Dear ASNO Members, friends,

It is an honour to serve as President of the Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (ASNO). I am grateful for the trust placed in me and consider it a privilege to represent both our professional community and the patients and families across the Asia–Oceania region whom we serve.

The Asia–Oceania region bears a substantial share of the global central nervous system tumour burden, with international estimates indicating that over half of the world’s people living with these cancers are in Asia. This underscores ASNO’s responsibility to advocate for patients, address regional disparities, and advance care that is equitable and evidence-based. Since its inception in 2002, ASNO has fostered academic exchange through high-quality scientific meetings. As our field evolves, so must our society towards deeper collaboration, broader engagement, and greater impact. This is indeed a very exciting time for us as enter various formal collaborations with other key international organisations including European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) and the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) reflecting ASNO’s growing role within the global neuro-oncology community.

Our region is marked by remarkable diversity in healthcare systems, resources, and patient populations, including a large paediatric and adolescent/young adult (AYA) cohort. By working across countries and disciplines, ASNO can generate high-quality regional data, support innovative research, and address questions that are uniquely relevant to our region. We also need to identify and encourage various countries/regions within our vast geographies which are currently under represented to actively participate and contribute to ASNO.

A key priority also will be mentorship and leadership development for young clinicians and scientists, ensuring that the next generation is equipped to lead advances in neuro-oncology across Asia and Oceania. We will expand our educational activities through both in-person and virtual platforms, while strengthening membership engagement, widening representation from across Asia, encouraging the involvement of patient advocates, and fostering responsible industry partnerships to ensure long-term sustainability.

I remain grateful to all my illustrious colleagues, pioneers and past ASNO Congress Chairs, who have been instrumental in setting up of society, its progress over the years, a milestone reformation processes a few years ago and then the hard work and leadership of two of our immediate Past Presidents, Prof Ryo Nishikawa and Prof Se-Hyuk Kim. I hope to continue the legacy with renewed fervour and seek your support in furthering the society’s cause.

ASNO represents a collective of dedicated clinicians and researchers committed to advancing the field of neuro-oncology. I invite each of you to actively engage with the society as we build on its strong foundations and work together with shared purpose.

With best wishes and warm regards,

Rakesh Jalali, MD, FRCP, FICRO President, Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (ASNO)