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.
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