Pioneer European Hair Research Society celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2019. Dominique van Neste
organised its first meeting in Brussels, and its first president, Rodney Dawber, inspired both clinical
research and the study of hair fibre science. Early developmental biology pioneers, Colin Jahoda and Roy
Oliver, showed how important the dermal papilla is for hair regeneration, now a substantial area of
innovation all over the world.
American Hair Research Society (1990) held its founders meeting with a group of 13 dermatologists
dedicated to furthering research in hair-related disorders. The late David Whiting instilled the
importance of the scalp biopsy in diagnosing causes of hair shedding and more recently, stem cell
biology research ‘borrowed’ the hair follicle after the significance of the ‘bulge’ was proposed by
George Cotsarelis in the early 1990’s leading to the understanding of stem cells in skin.
Society for Hair Science Research-Japan (1993) founded by Hideoki Ogawa, has since encouraged strong
international collaboration and researcher exchanges, with important emphasis on developing approaches
to treatments for hair loss through understanding the potential of dermal papilla cells in regenerative
medicine.
Australasian Hair and Wool Research Society (1995) founded by Rod Sinclair, George Rogers and Les Jones,
spurred on by the growth and commercial importance of the wool industry in Australia and New Zealand is
still contributing the basis for understanding fibre structure and texture, as well as providing some of
the earliest studies in the biology of the follicle.
The first Intercontinental Meeting of Hair Research Societies (IMHRS) was hosted by the European Hair
Research Society, with Congress President, Dominique van Neste 1995 in Brussels, Belgium. There were
five participating hair research societies including: European Hair Research Society (EHRS) (founded
1989), the American Hair Research Society [at the time was the North American Hair Research Society
(NAHRS), founded 1989], The Society for Hair Science Research (SHSR) (Japan, founded 1993), Australasian
Hair and Wool Research Society (AHWRS) (founded 1997), and Korean Hair Research Society (KHRS) (founded
1998). The clinical, basic and industry scientist-members of these organizationsьparticipated as
lecturers and attendees.
Korean Hair Research Society (1998), founded by dermatologist Byung In Ro, originally as part of the
Korean Dermatological Association and then as an independent society in 2004. Won Soo Lee has since
ensured the Korean hair research community made a global impact through a World Congress in 2014 and
advances in clinical evaluation methods for androgenetic alopecia, relevant in South East Asia.
In 2013, the 5 hair research societies, including European Hair Research Society; (EHRS), American Hair
Research Society (AHRS), the Society for Hair Science Research (SHSR), Australasian Hair and Wool
Research Society (AHWRS), and Korean Hair Research Society (KHRS) joined together to establish the
IFHRS.
The consolidation of specialists interested in hair research, the integration of domestic specialists
into the global trichological community and the popularization of the Eastern European clinical and
scientific school became the main prerequisites for the creation of the Ukrainian Hair Research Society.
Thanks to the consolidating role of professional trichological communities, the Ukrainian team became
one of the key organizers, the ideological mastermind and ally of the 17th Congress of EHRS2016 and has
currently united more than 600 members.
UHRS IN IFHRS. The World Congress for Hair Research WCHR2019 in Sitges (Spain) become historical
milestones for the UHRS, at which the Ukrainian Hair Research Society was accepted by the Board of the
International Federation of Hair Research Societies (IFHRS) into the international trichological family.
IFHRS membership for all UHRS members, is the greatest honor and award, which will give us an incentive
to further improve our activities in the field of the national trichology, to promote and implement the
ideas of the leading international hair research societies and make a contribution into the development
of the hair science and give the IFHRS an opportunity to expand its geographic areal of fundamental and
clinical research of hair.
