Annual Report 2020 2021 Table of Contents
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ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS • Mission, vision and goals 3 • Platelet Immunobiology Working Party 26 • Foreword from the President 4 • Quality Management Working Party 27 • Foreword from the Secretary General 6 • Rare Donor Working Party 29 • Board of Directors 7 • Red Cell Immunogenetics and Blood Group Terminology 30 • Membership 2020-2021 8 Working Party • Report from the Young Professionals Council 9 • Transfusion Transmitted Diseases Working Party 32 • Financial Summary 10 • Reports from ISBT Standing Committees 35 • Congresses 11 • ISBT Standing Committee of the ISBT Academy 36 • Reports from ISBT Working Parties 12 • ISBT Standing Committee on Ethics 39 • Blood Supply Management Working Party 13 • ISBT Standing Committee on Jean Julliard Prize 40 • Cellular Therapy Working Party 15 • ISBT Standing Committee of Vox Sanguinis 42 • Clinical Transfusion Working Party 16 • Report from Vox Sanguinis 43 • Donors and Donation Working Party 18 • Report from the ISBT Science Series 45 • Global Blood Safety Working Party 19 • Report from ISBT Foundation 47 • Granulocyte Immunobiology Working Party 21 • ISBT Award and Prizes 48 • Haemovigilance Working Party 22 • Immunohaematology Working Party 24 • Information Technology Working Party 25 Corporate Partners ISBT is pleased to acknowledge the following Corporate Partners during 2020-2021 2 2020-2021 Annual Report MISSION, VISION AND GOALS The International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) is a scientific society that was founded in 1935. Since that time the ISBT has grown in to an international society where transfusion medicine professionals from across the globe come together and do the one thing they do best: share knowledge to improve the safety of blood transfusion worldwide. STRATEGIC GOALS The new goals, agreed as part of a 5-year strategic plan for 2020-2024, are designed to keep, and build upon those things we do well and to address areas where we feel we can improve. Education & Knowledge Be the global ‘go to’ organisation for transfusion medicine education, and knowledge sharing VISION Training and implementation of knowledge Be the leader in transforming knowledge into practice A world of safe and sufficient blood International outreach Engage transfusion medicine professionals and institutions globally Congress Be the international congress of choice for transfusion medicine professionals MISSION Publications ISBT is a global community of professionals sharing Be respected for high-quality scientific and professional publications knowledge to enhance transfusion practice. We do this by: Digital Resources Providing opportunities for advancing knowledge and education & by advocacy for the welfare of blood donors and patients. Be a trusted ‘go to’ source for information and interaction in all aspects of transfusion medicine Working parties Support Working Party activities to achieve outputs aligned with the ISBT strategy Governance Be recognized for transparent and sustainable governance Advocacy Be the advocate for blood donors and patients 3 2020-2021 Annual Report FOREWORD FROM THE PRESIDENT It is a pleasure and a privilege to write this foreword to the ISBT Annual Report It was with great disappointment that we had to cancel the in person aspects for 2020-21. of the congresses planned for Barcelona and Milan due to the ongoing pan- demic. ISBT congresses are a highlight of our society, and keenly anticipated What an extraordinary year this has been! In large part due to the SARS- each year! CoV-2 pandemic, wherever we are around the world we have experienced ma- jor changes to our lives, activities and plans. Many people have been directly However, it was simply not safe or possible to continue with our previous affected by illness, with others taking care of people in their professional roles plans. I thank all the members of the local organising committees for their or by caring for family and friends. Many others have experienced separation hard work on our behalf, and we look forward to rescheduling our congresses due to ‘lockdowns’ and travel disruptions. We remember with fondness and in those cities. respect those we have lost during this time. We were very pleased with the successful ISBT congress held online in ISBT has responded to COVID-19 with provision of expertise at country level December 2020. This could not have happened without excellent teamwork and internationally, through our Working Parties and our members’ individual and cooperation from the ISBT Central Office team, MCI (our professional and institutional networks, supported by our team in the Central Office. congress organiser), our Scientific Secretary and two Vice-Presidents, and all the speakers, abstract