About - APDWF

Message from the President

Justin CY Wu

President
Asian Pacific Digestive Week Federation (2025–2027)

It is my great honour to continue serving as President of the Asian Pacific Digestive Week Federation (APDWF) for the 2025–2027 term. I am deeply grateful for the trust and support of our Member Societies, partners, and the wider gastroenterology and hepatology community across the Asia-Pacific region.

In the coming years, my Board Members and I will continue strengthening our flagship platforms, enhancing educational outreach, and supporting innovations that shape the future of digestive medicine. From evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence and precision diagnostics to global challenges in digestive diseases, our federation will champion initiatives that are inclusive, forward-looking, and regionally relevant.

I look forward to working closely with our Founder Member Societies, Local Organising Committees, and industry & academic partners as we continue building a vibrant and united APDW community. Together, we will elevate the standards of digestive health across the Asia-Pacific and inspire the next generation of leaders.

APDWF Board of Directors for the term 2025-2027

From left (seated): Raja Affendi Raja Ali, Philip Chiu (Secretary General), Justin CY Wu (President), George Lau (Executive Member), Kent-Man Chu (Treasurer)
From left (standing): Venus Chan, Ian Homer Cua (APDW2026 Congress President), Hyung-Ho Kim, Wai-Keung Leung, Mitsuhiro Fujishiro, Tan-To Cheung, Patricia Anne Prodigalidad APDW2026LOC), Stephen Tsao (APDW2025 Congress President), Carlos Francisco (APDW2026 LOC)
Not in the picture: Dai-Ming Fan (Ex-Officio), Kadir Dokmeci, Jacob George, Shinji Tanaka

APDWF Board of Directors for the term 2023-2025

From left Venus Chan (Finance Secretary), Felicia Teng (Executive Director), Stephen Tsao (APDW2025 Congress President), Manoj Kumar Sharma, Diana Payawal, George Lau (Executive Member), Philip Chiu, Hsiao Tajiri (Secretary General), Justin CY Wu (President), Kent-Man Chu (Treasurer), Choon-Jin Ooi, Hyung-Ho Kim, Mitsuhiro Fujishiro
Not in the Picture: Dai-Ming Fan (Ex-Officio), Kai-Chun Wu

Last but not least, I express my sincere appreciation to the outgoing Board Members and hope you will continue to provide support which is crucial for development of the APDWF into the globally renowned convention while embracing the rich cultural diversity unique to this region.

Thank you for your continued dedication and partnership.

Introduction

The Asian Pacific Digestive Week Federation (APDWF) comprises of four professional medical non-profit organizations, namely, the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE), the Asian-Pacific Society of Digestive Endoscopy (A-PSDE), the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL), and the International Society for Digestive Surgery-Asian Pacific Section (ISDS-AP). These societies have common interest in diseases of the digestive system, including the oesophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, intestine and bowel. The Federation is set up to organise an annual scientific meeting in collaboration with the member societies.

Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE)

Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL)

Asian Pacific Society for Digestive Endoscopy (A-PSDE)

International Society for Digestive Surgery (ISDS) - Asian Pacific Section

Historical Background

Written in 2018 by

Khean Lee Goh

Late Past President
Asian Pacific Digestive Week Federation
Emeritius Professor
University of Malaya

The Asian Pacific Digestive Week (APDW) was the brainchild of Professor SK Lam from Hong Kong. In 1999, at the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology Meeting in Bangkok, he mooted the idea of a combined meeting with all “digestive disease” related specialties coming under one roof once a year. This model follows that of the American Digestive Disease Week (DDW). At that time the “United Gastroenterology Week” which also aimed to follow the lead of the DDW, was still a fledgling meeting.

SK Lam together with several key Asian Pacific leaders in gastroenterology, gastrointestinal endoscopy, surgery and hepatology such as Professors YF Liaw, Masao Omata, John Wong and William Chao came together to form a steering committee. Professor KM Fock was a younger member of the committee then but by 2004, he had taken over the chairmanship of the committee. Through his persistent and diligent efforts, the steering committee guided the APDW through the 2000s until he stepped down as president of the formalized APDW Federation (APDWF) in 2014.

The first APDW was held in 2001 under the Presidency of Professor Geoff Farrell as the organizing chairman in Sydney. It was a brilliantly organized meeting and held in a beautiful city. There was a distinct sense of euphoria of better things yet to come. Since its inauguration, the APDW has been rotated across a total of 14 cities, with Kobe, Taipei, Bangkok and Singapore having organized the meeting twice each. In 2002 and 2013, the APDW was organized in Bangkok and Shanghai in conjunction with the World Congresses of Gastroenterology. Without exception, they have all been wonderful meetings.

