History
The Genetics Society of Thailand (GST) was firstly conceptualized from the landmark conference on “Genetics and Country Development” organized by Mahidol University on the November 27th – December 1st, 1978, at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital. As the chair of the conference organizing committee, Professor Supa Na-Nakorn, M.D., the Head of Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, invited more than 50 Thai geneticists and academics from the universities and institutes all over Thailand to participate in this conference. After extensive discussion, sharing and exchange of idea, information, and knowledge on the topic regarding how to implement and apply genetics for the country (Thailand) development, on the closing date of the conference (December 1st, 1978), the ‘Genetics Club of Thailand’ was established and Professor Supa Na-Nakorn was elected by the conference participants to take the position as the First President of the Club for the period of two years (1978-1980). At that time, many academics and geneticists, who participated in the conference, volunteered to be members of the executive committee of the Club, including Professor Khunying Soodsarkorn Tuchinda, M.D., who was the first Treasurer of the Club. After the first term, the Second Elected President was Associate Professor Arpornrat Rattanatarot from the Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, who took the presidential position for two terms in 1980 – 1982 and 1982 – 1984.
After this initiation and operation as the Genetics Club of Thailand for seven years, the key executive committee member of the Club – Assistant Professor Orasri Romyanan, M.D., from the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, took the important step in leveraging the Club to register it as ‘The Genetics Society of Thailand (GST)’ to the Office of the National Culture Commission on the November 16th, 1984. The late Professor Sumin Smutkupt, Ph.D., from the Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Kasetsart University, was the First President of GST, which, since then, the office is located at the Botany Building, Faculty of Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Road, Bangkok.
GST is regarded as an academic society. One of the main activities of GST is the co-organizer of the National Genetics Conference every two years. With the collaboration between GST and the universities in Thailand, each university rotates to be the co-organizer with GST, with the tradition of an alteration of the co-organizers, every two years, between the universities located in the central part and those located in the other parts of Thailand. GST also actively organizes meetings, trainings, seminars, workshops and conferences related to genetics and genetic research and education. GST is also active in publishing Thai Journal of Genetics and books related to genetics. Currently, GST has more than 600 members from all over Thailand.