History
In the Asian Region, the Asian Regional Cooperative Council for Nuclear Medicine (ARCCNM) was formed in 2000, initiated by China, Japan, and Korea with the main aim of fostering the spread of Nuclear Medicine in Asia. In February 2003, the Asian School of Nuclear Medicine (ASNM) was formed, with the ARCCNM as the parent body. ASNM is the educational and training arm of ARCCNM in the Region.
In its inception, Dr. Felix Sundram of Singapore became its first dean, followed by Dr. Shuji Tanada of Japan. In September 2007 during the ARCCNM Meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Dr. Teofilo San Luis, Jr. of the Philippines, took over as its third dean. He was re-elected as dean at the ARCCNM Meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in December 2010.
Objective
ASNM aims to facilitate the spread of knowledge in Nuclear Medicine from the more developed countries to the less developed ARCCNM Member States within the Region. The School aims to do this by:
- fostering education in Nuclear Medicine in the Asian countries, particularly the less developed ones;
- promoting training of Nuclear Medicine physicians, technologists, radiopharmacists, medical physicists and other allied professionals; in cooperation with government agencies, universities, national societies and industry partners;
- assisting in national and regional training courses, awarding continuing professional education (CPE) points, and providing regional experts for advanced educational programs;
- standardizing Nuclear Medicine education and training throughout ARCCNM Member States;
- working towards awarding diplomas or degrees/continuing education (CE) units in association with recognized universities/hospitals by distance learning, practical attachments and other scholarly activities.
From its establishment, ASNM has been actively involved in several teaching courses and activities. It has initiated some National Training Programs in Nuclear Medicine, and has spearheaded Educational Sessions in various Regional & National Congresses.
Furthermore, ASNM has initiated the survey of training programs in Member States, which will be critical in the development of a template for a Standardized Program for Nuclear Medicine for the region. Data collection on human resources (MD, PhD, Tech, etc), equipment & instrumentation, procedures, and training formats is likewise part of the effort to come up with a Standardized Training Program.
In its goal to promote Nuclear Medicine education within the region, ASNM has interfaced with other organizations like the IAEA, WFNMB, AOFNMB, RCA-RO, NKM, ANENT, WNU, and ESNM.
Moving forward
As Nuclear Medicine moves into the future, ASNM is faced with a number of challenges, among which are:
- Vastness of the Asian continent;
- Inhomogeneity of NM infrastructure & practices;
- Different levels of development & training;
- Dependence on outside sources for instrumentation & parts, radiopharmaceutical supplies & materials translating into higher costs;
- Absent or inadequate logistical support for continuing education;
- Difficulty in accessing nuclear information technology for utilization in developing countries;
- Infrequency of educational courses & scientific congresses held within the Region;
- In coordinated approaches to training requirements of physicians, technologists and other NM professionals;
- Lack of designated Centers of Competence (CoC) as hubs for regional training
- Although faced with these challenges, ASNM is determined to achieve its goals in as far as it can reach, and in the shortest possible time. Like the shadow that moves with the body, ASNM will march into the future in synchrony with the rest of the Nuclear Medicine World.
