Dear members, officers, and sponsors of Korean-American Society in Biotech and Pharmaceuticals (KASBP):
Greetings from Soo-Hee Park, the 17th president of KASBP for a year since July 1, 2020. I wish you and your family are staying strong and safe despite the hot summer weather and the challenges of COVID-19.
Above all, I would like to thank the former executive team, including Dr. Stephan Suh and the executive officers for their service last year. Thanks to your hard work and sacrifice, KASBP has grown one step higher, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Now, expecting your continuing support and advice, I am excited to take on the great mission that you handed over.
My fellow KASBP members, officers, and sponsors. The COVID-19 pandemic is now sweeping across the world and it has brought us a very different day compared to the one we used to live before. It is truly hard to predict when vaccines and treatments will come out and calm down this turmoil. Furthermore, probably the biggest infliction is that our existing foundation for knowledge sharing and networking of new drug development through various forms of meetings is being seriously undermined. So how does KASBP get through these difficulties wisely? How do we ensure that our endeavors so far are not wasted?
As the British historian Arnold Toynbee defined, the human history can be thought in terms of given challenges and our responses to them. I would like to address together with you the challenge that we are currently facing, COVID-19, which makes it extremely uncertain to run conventional KASBP meetings and operations. What I can promise is that we will abide by our very original mission, which is to cultivate a healthy ecosystem where we can exchange our knowledge and thoughts with pharmaceutical experts working in the U.S. and Korea, and build strong relationships among members. By doing so, we can continue to help each other and grow in our respective professional fields together. The new administration team including the executive officers and myself are planning Virtual Fall Symposium and other activities for the new term. The details of symposium will follow.
In the novel "Three Musketeers" by French novelist Alexandre Dumas, there's a famous chant from the main characters. 'One for All, All for One.' I would like to end my inaugural address by shouting this with you in our minds. Please remember. KASBP exists for you, for your own growth. Likewise, KASBP was and still is founded upon your participation and dedication. Thank you for loving and supporting KASBP until now. We ask for your continued interest and participation in the future as well.
Soo-Hee Park, Ph.D.
The 17th president of KASBP
