The Southeast Asian Western Pacific Regional Federation of Pharmacologists (SEAWP-RFP)

The SEAWP-RFP includes the pharmacological societies (and their members) of countries that lie between longitudes 90° and 180º east of Greenwich.

In this respect, pharmacology is considered to comprise pharmacology, clinical pharmacology, toxicology and clinical toxicology, and branches of pharmacology such as pharmacogenomics. It also includes the scientific study of traditional medicines and natural products with pharmacological activity, areas in which the region has a rich tradition.

The SEAWP-RFP was founded by Professors Koroku Hashimoto (Japan) and Michael Rand (Australia) in 1972. Professors Hashimoto and Rand served as the first two presidents of the Federation (from 1976-2001). Professor Rand was succeeded as president by Professor Masao Endoh (2002-2007). The current president is Professor John Miners. The Federation held its first Regional Scientific Meeting, under the auspices of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR; www.iuphar.org), in Singapore in 1976. Statutes were drafted and adopted during the 8^th Regional Meeting (Taipei, 1999), and the SEAWP-RFP was formally affiliated with IUPHAR in 2001.

Member societies

Membership is available to pharmacological societies in the SEAWP-RFP region that are affiliated to IUPHAR, and is contingent on the vote of the membership of each Society in accord with its statues to join the Federation. Each member of an affiliated Society automatically becomes a member of the Federation. The Federation has no authority to intervene in the internal affairs of member societies unless requested by a majority of the membership of that Society.

Current member societies include:

Individual membership may be granted to pharmacologists in parts of the region that do not have a pharmacological society affiliated with IUPHAR, provided that such persons undertake to work towards the formation of a local Society and eventually its affiliation with IUPHAR.

Corporate membership is available to commercial and government organisations operating within the region.

Member societies pay an annual subscription to the Federation based on a scale designated by IUPHAR.

SEAWP-RFP Objectives 

• The advancement of research, teaching and community service in pharmacology
• The fostering of cooperation between Pharmacological Societies and pharmacologists in the region
• Encouragement of the formation of special interest groups in areas of pharmacology that are of interest and significance to the region
• Encouragement of free association between pharmacologists of the region, including the holding of regional meetings on a regular basis
• Liaison with relevant international organisations, particularly IUPHAR
• Liaison with other relevant biomedical organisations in the region and in the Pacific rim (e.g. the Western Pharmacological Society)

Governance

The Executive Committee and Council of the SEAWP-RFP hold office for the period between regional meetings and conduct the affairs of the Federation during that time. The Executive Committee is elected at the Business Meeting of each Regional Meeting by a majority vote of the representatives of the member societies and is comprised of the President, 1^st Vice-President (President-elect) and Secretary-General/Treasurer (2^nd Vice-President). All past presidents become emeritus members of the Executive.

The Council includes a nominee of each member society, generally the President, and has responsibility for maintaining the relationship between the member societies and the Federation. Council may also co-opt members from member societies, especially the convenors of future meetings, although a member society is limited to two positions on Council.

Executive 2008-2011

President – Professor John Miners, Clinical Pharmacology, Flinders University School of Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, Australia (john.miners@flinders.edu.au)

1^st 1st Vice-President (President-elect) – Professor Samuel HH Chan, Distinguished Chair Professor and Director, Center for Translational Research in Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital – Kaohsiung Medical Center, Taiwan (shhchan@adm.cgmh.org.tw)

Secretary-General/Treasurer (2nd Vice-President) – Professor Masayoshi Mishina, Molecular Neurobiology and Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan (mishina@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp)

Emeritus member (past-President) – Professor Masao Endoh, Emeritus Professor, Yamagata University, Japan
(mendou@med.id.yamagata-u.ac.jp)

Council 2008-2011

Professor Francis Achike, Malaysian Society of Pharmacology and Physiology
Professor Wen-Chang Chang, Pharmacological Society in Taiwan

Professor Guan-Hua Du, Chinese Pharmacological Society 

Professor Masamitsu Iino, Japanese Pharmacological Society (Organiser of the 11^th SEAWP-RFP Meeting)

Professor Kathleen M Knights, Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists

Professor Zhi-Bin Lin, Chinese Pharmacological Society

Associate Professor Jintana Sattayasai, Pharmacological and Therapeutics Society of Thailand

Professor Brian Tomlinson, Hong Kong Pharmacology Societ

SEAWP Regional Meetings of Pharmacologists

SEAWP-RFP meetings are held every three to four years. Federation sponsored workshops and other meetings are encouraged in the intervening years. Venues, years and organisers of previous meetings are given below:

• 10^th Meeting, 2007, Adelaide, Australia (Chair – John O. Miners). Host Society, Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists
• 9^th Meeting, 2003, Busan, South Korea (Chair – Kyung Hwan Kim). Host Society, Korean Society of Pharmacology.
• 8^th Meeting, 1999, Taiwan (Co-Chairs – Che-Ming Teng and Samuel HH Chan). Host Society, Pharmacological Society in Taiwan
• 7^th Meeting, 1995, Manila, the Philippines (Chair – Esperanza I. Cabral). Host Society, Philippines Society of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology
• 6^th Meeting, 1991, Hong Kong (Chair – Clive W. Ogle). Host Society, Hong Kong Pharmacology Society
• 5^th Meeting, 1988, Beijing, China (Chair – Wang Zhen-Gang). Host Society, Chinese Pharmacological Society
• 4^th Meeting, 1985, Bangkok, Thailand (Chair – Chiravat Sadavongvivad). Host Society, Pharmacological and Therapeutics Society of Thailand
• 3^rd Meeting, 1982, Penang, Malaysia
• 2^nd Meeting, 1979, Indonesia
• 1^st Meeting, 1976, Singapore

Future SEAWP-RFP Meetings

• 11^th Meeting – Japan, 2011. Hosted by the Japanese Pharmacological Society
• 12^th Meeting, Shanghai, China, 2015. Hosted by the Chinese Pharmacological Society
• 13^th Meeting, Thailand, 2019. Hosted by the Pharmacological and Therapeutics Society of Thailand