Introduction

For the past 24 years, under the leadership of Chairman CHIANG, HAN-SUN, Chairman LIN TONG-LONG, Chairman KUO, HANN-CHORNG, and Chairman CHUANG, YAO-CHI, Taiwanese Continence Society has always played a key role in protecting the health of the lower urinary tract of Taiwanese people and conducting research in related fields. As the sub-societies began to emerge one after another in an era of internet advancement and information explosion, how to maintain the features and competitiveness of our society and play a better role than we already did have become issues worth thinking about. Thanks to the outstanding research in the field of the lower urinary tract in Taiwan over the years, we're able to stand on the shoulders of the giants to make further intellectual progress. However, how to maintain the research capacity related to lower urinary tract in Taiwan and engage a new generation of young people in the study of this field have also become our duty. In terms of external relations, we have maintained a good relationship and intensive exchange with our partners in China, Japan, and Korea based on the platform of the Pan-pacific Continence Society (PPCS) in the past. However, how to maintain Taiwan's dignity while engaging in foreign relations is also a challenge we have to face.

Thanks to the support from all members, directors, and supervisors this time, I was elected the 9th chairman of the Taiwanese Continence Society, looking forward to working hand in hand with the seniors and peers to maintain the health of the lower urinary tract of the Taiwanese people. The following are some of my thoughts on the future development of the TCS. Your feedback and advice are very welcomed:

  1. In terms of organizational structure, it is hoped that the rich experience of the seniors in the medical field will still be used to lead the development of the TCS. At present, we have gained recognition from former chairman CHIANG, HAN-SUN, former chairman LIN TONG-LONG, former chairman KUO, HANN-CHORNG, former chairman CHUANG, YAO-CHI, former vice-chairman YU, HONG-JENG, former vice-chairman LU, SHING-HWA, president LEE, MING-HUEI, Professor WU, MING-PING, Professor HUNG, MAN-JUNG, Professor TONG, YAT-CHING, Professor CHEN, GIN-DEN and Professor CHEN, SUNG-LANG, all of whom have agreed to undertake the advisory roles in this society to give us professional guidance in the days to come. In addition, the greatest feature of the TCS is the involvement of a group of experts with a wide variety of specialties and occupations. In order to continue to carry forward the feature of the TCS, we hereby invite Professors CHOU, CHIEH-LUNG, Professor MENG, EN, Professor TSAI, CHUAN-HSIU, Director CHUANG, FEI-CHI, and Director CHUNG, SHIU-DONG to undertake the role as the vice-chairmen this term. And appoint the rising stars from among the younger generation Dr. LIN, CHIH-CHIEH as the secretary-general, and Dr. HU, JU-CHUAN, Dr. YANG, TSAI-HWA, Dr. TSAI, CHING-PEI, Dr. OU, YING-CHIEN, Dr. LIU, HSIN-HO, and Dr. LO, CHI-WEN as deputy secretaries-general. Through everyone's cooperation and teamwork, it is hoped that the TCS will grow larger and stronger in the future.
  2. In terms of public health, we hope to organize health education activities that centered on the general public as a starting point. Through the establishment of an "incontinence support group" and the organization of some large-scale health education activities, we will build a bond with the general public through communication and interaction. By setting up new social media websites such as Facebook fan pages or smartphone communication apps such as LINE group, we hope to raise the general public awareness of the disease and increase their sense of identity and belonging to the TCS.
  3. While the government is actively promoting long-term care, we are also actively thinking about the roles we're playing in the TCS. Under the teamwork of members with different specialties and occupations, we are committed to improving the health of the lower urinary tract of the elderly.
  4. In terms of international exchange, we delegated Professor JUAN, YUNG-SHUN as the chairman of the International Exchange Committee this time in the hope of strengthening the exchange with our partners in neighboring countries through PPCS. It is also hoped that through our participation in the International Continence Society (ICS), we will cooperate with our partner societies to strive for the opportunity to hold ICS in Taiwan.
  5. Since the society consists of members with a wide variety of specialties and occupations, we are not only able to provide the general public with cross-disciplinary care but also expect to conduct multi-center, cross-disciplinary research in the hope that the study of the lower urinary tract in Taiwan will continue to thrive and prosper in the days to come.
  6. In the field of functional urology, our seniors have attained outstanding achievements both domestically and abroad. How to raise the interest of young doctors to engage in this field has thus become a critical issue. In the future, it is hoped that more young doctors will join the functional committee and provide their services to the TCS. Through the discussion at the meeting and the stipulation of treatment guidelines, we hope that more young talents will enter the study of this field and work together under the guidance of our seniors.
  7. In the future, it is hoped that our society will be divided into several functional groups and our past chairmen and vice chairmen will be invited to undertake the advisory roles. This way, the capacity of each functional committee will be maximized under the guidance of the consultants.

Last but not least, we would like to express our gratitude for the recognition and support from everyone over the years. At the same time, we also welcome everyone to provide their feedback and advice and new friends to join the big family of TCS. In the future, we will be working as a team not only academically but also clinically.

Chun-Hou Liao, M.D., PhD
President, Taiwanese Continence Society
Associate Dean and Professor, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University
Chief, Department of Surgery, Cardinal Tien Hospital