President’s Fireside Chat: Keeping an “I” on ISPOR’s Mission

In my incoming Presidential address in May, I spoke of three themes that I believe are critical for ISPOR’s continued success: improving the Society’s reputation for excellence; expanding our communication and outreach efforts; and increasing efforts to “internationalize” the organization. In each of my regular columns for ISPOR Connections over the next year, I will highlight one of these themes. Today I focus on ISPOR’s international growth and diversity.




Peter Neumann ScD
ISPOR 2005-2006 President
addressing the ISPOR Japanese Local Chapter
in Toyko, Japan.

The “I” in ISPOR stands for international, of course. While ISPOR has always been an international organization, it has its roots in the United States and maintains a heavy American influence. However, ISPOR is well on its way to becoming a truly international society with a vibrant and diverse global membership.

Figure 1 shows the change in ISPOR’s membership by region from 2000 to 2005. In 2000, North America accounted for 78% of members; Europe represented 19% and Asia 3%. By 2005, ISPOR’s membership had changed discernibly with North America accounting for 58%, and Europe and Asia representing 37% and 5% respectively.
 

ISPOR members have also created a number of regional chapters in the past few years: in Hong Kong; Taiwan; the Czech Republic; Poland; Russia; and Japan (Table 1). On September 1, 2005 of this year I had the great privilege of traveling to Tokyo to participate in the inauguration of ISPOR’s Japan regional chapter. A symposium accompanying the meeting was attended by 150 people.

A third trend that bears mention is the expansion of ISPOR’s Annual Meetings. The Annual European Congress has been a great success and attendance now parallels the Annual International Meeting in North America. The 8th European ISPOR Congress will take place in Florence in November and over 1200 are expected. ISPOR’s 2nd Asia- Pacific Meeting is set for Shanghai in March 2006, and we expect a large audience there as well.

All of these are welcome trends. To justify the “I” in ISPOR, it is vital that we have a society whose membership reflects the world’s population. Moreover, globalization means expanded opportunities to share research and ideas about how to target resources more efficiently to improve health for all people. International organizations like ISPOR also perform an important function that transcend their own missions: they bring stakeholders together, they provide a neutral space in which governments and private parties can address key policy issues, they help strengthen ties across nations even when governments disagree, and they serve as valuable vehicles for commerce and trade. For all of these reasons, international organizations, in their own way, contribute to a better world.

International societies also present challenges. Different cultures, languages and health systems sometimes defy efforts to work together. Political issues persist. Geographic boundaries remain despite the power of the Internet.

Still, it is imperative that ISPOR continue working to expand its horizons. There are many growth opportunities across the globe, particularly in Asia, but also in South America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We are actively working to establish a regional chapter in Latin and South America. Other chapters will follow. We will also work to expand the student chapter network around the globe. Currently, there are ISPOR student chapters at 30 universities; of these, 27 are in the U.S., 1 in Canada, 1 in Spain, and 1 in the United Kingdom with promise of spreading these activities to other countries. As we move forward, we will monitor our progress and share with you our developments.
To paraphrase American President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), we are all citizens of the world, although to our detriment we do not usually recognize this. ISPOR is not only good for our field, but like many other international organizations, good for a larger purpose. We can contribute in our own modest way as a positive force for humanity. Our greatest challenge is to live up to this opportunity.

  Issues Index | 2005 Issues Index