Award Winner (Michael Korczynski Award) 2023: Izumi Saitoh, PhD

I first became aware of PDA in the late 1970s. At that time, I had just begun research and development of injectables. I was researching papers on freeze-dried formulations and came across the PDA journal. Although it was not a major journal by any means, it contained many valuable papers on sterile preparations. Later, the Japan Chapter was established in 1990, and I joined the chapter.

I became involved in PDA activities in earnest around 1995 when the investigational drug GMP research group assumed leadership of Japan's investigational drug GMP.

Japan had not yet established an organization for quality assurance of pharmaceuticals, and the concept of quality assurance was still in its infancy. The Chapter has been greatly promoting quality assurance of pharmaceuticals in Japan in cooperation with the headquarters, and I am proud to have been able to participate in this.

During this process, the number of members in Japan increased significantly to nearly 1,000 people. As a result, the chapter's ability to take action has increased, and the number of global information dissemination and events has increased. This trend will continue to grow in the future. I would like to cooperate with this as well.