Congress of European Hematologists: A growing assembly

Hematology Network H-Net

The European Hematology Curriculum Passport the so-called ECAH project started in 2005. Many of the organizations involved in the Curriculum Passport are now cooperating in the H-Net project. In the Passport trainees and mentors indicate the mastered level, ranging from awareness to competence. The ECAH partnership recommended to which degree these areas should be mastered at the end of the specialist training. This is the starting point of the H-Net project. H-Net will survey young hematologists whose levels of competence will be compared to the Passport recommendation. The outcomes will reveal variation in competences within the European hematological community and produce “ the competence map of European hematology’. H-Net aims to promote the harmonization of training in hematology in Europe through a bottom-up /open method of coordination, known as the Lisbon Strategy as well as by modifying existing educational tools and developing new ones. H-Net will allow individual hematologists and hematological organizations to create profiles in the Hematology Portfolio. The Passport will be utilized to establish individual competence Gaps. The portfolio will link these to training opportunities supplied by organizations and proposed by colleagues. H-Net will facilitate an open discussion between hematologists, educators, and national and European policy decision makers. The main focus of the debate will be the question whether and how national and international authorities can commit to the harmonization of the European hematology curriculum. The H-Net project started in October 2008 and has 30 partners.

Podcasting

EHA will be publishing a monthly podcast which will cover all aspects of hematology and include interviews with leading clinicians and scientists on breaking developments, summaries of recent important articles, “how I treat� sections and a special focus on translational hematology. The content of the podcasts will be developed along the lines of the following sections: Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Leukemia and Molecular Hematology, Translational Hematology and Transplantation and Hemato-oncology. It is planned to add sections devoted to Red Cells and Transfusion Medicine later in the year. Presented by Prof John Goldman the EHA podcast will offer a unique opportunity to keep abreast of latest developments and once downloaded can be listened to at any time of the day or night. The first EHA podcast will be published prior to the Berlin Congress and will be accessible via the EHA website or iTunes. It is hoped that this initiative will not only serve as an efficient way of keeping abreast of the latest advances in clinical and academic hematology but also provide an enjoyable showcase for all that is best in European Hematology.

Translational Research Training in Hematology - a new EHA-ASH initiative

The translational researcher of the future will need to understand and direct research in both the European and US systems. In an effort to foster this global research, the European Hematology Association (EHA) and the American Society of Hematology (ASH) are pleased to announce a new joint training program in translational research, which will be based in Europe. This program, patterned after ASH’s successful Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI), will launch in March 2010 with a one-week intensive training course. In its inaugural year, the Translational Research Training in Hematology (TRTH) will award twenty promising translational researchers an opportunity to work with hematology experts. Program modules will include didactic sessions, such as how to design phase I and II clinical trials, animal models for translational research, as well as diagnostics and biomarkers in translational research. Practical sessions will focus on career development, featuring career retrospectives from leaders in the field of hematology and sessions on hypothesis-driven research, expert opinions regarding opportunities in translational research, and panel discussions about grant preparation and funding sources. TRTH is an exciting initiative that draws on the strengths of both EHA and ASH, acknowledging global nature of translational research.

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Contact

European Hematology Association, Executive Office Press Room ICC room 25-26; Nathalie van de Zande Telephone number during the congress: +49 3030 38 81 111 Mobile number Ineke van der Beek, External Affairs: +31 6 201 11055 Telephone number after the congress: +31 (0)10 436 1760 E-mail: i.vanderbeek@ehaweb.org, n.vandezande@ehaweb.org

About EHA

The European Hematology Association (EHA) aims to promote excellence in clinical practice, research and education in European hematology. Today, EHA – with over 3200 active members from 95 countries – directs a large and growing number of projects and programs. An Executive Board and Councilors elected by the membership form the governmental body responsible for the strategy and organization of the Association.

About the EHA Annual Congress

The EHA annual congress is held every June in a major European city. Over the years the congress has become the meeting place for hematologists in all fields of the specialty. The congress program has sessions on clinical and laboratory hematology and covers all the major hematological subspecialties, including hemato-oncology, red cell disorders, hemostasis, thrombosis, pediatric hematology and transfusion medicine.