presenters, sponsors and our Corporate Partners. We quickly developed new COVID-19 resources and hosted a wide range of reference materials on our website. Our educational webinars were well But what a huge achievement! It was a great pleasure to welcome participants attended and a great way to disseminate new information as it became avai- to this new experience for ISBT. lable. Our Working Parties took on new activities to share ideas, experiences The program was high-quality and diverse, and there was active discussion and results, and to facilitate international cooperation in donor management, through the platform, including an online closing party! Personal highlights for clinical and laboratory transfusion practice, and research. me included the virtual award presentations, the re-launch of “Beryl’s book These have been highly productive, including developing new collaborations Introduction to Blood Transfusion: From Donor to Recipient” and the and producing multiple peer-reviewed publications. I thank everyone who has Young Professionals “breakfast” session. contributed to these activities. Despite the impact of COVID-19, ISBT has maintained its core program of work, even as we have learned to do some things differently. We welcomed We have also seen an enormous surge of research activity, with remarkable mobilisation of resources for studies of the prevention and diagnosis of SARS- our new Board of Directors in June 2020, who are working very productively CoV-2 infection and the care of people with COVID-19. together. I thank the previous Board for all their contributions to the work of the Society, and particularly Martin Olsson, now ISBT Past-President, for his Many of our members have played central roles in these activities, including great leadership and ongoing support. During 2021 we have been focussed research investigating the potential role of convalescent plasma to treat this on delivering on our Strategic Plan and adapting as needed to meet our goals condition, and by providing advice to policy-makers in government and other in these challenging times. organisations. I thank you all for your amazing efforts. 4 2020-2021 Annual Report FOREWORD FROM THE PRESIDENT We are ably supported by our Executive Director, Jenny White, and our de- We are also very grateful for the support of our Corporate Partners, whose dicated Central Office team. We thank them all – especially given the extra commitments enable ISBT to continue our work on a solid foundation, and who challenges in working from home for over a year! We are investing in our contribute valuable scientific and technical expertise to a range of activities, team through improved pension arrangements and will prioritise professional including via the Working Parties. development opportunities as working arrangements permit in the coming year. Behind the scenes we are also investing in our operational IT platforms Our many collaborations are flourishing, including via activities conducted including for communication, education and membership management. We with ISBT affiliate members, professional societies, other organisations and will see these come to fruition over the next year. via our long-term partnership with the World Health Organization as a non-go- vernmental organisation in official relations since 1955. To highlight just a few, during 2020-21 we have contributed to haemovigilance workshops in Africa We have also expanded our social media presence, including on Twitter, Ins- in support of the African Blood Regulators Forum, and to development of tagram, LinkedIn and Facebook – so please get in touch online! educational modules on the clinical use of blood. In this extraordinary year, we have had some new opportunities and succes- ses, and as president I am grateful to be able to share them with you. I hope you will enjoy reading this Annual Report. The ISBT Academy, Working Parties, Standing Committees, ISBT Founda- tion, Young Professionals Council and Transfusion Practitioners network are all actively contributing to ISBT’s success, and I encourage you to read more about them in this report. I particularly thank the chairs of these groups for their enthusiasm and leadership of the ‘engine rooms’ of the society. Our publications are widely read and flourishing, and I thank Dana Devine as editor of Vox Sanguinis, and Pieter van der Meer, editor of ISBT Science Series, for their contributions. Dana Devine stepped down during this year, transferring Vox to the capable hands of Miquel Lozano. 5 2020-2021 Annual Report FOREWORD FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL The unusual circumstances of the COVID 19 pan- tings and working from home. The financial contribution to ISBT by the journal demic resulted in postponement of the usual June remains strong. international congress and eventually, as the travel