Dear colleagues and friends,

As my time as President of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies comes to an end, I wanted to take a moment to say a heartfelt thank you to all of you. Leading this incredible organization has truly been an honor, and it’s hard to believe how quickly the two years have passed.

The last month of my presidency has not been an easy one for me and many of you, as we lost three eminent quality-of-life scholars: Takashi Inoguchi, Ruut Veenhoven, and Richard Easterlin. We will miss them and will ensure that their work lives on within our society.

Looking back, I am proud of all the work we have accomplished together. Over the past two years, we have established the ISQOLS Academy to better integrate young researchers into our organization and held our first regional conference in Africa to make ISQOLS more accessible to quality-of-life researchers in the Southern Hemisphere. The in-person conferences in the Netherlands and Malaysia, as well as the virtual conference (which has become a regular part of our program), were a great success and have attracted a considerable number of participants. Additionally, we are grateful to have achieved our goal of reaching 500 active ISQOLS members in 2024.

It’s been inspiring to witness the dedication, passion, and expertise that everyone brings to the table and I love the community we’re building in which we support and help each other with a common goal: to contribute with our research to a greater happiness for a greater number of people. A special thank you goes to the ISQOLS Board of Directors for their unwavering support and collaboration over the past two years. I also want to express my deepest gratitude to Jill Johnson, whose exceptional leadership has been indispensable in ensuring the smooth running of our society. Your efforts have made all the difference, and I couldn’t have done this without you.

Even though I’m stepping down from the presidency, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll still be involved and continue contributing to ISQOLS. It’s with great confidence that I pass the baton to Stephanie Rossouw, who will be stepping into the role of President. I have no doubt that Stephanie’s leadership, vision, and commitment will continue to steer ISQOLS toward even greater success in the years to come. I look forward to seeing how she leads the society into its next chapter.

Thank you once again for everything. It’s been a true privilege to serve as your president and steward of ISQOLS, and I can’t wait to see all the wonderful things we will continue to achieve together.

All the best,

Martijn Burger

ISQOLS President, 2023-2024