Two keynote speakers delivered public lectures at the 12th APECSS conference. Wendy Mayer of Australian Lutheran College, University of Divinity, based in Adelaide, Australia, spoke on the Thursday evening. Here paper was entitled "Well-being, Therapy, and the Care for the Aged: What Does Early Christiaity Have to Say to Biomedicine Today". She was chaired by Kazuhiko Demura of Okayama University, our conference convenor. Jun Yamada, of Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka, Japan, spoke on the Saturday afternoon to close the conference. His address was entitled "Centres of Charitable Assistance: Xenodochia in Early Medieval Rome - From Results of Recent Archaeological Research." This session was chaired by Pauline Allen of Australian Catholic University in Brisbane.

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As well 34 other papers were presented in 15 sessions during the course of the conference. Speakers came from Japan, Russia, Australia, United States of America, Germany, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Croatia, South Korea, and Egypt. Our particular thanks go to Kazuhiko Demura for convening this conference and for the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems in Okayama University for hosting the conference. Thanks also to Rei and Wataru Hakamada and to the whole team of workers who made things go so smoothly. The reception at the J-Terrace Cafe was an excellent opportunity to renew old friendships and make some new ones. Kazuhiko's enthusiasm in showing off his city was experienced by all during the cultural excursion on the Friday afternoon to Kibitu Shrine, Kokubunji Temple, and Korakuen Gardens. The conference dinner at Ryoutei Restaurant in downtown Okayama was an exquisite and memorable evening of great delight 

 

At the start of the conference we paid tribute to the memory of Charles Kannengiesser, who died on 10 February 2018 in Montreal, Canada, at the age of 91. Charles and his late wife, Pamela Bright, had always been keen advocates and supporters of APECSS and Charles was the first ever keynote speaker at our first APECSS conference at Sacred Heart University in Tokyo, Japan, in 2004. His loss is greatly felt among our APECSS family.