Dear EBMT members, dear friends and colleagues,
It is time to say goodbye to the year 2023. As I look back and realise all the memorable moments this year has provided us, I want to thank each and every one of you for your enthusiasm and dedication to our Society and our main goal of saving the lives of patients with haematological and other life-threatening diseases. Introducing 67 new members (member centres and individuals) clearly demonstrates the attractiveness of EBMT as a leading scientific society for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cell therapy. We will continue to work to remain at the front and to make EBMT an even more pluralistic and diverse society in line with the EDI concept. Thank you to all of you who consider EBMT a platform for your professional and scientific development!
The year 2023 has been synonymous with our return to "post-COVID-19 normality" as a society and as individuals eager to interact face-to-face with our peers; the Annual Meeting of the EBMT in Paris was the clearest example. We succeeded, and I believe the results could not have been more favourable regarding high-level scientific content and personal interactions. The resounding success and participation at the EBMT-EHA 5th European CAR T-cell Meeting in Rotterdam, the 8th International Transplant and Cellular Therapy Course in Barcelona, the 3rd EBMT-China Scientific Forum in Beijing, as well as all our Working Parties’ Educational Meetings this year, are vivid examples of this new reality that we will strive to maintain in the near future. I want to highlight the consolidation of two other special events, the 6th International Conference on Relapse After Transplant and Cellular Therapy and the 2nd Basic and Translational Scientific Meeting as examples of collaboration between two transplant societies, EBMT and ASTCT, which have had a significant impact on our community through translational research in cell therapy. In addition, the tireless work of the EBMT Trainee Committee has been of capital importance in implementing the scope of EBMT activities in the new generation of transplanters.
Without a doubt, the launch of the new EBMT Registry in August 2023 has represented a true turning point in our intellectual reach. It is only the beginning of a long path that aims to convert our Registry into a living tool, in constant evolution, essential to reliably know the activity in transplantation of haematopoietic progenitors and CART cells in Europe. I want to infinitely thank all the professionals who have made this milestone possible, plus all the centres and the national registries that have been patiently waiting for all the incidents that have arisen to be resolved.
EBMT's commitment to quality has also been evident this past year: The EBMT Benchmarking Reports between 2017 and 2021 were released in November. Benchmarking allows transplant professionals to assess how their unit performs compared to the broader BMT community. JACIE's rapid activity has also been evident throughout 2023; Accreditation process times have been significantly shortened with increased first accreditations and re-accreditations. Inspectors are the backbone of JACIE; a better understanding of their needs through developing a dedicated survey and specific training course has been a significant asset this year.
There have been many other achievements in 2023 but I don’t want to keep you for too long! Our 2023 accomplishments will be thoroughly detailed in our Annual Report, which will be released soon.
Let’s look into the future: rolling out our ambitious strategic plan and celebrating 50 years of community during our 50th Annual Meeting in Glasgow in April are our primary objectives for 2024!
None of our achievements would have been possible without the EBMT Staff members, Board, Centres and individual members and partners. I want to express my sincere gratitude to you, EBMT members. You are the heart of EBMT, and your continuous support is valuable to us.
I wish you all a happy and peaceful festive season. See you in 2024!
Anna Sureda
EBMT President
