Page 11 - Aspire April -2023 Vol 8 / Issue 2

UNDERPINNING ASPIRE’S OBJECTIVES
Publication
ASPIRE represents members from many countries with differences in religion, politics and economics. Assisted reproductive technology services in each country are also different. Therefore, effective communication between countries is very important.
ASPIRE achieves this through many levels including Board, Special Interest Group (SIG) and Education Committee meetings. Academic meetings also provide vital communication platforms, for example our ASPIRE Annual Congresses, master classes, certificate courses, regional meetings and webinars.
Our journal Fertility & Reproduction also enables academic communication while the ASPIRE Newsletter is a direct digital communication tool for members. Its editorial components include:
• reports from ASPIRE’s President, Board or Secretariat;
• news and updates from the Education Committee;
• timely and relevant information from the various SIGs;
• advice about academic meetings, master classes and
certificate courses; and
• news from country representatives about local
academic activities.
Professor Nares Sukcharoen, Chair of the Publication Committee, said: “Importantly, the ASPIRE Newsletter is not about one-way communication. We look for news and information that is relevant to the broader membership, so we value input from members to share knowledge and support each other.
“We want to feature more news about innovative reproductive technologies and techniques. Sources of this news may come from Fertility & Reproduction, research reported at ASPIRE Congresses and topics from SIGs, master classes etc.
“Member countries can use the newsletter to address particular problems or challenges, or to share their experiences. A current example is the response to declining birth rates in ASPIRE countries.”
Fertility & Reproduction
For ASPIRE to “come of age” it was recognised that it needed its own biomedical publication modelled on the respected international journals Fertility & Sterility and Human Reproduction.
Fertility & Reproduction was introduced to feature articles every quarter showcasing outstanding work in reproductive medicine in the Asia Pacific region.
F&R Editor-in-Chief, Professor Gab Kovacs AM, said since its inception the journal had accepted 100 papers from 153 submitted.
After being submitted, each paper is allocated to an Associate Editor who then recruits referees to assess
the work. The referees make recommendations, and
the Associate Editor determines whether to accept the paper as is, or with minor or major revisions, or to reject the work.
Professor Kovacs said F&R had applied for PubMed listing which would elevate its status globally as a journal of excellence in reproductive medicine in the Asia Pacific.
F&R is free to read without submission making it accessible to all. For every paper that appears in F&R, a corresponding abstract is featured in the national language of the author to that it could be circulated among colleagues in that particular country.
Anyone interested in submitting a manuscript to F&R is encouraged to visit http://aspire-reproduction.org/ fertilityreproduction.fr/
Accreditation
The Accreditation Committee is responsible for approving workshops and seminars conducted by ASPIRE.
Chair Dr Haroon Latif said the committee works with ASPIRE Special Interest Groups and other bodies to scrutinise content ensuring that it meets specific standards for accreditation. It operates with two sub-committees – Embryology and Clinical – comprising representatives from various ASPIRE member countries.
The focus of the Embryology sub-committees in on laboratory-related programs while the Clinical Sub- Committee concentrates on clinical content.
Dr Latif said the Accreditation Committee also had wider responsibilities including drafting guidelines for the operation of assisted reproductive technology units across the region.
“ASPIRE represents a very diverse membership and we are working to ensure quality care standards are applied in the various countries,” he explained.
Australasian IVF units operate under an audited Code of Practice administered by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC), a professional group of the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand. Some ART units in Asian Pacific countries, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and China, have also embraced an RTAC International Code of Practice.
Dr Latif said the guidelines being developed by the Accreditation Committee aimed to assist units in all ASPIRE countries to maximise quality patient centred care.
“ASPIRE also wishes to present a certification program for embryologists and the Accreditation Committee, in collaboration with the Embryology Special Interest Group, is working on a curriculum for this purpose,” he added.
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