploaded when available)