Editorial

As we head into the summer in Amsterdam, I’m drawing breath after an amazing ISBT international congress in Barcelona, that fulfilled all the promise of our first in-person international ISBT congress since 2018, and rewarded everyone’s hard work and patience leading up not only to this version in 2024 but starting with the postponement of the Barcelona congress in 2020. It feels like closure for ISBT after the pandemic years! The value of getting together in real life to share science, experience and to make new friends/collaborations that will last way beyond the congress itself, cannot be underestimated. A huge thank you to everyone involved.

The ISBT general assembly in Barcelona saw the handover to newly elected ISBT board members. It was a chance to say thank you to all retiring board members and a special thank you to Erica Wood, leaving the board at the end of her term as Past President Elect after steering the society so successfully through the most difficult of times. Also, to thank Mike Busch for his many achievements as President over the last two years, including founding of the new Big Data working party. We welcomed a new President Elect (Lin Fung) and Pierre Tiberghien set out his vision for the society as our new ISBT President.

This edition’s in-focus section celebrates the ISBT Immunohematology Working Party for (IHWP) and progress since it’s inception in 2014 under the leadership of Thierry Peyrard the outgoing Chair. A further five articles each represent an aspect of IH covered the five new subgroups. Watch new IHWP Chair, Nicole Thornton, outline the current status of the IHWP and their exciting plans for the future. Why not test your IH knowledge with the Kahoot quiz and perhaps even graduate to some of the fascinating IH case studies!

The ISBT Academy section includes reports from three recent ISBT Highlights days, where ISBT collaborates with a national or regional society to provide an ISBT educational session to complement the programme at their congress. Highlights days bring ISBT speakers to locations from which it may not be so easy to travel to a regional or international ISBT congresses and give ISBT a great opportunity to learn more about practice and challenges in different parts of the world. The regional articles also give fascinating insights into transfusion practice from around the world.