Foreword from the Secretary General 2023 - 2024
Gwen Clarke, ISBT Secretary General
In 2023 we were delighted to have the opportunity to meet friends and colleagues from the transfusion community in person once again at two regional congresses. The Scientific Secretary, Jason Acker, the ISBT Vice-Presidents, the Central Office (CO), the Scientific Planning Committee members and abstract reviewers as well as MCI Amsterdam contributed expertise, organizational acumen, and enthusiasm in leading two unique and successful congresses during 2023.
From June 17th – 21st 2023 we met at the 33rd Regional ISBT Congress in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Gothenburg Congress featured a wide variety of sessions relating to the full range of Transfusion Medicine topics. The 34th Regional ISBT Congress was held in Cape Town South Africa from November 18th – 21st 2023. This regional congress was attended by many from the region and the program highlighted topics of great interest and importance to the delegates from this region.
A selection of presentations from the two regional congresses is available in the webcast library found at the ISBT Education Portal.
Throughout the year the ISBT Board and CO continued working toward fulfilment of the strategic plan and continued to connect our ISBT community through an ongoing series of webinars, WP meetings and workshops.
A review of the ISBT Statutes and By-laws commenced during 2023 – 2024 and is continuing, with the intent of updating and modernizing the format and language of the statutes and by- laws to ensure effective society governance. The proposed changes will be brought to the membership for review and eventually will come to a vote at a future General Assembly.
At the end of March 2024 ISBT membership stood at 2007 individual members and 31 affiliate societies. All WHO regions and 117 countries are represented within the Society.
Individual members
Affiliate Societies
Vox Sanguinis had another successful year under the editorial leadership of Miquel Lozano. This year brought the decision to change the journal to a digital format beginning in April 2024. This change moved the journal and the society forward in fulfilling sustainability and financial objectives.
The 15 ISBT WPs continue to be an active and vital part of the Society, contributing congress materials, organizing live webinars with an educational focus, and providing organizational tools and resources for members and for the transfusion community. At the Gothenburg congress, a workshop was held to assess interest in the formation of a new ISBT WP for Big Data. This demonstrated the enthusiasm for and relevance of this topic, and subsequently the ISBT Board have endorsed the formation of the new WP. ISBT members are encouraged to get involved with the WPs that relate to their areas of interest and to find out more about membership information on the website.
Four ISBT Awards were given in 2023; two in Cape Town and two in Gothenburg, where the annual Vox Best paper prize 2022 was also awarded. Harold Gunson Fellowships were provided to 30 delegates over the two regional congresses in 2023.
I look forward to seeing many of you in person at the upcoming 38th International Congress of the ISBT in Barcelona, Spain and to seeing you at the General Assembly on June 26, 2024.
