Dear Colleagues,

Recently, my daughter who is attending her first year of university in the biological sciences, asked me what a hematologist does…really ? At this stage, explaining that hematologists are physicians who diagnose and treat disorders of the blood (which she already knows), and a description of my specific interests and activities as a physician (similarly quickly acknowledged) no longer suffice.

In truth, our specialty is extraordinarily rich and diverse and the expertise of our members spans a broad range of activities. These may include teaching, conducting research, administration, laboratory supervision, acting as advisors to public and private interests, and providing increasingly sub specialized clinical care. Our place of work is similarly extremely varied. The complexity of our collective tasks is reflected by our association with a number of sub specialized professional groups; The Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM), the Thrombosis Interest Group of Canada (TIGC), the Canadian Hemophilia Society (CHS), the Canadian Apheresis Group (CAG), the Canadian Hereditary Angioedema Society (CHAES), the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS), and the Canadian Blood and Marrow Transplant Group (CBMTG), just to mention a few. These in turn are networked with an even greater number of disease specific associations, foundations, and patient groups.

One effect of our complex world is that we increasingly circulate through smaller circles and are less likely to meet with members outside our immediate field of activities. The role of the Canadian Hematology Society (CHS) is to represent all of Canadian hematologists and to promote their common interests. One of my goals is to encourage the future scheduling of the annual CHS meeting jointly with that of as many other hematology groups as possible. This could result in economies of scale for everyone, but more importantly, it may allow us to co-host joint plenary sessions and social events that would help everyone re-establish wider contacts and solidify our sense of community. A fine example of this was the joint CHS/CBMTG meeting organized by Dr. Armand Keating and Dr. Lothar Huebsch last June on the establishment of a National cord blood bank for Canada (a final report is expected shortly). The next annual meeting of the CHS will be held immediately preceding that of the CBMTG in April in Edmonton. Planning for holding joint meetings in 2007 and 2008 has been initiated and will be announced in the course of this year. In the meantime, I would invite all of you to attend the Annual CHS Reception at ASH. There is nothing like a good bash to get Canadians together. I hope to see all of you there.