On January 21, 2003, the Society for Promotion of International Oto-Rhino-Laryngology (SPIO) had an election of officials and I, Yasuya Nomura, M.D., was elected to serve as the President. The former president, Toyoji Soda, M.D., had presided over SPIO since 1993. In 1999, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology approved our society�fs status as a specific public-service-cooperation, and since then our financial situation has been improving. Accordingly, we were able to function as an independent organization (called SPIO) even in times like this recession. Last year, 35 years since the establishment of SPIO in 1970, we took a large step towards settling down the new office in October, 2005. From now on, we will continually and even more actively, be able to support international researchers and provide the important information to the medical professionals who belong to the Oto-Rhino-Laryngology community.

Institution of a scholarship for international researchers

Subsidy for international academic exchange

Subsidy for organization of international congress

Subsidy for international collaborative research

SPIO Award (for Auris Nasus Larynx)

Support for academic seminar or session by foreign visitor

Publication of the SPIO Newsletter

Three doctors were awarded the SPIO scholarships in 2009.
Details of awardees are as follows. (in random order)

1. Zhang Qing, China, National Hospital Organization Medical Center

2. Ahmed Megahed Mohammed Hassan, Egypt, Kumamoto University

Young medical professionals or medical trainees from abroad who intend to conduct and/or participate in research in Otolaryngology at any Japanese University may apply for this scholarship. They must contact the SPIO secretariat by the end of August so that we can send them an application form. The SPIO committee will select and decide the awardees and the amount of scholarship. Past awardees are also eligible to re-apply. A recommendation letter from any member of the SPIO is a pre-requisite.

The SPIO Award 2009

In 2009, 77 original papers were accepted for publication by the journal Auris Nasus Larynx (ANL), Vol. 36, No. 1-No. 6, and the selection was made by the Editorial Board members of ANL and the SPIO Award Selection Committee.

SPIO Award for the year 2009 that was selected is as follows:

Tomo Sasaki: Assessing binaural/bimodal advantages using auditory eventtelated potentials in subjects with cochlear implants, ANL Vol.36, No.5, 541-546, 2009

The SPIO will select the most outstanding paper among the original papers in the journal ANL-Auris Nasus Larynx, Vol. 37 (No.1 to No.6), and will award the certificate and a cash prize (US$ 5,000). The first author of the paper should be younger than 45 years of age at the time of manuscript submission.

For this annual competition, the SPIO expects excellent contribution papers from all over the world. We would like to encourage you to send your paper to ANL for consideration for the SPIO Award.

The year 2009, the SPIO subsidized 1 organization. Details are as follows;

The 10^th Taiwan-Japan Otolaryngology Head and Neck Conference
President: Prof. An-Suey Shiao/ Taipei Veterans General Hospital

To promote international scientific/academic exchange in the field of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology and its related field

To contribute forward the advancement of scientific issues in Oto-Rhino-Laryngology

To enhance international friendship, mutual understanding and cultural exchange

Establishment:

September 24, 1969

Chartering Agency:

the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Email: mail 3387@spio.or.jp

Web site: www.spio.or.jp