Report from The Young Professionals Council
Chairperson and committee
Representative for Europe: Cvetanka Kochovska (North Macedonia)
Representative for Western Pacific: Maria Roussakis (Australia)
Representative for Western Pacific: Paula Janica M. Montañano (Philipinnes)
Representative for Eastern Mediterranean: Nour Almozain (Saudi Arabia)
Representative for Eastern Mediterranean: Zainab Harb (Bahrain)
Representative for South-East Asia: Saikat Mandal (India/UK)
Representative for Northern America: Tayler Van Denakker (USA)
Representative for Northern America: Poojan Joshi (Canada)
Representative for Latin America: Jannison Ribeiro (Brazil)
Representative for Africa: Abiy Ambaye (Ethiopia)
Meetings and Teleconferences
TThe YPC continued to meet virtually on a monthly basis to exchange updates, discuss new ideas, and plan future activities to support and strengthen the global young professionals’ network in transfusion medicine.
Activities during the period
This reporting period, the YPC expressed its sincere gratitude to Eunike (Nysa) McGowan (Western Pacific/ Chair), Jian (Nikita) Ou-Yang (Western Pacific / Secretary), and Antoine Lewin (North America) for their contributions to the Council as they concluded their terms with the YPC.
One of the major developments during as we entered this period was the amendment of the ISBT YPC Terms of Reference (TOR). A key change involved increasing the representation on the Council from each WHO region from one to two members. This strategic adjustment aims to enhance global engagement, broaden perspectives, and encourage greater participation from professionals across all regions. Since the Council expansion will be implemented in phases, an election was held, and several new members were welcomed to the YPC. These included Poojan Joshi and Tayler Van Denakker (North America), Paula Janica Masancay and Maria Roussakis (Western Pacific), and Zainab Harb (Eastern Mediterranean). The New Council Chair Abiy Belay (Africa) and Secretary Cvetanka Kochovskaalso (Europe) both assumed their roles at the start of this period too.
The YPC continued to host Live Journal Clubs (LJCs) throughout the period. These included sessions organized by Saikat in November and Nour in both February and April, each featuring a scientific presentation by a young professional and attracting strong participation from the young professional community. In parallel, the YPC engaged with the Young European Hematology Association to explore collaborative opportunities, including hosting joint LJC session in the future. To support this initiative, the YPC is preparing to launch a survey during the ISBT Milan Congress. The survey will seek to identify opportunities and pathways in transfusion medicine education across different countries, with a focus on understanding differences between developed and developing nations.
Young professionals remained active on various social media platforms, using them to share stories, promote events, and highlight the experiences of peers. Notably, the popular “A Day in My Life” video series continued to gain traction, and a special Halloween-themed campaign provided an engaging seasonal touch.
In preparation for ISBT Milan, the YPC finalized plans to host the traditional “Young Professionals Breakfast” session. Additionally, a new “Young Professionals Lunch & Learn: Trivial & Games” session will be introduced to encourage informal networking and foster a sense of community among early-career participants.
The YPC was also proud to announce the publication of a collaborative manuscript in Vox Sanguinis in January 2025, which was the result of the collective efforts of both past and present Council members. McGowan EC, Lewin A, Ou-Yang J, Mandal S, Almozain N, Ambaye AB, et al. Engaging with young professionals in transfusion medicine: Insights from a needs assessment survey targeting an international cohort. Vox Sang. 2025; 120: 320–325.
