My name is Marijke Quaghebeur, and I’m since May 2023 the chairperson representing the EBMT Nurses Group Scientific Committee (SC). It is a real honour to be part of the EBMT Nurses Group.
In daily practice, I’m working as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) working with haematological and stem cell transplant patients at the University Hospital of Ghent in Belgium. Specifically, I am involved in patient care on cellular therapy. Special interest is going to AYA (Adolescent and Young Adult) improvements in our patient population. Patient involvement and education remain an important topic.
The Scientific Committee is responsible for the nurse oriented scientific program at the Annual Meeting of the EBMT and the International Transplant Course. It is our ambition that all nurses and allied health care professionals, regardless of their experience within the field of hematologic stem cell transplantation, learn something new at the Annual Meeting of the EBMT. The aim is to empower them and bring home some improvement ideas so that the quality of care is enhanced in their own practice. A main focus is set on active participation. The exchange of daily nursing ‘good practise’ and nursing research between all our nationalities must be seen as an added value. Since the end of 2022, we also have our Next Generation (NG) nurse Daniel Kisielewski in our SC group. This gives us the opportunity to invest in the next generation of transplant nursing leaders.
Hereby, I would like to give our newest member, Thomas Jezequel, and our local nurse for the Annual Meeting in Glasgow in 2024, Lorna Welsh, the opportunity to introduce themselves.
Thomas Jezequel: “I'm an advanced nurse practitioner in paediatric haematology at Nantes University Hospital. I've been working in this department for 12 years now, where I've been lucky enough to hold several positions: nurse on ward, HSCT coordinator. I'm delighted to be joining the EBMT Nurses Group Scientific Committee this year. It's a real chance and opportunity to meet and work with professionals from different countries, backgrounds and to share our experiences of care, especially during sessions offered at the various meeting times.”
Lorna Welsh is an Anthony Nolan post-transplant Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) working at The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow: “Part of my job is that I work alongside the late effects clinic. We do follow-ups over the phone together for the patients. It’s working really well. It is a privilege to work with such an amazing group of patients.”
