Dear SIOP Asia Members,

I am writing to share an important personal update and transition for our region. I would like to formally announce that I will be stepping down early from my role as SIOP Asia President to focus on my candidacy for Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Nominations for the new SIOP Asia President are now open.

Serving this community has been an honour, and I want to reflect on what we have achieved together across SIOP’s largest region:

Asia spans 47 countries and explicitly stands as the fastest-growing and largest regional branch within SIOP—a testament to our vibrant, expanding community dedicated to advancing childhood cancer care and research.

Here are a few key milestones from our journey together:

📈 Regional Growth & Country Ambassadors

  • Fastest-Growing Region: Demonstrating our rapid expansion, Uzbekistan alone grew from just 6 members in 2024 to 220 in 2025, reaching 291 members in 2026!
  • 45 Ambassadors actively representing 27 countries across Asia.
  • Pan-Asia Educational Webinars led directly by our Ambassador from Thailand to share clinical expertise across borders.

🎯 SIOP Asia 2026 Congress in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

  • 242 attendees gathered from 46 countries.
  • 240 scientific presentations delivered by 145 expert speakers.

🤝 Connecting Our Community Across Asia

  • SIOP Asia Meet-Ups: Engaged over 1,000 total participants across our 2025 and 2026 meet-up series, including 9 regional Meet-Ups across 8 countries in mid-2026 alone.
  • Interactive Clinical Webinars: Connecting over 100 participants per session.

🚀 Looking Ahead:

  • 📅 Next Educational Webinar: Advancing Paediatric Liver Tumor Care(October 15, 2026).
  •  SIOP Asia 2027 Congress in Uzbekistan: Abstract submissions are officially OPEN!
  • 📣 Leadership Opportunities: Keep an eye out for upcoming announcements regarding nominations for the next SIOP Asia President, as well as applications for the SIOP Asia 2027 Scientific Programme Advisory Working Group and Country Ambassador positions.
  • Continuing with strong support for Asia activities and to the Asia Board from the SIOP Secretariat- thank you!

As I step into this next chapter to advocate for global health equity and paediatric oncology on the world stage, I do so with full confidence in the future of SIOP Asia. Thank you to all members, ambassadors, and partners for connecting minds and strengthening care!

Sincerely,

Gevorg Tamamyan

SIOP Asia President