History & Messages

History

History of AOSBI

The journey of the Asian Oceanian Society of Breast Imaging (AOSBI) began nearly a decade ago. After completing my breast imaging fellowship in Canada and returning to Asia, I realised that despite the growing burden of breast cancer, there was a significant gap in specialised breast imaging education and training across our region. While many countries had dedicated clinicians eager to improve breast care, access to structured training, mentorship, and collaboration remained limited.

Having personally spent a year abroad to receive fellowship training bearing loss of income for a year, I understood that such opportunities were not feasible for many colleagues because of personal, financial, geographical, or institutional barriers. This inspired me to dedicate a significant part of my career to education and to begin sharing knowledge through workshops, conferences, and training programmes across Asia.

During these travels, I witnessed remarkable commitment from clinicians but also considerable variations in breast care. In some regions, women were still undergoing fine-needle aspiration or excision biopsy instead of a simple core needle biopsy for suspected breast cancer. These experiences reinforced the urgent need to strengthen education, promote evidence-based practice, and create greater opportunities for learning within our own region.

Along the way, I met many outstanding breast imagers from different Asian countries who shared the same passion for education and collaboration. Together, we envisioned a society that would unite breast imaging professionals across Asia and Oceania to promote education, research, mentorship, and collaboration with a single mission—to improve breast care for women throughout our region.

This vision gained momentum during the planning of the first Singapore Breast Imaging Conference (SBIC) 2024. Colleagues from multiple countries enthusiastically embraced the idea, and a series of online meetings followed. These discussions focused on defining the society's vision and mission, drafting the constitution, developing the organisational structure, establishing membership categories, conducting voting processes, and laying the foundation for a sustainable professional society. Many of these founding members also travelled to Singapore for SBIC 2024, where the first in-person discussions further strengthened our collective commitment.

After months of thoughtful planning, collaboration, and unanimous support from the founding members, the Asian Oceanian Society of Breast Imaging (AOSBI) was officially registered in January 2026. The society was founded by a dedicated group of breast imaging professionals united by a shared purpose—to advance breast imaging through education, research, collaboration, and mentorship, and ultimately improve the quality of breast care across Asia and Oceania.

AOSBI continues to grow through the passion and commitment of its members. What began as a shared vision has evolved into a regional movement, bringing together professionals who believe that by learning together, supporting one another, and working across borders, we can create lasting improvements in breast imaging and breast health for generations to come.

Long live AOSBI!!!!

President's Message

Dr. Niketa Chotai, President - AOSBI

It is my great honor to welcome you to the Asian Oceanian Society of Breast Imaging (AOSBI).

Breast cancer remains one of the most significant health challenges affecting women across Asia and Oceania. At the same time, our region is characterized by remarkable diversity in population demographics, healthcare infrastructure, access to imaging technologies, and clinical expertise. Recognizing these unique challenges and opportunities, AOSBI was established to create a collaborative regional platform dedicated to advancing breast imaging.

The mission of AOSBI is to promote excellence in breast imaging through education, research, and professional collaboration. By bringing together radiologists, clinicians, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals, we aim to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise that can improve breast cancer detection, diagnosis, and patient care throughout the region.

Education and capacity building are central to our efforts. Through congresses, workshops, training courses, webinars, and collaborative academic initiatives, AOSBI seeks to strengthen breast imaging expertise across countries with varying levels of resources and healthcare systems.

A major long-term vision of AOSBI is to support the development of regional breast imaging recommendations and practice guidelines that are scientifically robust, relevant to Asian populations, and adaptable to the diverse healthcare environments within Asia and Oceania. Such guidelines will aim to bridge the gap between global evidence and practical implementation, ensuring that breast imaging practices remain both evidence-based and resource-appropriate.

AOSBI also aims to foster multicenter research collaborations that address questions particularly relevant to our region, including population-specific disease patterns, screening strategies, and cost-effective imaging solutions.

Looking ahead, we envision AOSBI evolving into a leading regional voice in breast imaging — a platform that promotes innovation, supports young professionals, and strengthens partnerships with international organizations such as the Society of Breast Imaging, Canadian Society of Breast Imaging and the European Society of Breast Imaging.

The success of AOSBI will ultimately depend on the enthusiasm and engagement of its members and partners. Together, we can shape a future where high-quality breast imaging, early detection, and equitable breast healthcare are accessible to women throughout Asia and Oceania.

I warmly invite you to join us on this journey.