The idea to form this Association emerged during the 17th CINP (Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum) held in Kyoto in 1990. A number of leading researchers from various parts of the Pacific Rim region, including Professors Wen-Ho-Chang (Taiwan), Ted Inaba (Canada), Werner Kalow (Canada), Saburo Takahashi (Japan) and Siu-Wa Tang (USA), were present at this inaugural meeting. Soon after the inaugural meeting, the Association was established and incorporated as a non-profit professional organization. The Constitution and Bylaws were drafted at the Tokyo meeting (November 1993) and approved subsequently. The goals of the Association were (1) to promote the study of clinical pharmacogenetics among populations living in the Pacific Rim Region; (2) to facilitate the exchange and dissemination of information and ideas; (3) to create training and educational opportunities; (4) to build a network across the Pacific Rim for collaborative research; and (5) to liaison with governmental, industrial and university offices and other interest groups for promoting and coordinating research. Since its inception, the Association has made significant progress in most of these areas, especially in regard to promoting free exchange of scientific expertise and ideas, training, establishing collaborations, launching successful international conferences and increasing public awareness on pharmacogenetics and inter-ethnic differences in drug effects. Kyoto, Japan September 12, 1990 Inaugural Meeting; held in conjunction with the 17th CINP (Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum). Los Angeles, California October 23-24, 1991; Co-Sponsored by UCLA and UC Irvine; held in conjunction with the 43rd Institute on Hospital & Community Psychiatric conference, American Psychiatric Association. Tokyo, Japan November 19, 1993; Sponsored by the Shiga University of Medical Science. Toronto, Canada July 22, 1994; Sponsored by the University of Toronto; held in conjunction with the 10th International Symposium on Microsomes an Drug Oxidations. San Diego, California May 18, 1997; Co-Sponsored by UCLA and UC Irvine; held in conjuction with the 150th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association and the 8th Scientific Meeting of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists. Toronto, Canada May 31, 1998; Sponsored by the University of Toronto; held in conjunction with the 151st Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. Taipei, Taiwan April 14-15, 1999; Supported by the National Science Council, Department of Health, and the Society of Psychiatry. Los Angeles, California March 13-14, 2000, Sponsored by UCI, UCLA, and the Veterans Affairs Mental Illness Education, Research and Clinical Center. Hong Kong October 19-20, 2001, Sponsored by the University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong. Osaka, Japan December 13-14, 2002, Sponsored by Osaka University in conjunction with the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Clinical Pharmacology. Los Angeles, California November 3-4, 2003, Sponsored by UCLA, and UCI; held in conjunction with the 2nd Annual Meeting of the International Society of Pharmacogenomics as an official satellite of the American Society of Human Genetics. Kyoto, Japan April 17-18, 2005, Sponsored by Dokkyo University School of Medicine. Changsha, China June 28-30, 2006, Sponsored by Central South University, China; held in conjunction with the International Conference on Pharmacogenetics as an official sattelite of the IUPHAR 2006. Busan, Korea April 9-11, 2008, held in conjunction with the International Conference on Pharmacogenetics; Hosted by Korean Pharmacogenomics Reseach Network and Pharmacogenomics Reseach Center, lnje University, Korea. Hong Kong, October, 2009