||　日本災害看護学会　||

<Message from the President>
The Japan Society of Disaster Nursing (JSDN) was established in Kobe on December 13, 1998 for the purpose of “promoting the systematization of the knowledge and practice of disaster nursing, and contributing to the lives and health of people through the development of disaster nursing”. At that time, the JSDN determined the five following objectives for Japanese disaster nursing in the 21st century:
① To establish a systematic knowledge base for disaster nursing
② To develop structures and methods for disaster nursing activities
③ To establish systematic educational programs for the science of disaster nursing
④ To develop international research networks for disaster nursing
⑤ To accept other challenges concerning disaster nursing
Ten years have passed since the establishment of the JSDN, and in that period we have held ten annual congresses. The 10th Congress of the JSDN was celebrated as a 10th Anniversary Project that reviewed the Society’s activities over the previous decade. Over that period of time, the membership of the JSDN has steadily increased, and as of June, 2008, the Society has 808 individual members, 62 organizational members, and 4 supporting member groups.
Our initial annual congress was held under the slogan “The Dawn of Disaster Nursing”, and featured many reports on the theoretical systematizing of the practical knowledge gained from disaster sites. Subsequently, our society has continued to develop and maintain our base and our network, and we have analyzed how the role of nursing can continue to develop and contribute to education and society. Over the course of this period of time, all different kinds of disasters occurred in Japan, most notably the Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake in 2004. In addition, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and its resulting tsunamis are still fresh in our memories, and the Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the Great Sichuan Earthquake in China occurred just this year.
One of the characteristics of our society is its efforts in building a research and practice network for disaster nursing activities. At first, our network activities committee gathered information on large scale disasters through initial investigations by telephone. Then when it was actually necessary to go into the field, we conducted investigations and accumulated much knowledge and experience. Based on these activities, we have organized a first response team for large scale disasters in order to analyze the disaster situation and prepare a support system on the scene, to gather information to assess the health problems and nursing needs of victims, and to clarify other areas where support may be necessary.
Another characteristic of the JSDN is that we have both individual members and organizational members. The organizational members, consisting of hospitals, professional groups, and educational institutions such as universities, take an active part in developing and strengthening our domestic and international network for disasters. In addition, our society holds not only academic conferences, but also study and training sessions in concert with our organizational members.
One other characteristic of the JSDN is that our members are not just educators and researchers but also individuals with various active experiences in disaster support. This is because the development of disaster nursing is based on ideas that are deeply connected to practice. In addition, although disaster nursing is our focus, there are members and officers in our society from specialties other than nursing in order for us to conduct interdisciplinary research.
This January the Research Conference of the World Society of Disaster Nursing (WSDN) was convened. The JSDN is a member of the WSDN and was involved in the preparation and running of the opening ceremony. In addition, the JSDN will be in charge of the First WSDN Academic Conference, and Yuko Minami, the former President of the JSDN, was elected as the Chairperson of the Conference. The First WSDN Academic Conference will be held in Japan in 2010, so please visit our society homepage for details.
During the Conference, we will try to construct an international network through the efforts of individuals and organizations from many countries around the world. We also hope to make various contributions to the development of education and training in disaster prevention, and to the development of appropriate medical relief efforts and long-term support systems for victims of disasters. We are looking forward to the participation at the Conference of many people interested in disaster nursing.

Satoru Yamada
President, Japan Society of Disaster Nursing
September, 2008