On behalf of the Korean Pancreatobiliary Association (KPBA), it is a great honor and pleasure to invite you to the “International Conference of Korean Pancreatobiliary Association 2022 (IC-KPBA 2022)” which will be held in Seoul, Korea on April 22 and 23, 2022.

Since 2011, KPBA has been holding international conferences both independently and as a joint conference. KPBA has successfully hosted the Joint Meeting of International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) & KPBA in 2013, and organized the Joint Meeting of Asian-Oceanic Pancreatic Association (AOPA) & KPBA in 2011 and in 2018. IC-KPBA, which is KPBA’s own international conference, began in 2015 and is held biennially. Through these meetings and conferences, KPBA has built strong connections with many renowned experts in pancreatobiliary disorders.

Considering the current situation of COVID-19, it is unclear whether on-site meeting will be possible in April 2022, and is also difficult to anticipate whether entry restriction into Korea for overseas participants will be lifted or eased by then. Therefore, after much deliberation, the organizing committee has decided to hold the IC-KPBA 2022 as both offline and online conference.

Even though the conference is to be carried out in a hybrid format, we believe that IC-KPBA 2022 will once again provide a great opportunity to discuss recent progress in many aspects of the pancreatobiliary system, integrating both clinical and basic research. With the aim to provide quality care beyond borders, various programs have been prepared including live demonstrations, symposia covering the latest advancements, experiences and updates on current knowledge, and lively discussions on the future of pancreatobiliary system. We expect that IC-KPBA 2022 will also serve to encourage international cooperation between members of KPBA and all participants in solidifying friendship as well as professional collaborations in a difficulty and challenging times we are going through.

We hope to meet our friends and colleagues of the pancreatobiliary communities face-to-face if circumstances permit, but if not, we will be looking forward to seeing you virtually in April 2022.

Respectfully yours,