On November 16, 2024, the General Assembly of the World Association for Integrative Oncology (WAIO) was successfully held in Xi'an, China, bringing together over 120 esteemed members from nearly 70 countries. The event marked a a significant milestone in global collaboration within the field of oncology.
As the moderator, Professor Ying Wang, Vice President of the China Anti-Cancer Association (CACA) has extended a warm welcome to WAIO members from around the world. WAIO was founded a year earlier at the 2023 Chinese Congress of Holistic Integrative Oncology in Tianjin, where 16 members from 16 countries launched the initiative. Since then, WAIO's membership has grown to 120 members from 60 countries.
Professor Daiming Fan, Founder of WAIO and President of CACA, provided an overview of the WAIO’s establishment and its global significance. “Eliminate cancer should be the common pursuit of all mankind,” he stated.–Professor Fan emphasized that WAIO’s establishment is a critical step in advancing integrative oncology globally, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in comprehensive cancer care. –He introduced the concept of “holistic medicine”, which treats human as a whole, and called for unified efforts from scientists, oncologist, medical students, and the public to face the cancer challenge in the spirit of solidarity by integrating theories in various fields and disciplines and clinical experience.
WAIO, a non-profit and non-governmental international academic organization, aims to apply the holistic medicine approach to break the bottleneck in oncology development, create a new system of integrated oncology, and ultimately achieve the goals of enhancing global cancer prevention and control and eliminating cancer. Professor Fan stressed that since its inception, WAIO has been committing to combining the essence of traditional medicine with the wisdom of integrative medicine to innovate a new system of holistic integrated oncology. “The establishment of WAIO is not only the practice of an idea but also a response to the call for change in cancer treatment, serving as a catalyst for paradigm shifts in the field of oncology.”
The General Assembly of WAIO resulted in several key developments::
The WAIO Constitution was approved and adopted.
Professor Ying Wang read out the Constitution, which clearly stipulates the association's purpose, organizational structure, member rights and obligations, meeting system, and other relevant aspects. The adoption of the Constitution marks the official establishment of WAIO and lays a solid foundation for its future development.
A new leadership team was elected.
After nominations by Prof. Fan and Prof. Wnag and voting by all member representatives, the congress successfully elected a new leadership team for WAIO. Professor Daiming Fan was unanimously elected as the Chairman, with 19 Board of Directors from 19 countries across five continents. This diverse leadership team will inject new vitality and momentum into the future development of WAIO.
Matti Aapro (Switzerland), President of Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC)
Gamal Amira (Egypt), Director of National Cancer Institute Cairo University
Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu (Nigeria), President-elect of Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)
Partha Basu (India), Head of the Cancer Early Detection, Prevention & Infections Branch at the International Agency for Research on Cancer
Tsetsegsaikhan Batmunkh (Mongolia), Founder & CEO of National Cancer Council of Mongolia
Rene Bernards (Netherlands), President of Netherlands Cancer Institute(NCI)
Yihai Cao (Sweden), Professor of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Eduardo Cazap (Argentina), Past President of Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)
Mauricio M Costa (Brazil), Member of National Academy of Medicine
Dorothy Keefe (Australia), CEO of Cancer Australia
Anne Lee (Hong Kong, China), Deputy Hospital Chief Executive of University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital
Alexander Mundinger (Germany), Director of Niels-Stensen Clinics, Osnabrueck
Balázs Rozványi (Hungary), President of Hungarian League Against Cancer
Florian Scotte (France), President of Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)
Jinsil Seong (South Korea), Professor Emeritus of Yonsei University
Yogendra P. Singh (Nepal), Professor of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital
Susannah Stanway (United Kingdom), President of London Global Cancer Week (LGCW)
Cunyu Wang (United States of America), Distinguished Professor of School of Dentistry of University of California, Los Angeles
Yuzhuo Wang (Canada), Full Professor of The University of British Columbia
In addition to the elected Board members, the following officers were appointed by President Fan and passed unanimously by WAIO members :
Treasurer: Zongjie Zhao, Limited Executive Vice President of Hong Kong and Macao anti-cancer Association
Secretary-General: Ying Wang, Vice President of CACA, Vice President of ICPC, General Secretary of AOS
Collaboration with New Partner
WAIO singed MoU and entered into a Strategic Partnership Agreement with OncoDaily, a renowned global oncology media platform, to advance integrative oncology and foster global collaboration in cancer care and research. OncoDaily will serve as WAIO’s Official Media Partner, enhancing the visibility and impact of WAIO’s annual meetings.
Future work plans were formulated.
WAIO's establishment aims to apply the holistic medicine approach to break the bottleneck in oncology development and create a new system. Delegates expressed their commitment to actively contribute to the development of this new system and to advance the global oncology field.
In his inaugural speech, President Daiming Fan delivered a passionate address. "Together, we will write the next great chapter in the history of cancer treatment." Looking ahead, Chairman Fan noted that the road ahead is full of hope and potential but also accompanied by challenges. He emphasized that we are not alone but a global family united by a common goal. He called on everyone to continue to embody the spirits of unity and innovation, making WAIO the beacon of hope and catalyst for change in the field of integrative oncology.
The successful General Assembly of WAIO further solidified WAIO's prominent role in the global oncology landscape. In the future, WAIO will continue to uphold the principles of unity, cooperation, and common development, promoting the development and progress of the global oncology field and bringing more hope and benefits to cancer patients worldwide.