The meeting was administered by a steering committee with membership from the four founder Asian Pacific Associations: APSDE (Asian Pacific Society of Digestive Endoscopy), APASL (Asian Pacific Association of Study of Liver), APAGE (Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology) and the ISDS-AP (International Society of Digestive Surgery – Asia Pacific). In 2010, the APDWF was incorporated as a company in Hong Kong with our registered office based in Hong Kong. The APDWF Board consisted of 12 members, 3 from each sister Asian Pacific organization. From within the Board, executive committee members including the President, Secretary General and treasurer were elected. The executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day running of the APDWF. The Meeting Lab has provided loyal secretarial services from 2003. From 2014, all secretarial services have been formalized with contractual terms.

My involvement in Asian Pacific gastroenterology has been through APAGE, where I had served for many years as Secretary General, Vice President and then as President from 2010-2014. In 2010, Malaysia organized a highly successful APDW in Kuala Lumpur. I was President of that meeting and we were overwhelmed by a truly wonderful support and response from faculty and delegates.

I assumed the position of President of APDWF in 2014. This year marks my swansong and I will step down as President of the APDWF at APDW Seoul 2018, having served the APDWF for 8 years.

The APDWF weaves together the aims of four sister Asian Pacific Associations: APSDE, APASL, APAGE and the ISDS-AP in coming together on an annual basis, to hold a combined scientific meeting on fields-gastroenterology, Hepatology, gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and GI and liver surgery, where there is intrinsically much shared and overlapping knowledge, clinical practices and research. In an age where there are many small speciality meetings, the APDW provides a unified platform in organizing a common meeting in Asia-Pacific.

But the success of the APDW also depends very much on the contribution of the component associations and societies. Over the almost 2 decades since its inception, the “earth has moved under our feet”. While the four sister organization are now well established within each broad field, many subspecialties have emerged. With expanding knowledge through research and clinical practices, many of these specialities have become established disciplines in their own right. We have groups that focus on inflammatory bowel disease, liver cancer, fatty liver, minimally invasive surgery and many subgroups on different aspects of therapeutic endoscopy. Younger members of our GI fraternity, often helm these groups and they will prove to be an incredible resource, who will contribute greatly to the progress of all these disciplines. But they must be heard! To this end, all sister organizations of the APDWF, must reflect and represent fully their respective disciplines in a fair and democratic way. The structure and system of running organizations in our region must evolve and change and or else we will risk becoming irrelevant!

The Asian Pacific region is a diverse continent and because of this very diversity, we have become enriched. Although the APDWF sets certain guidelines for organizing meetings, we have enjoyed the many different styles of organization (and different venues). Each local organizing committee brings a distinct flavour to the meeting and that is the special characteristic of the our APDWs. And all have poured their “heart and soul” in organizing the “best meeting ever” in their city. The APDWF will always be eternally grateful to the Presidents and members of all the local organizing committees. It is through your sterling efforts that the APDW has progressed to its current high status.

The APDW will continue to grow but the APDWF but also must continuously look into itself to make it stronger to better lead the Asian Pacific region and serve the local organizing committee of our beloved yearly APDW!

Mission & Structure

Advance science and education in gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and surgery for the benefit of public health.

Promote and co-ordinate, throughout Asia-Pacific countries and beyond, discussion and exchange of ideas and results relating to the diagnosis, treatment, research and prevention of digestive diseases.

To provide a suitable medium for the dissemination and discussions of the latest results in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy, digestive surgery and related subjects.

To promote and organize an annual scientific meeting: Asian Pacific Digestive Week (APDW) devoted to all aspects of digestive diseases.

The four regional bodies nominate three members each to sit in the Asian Pacific Digestive Week Federation‘s Board of Directors. This Committee is responsible for setting the regulations for the bidding and conduct of APDW Congresses and overseeing the scientific and financial contents of these congresses. Two sub-committees, namely, the Scientific Planning Committee and the Finance Committee are set-up to review the respective areas and recommend areas to enhance the scientific content and financial status to the Board of Directors. The final approval of the program and budget lies with the APDWF Board of Directors.

The Key Executive Committee members, namely, the President, Secretary General, Treasurer and an Executive Member, oversee the daily execution and administrative matters.