Welcome to Birmingham for the 54th Annual Scientific
Meeting of the BSH. It has been a great pleasure to
help organise this meeting. The theme for the meeting
is ‘Controversies in Haematology’. We have therefore
tried to explore some of the questions we all struggle with on
a day to day basis and my colleagues, who have put together individual
sessions, have brought together top experts to debate these issues.
We have controversies in venous thromboembolism, in the care of
patients with AML, in patients with bleeding disorders and a session
on the future of haematology amongst many others. The chairs of all
the sessions have put a lot of thought, hard work and expertise into
putting together some really fabulous sessions. If you look through the
programme I am sure you will share my enthusiasm and excitement for
what looks like a really fresh and stimulating meeting with a wide range of
top UK, European and International speakers.
We also have some outstanding speakers to give our named lectures
and again we have asked them to reflect on the controversies within their
area of expertise. Adele Fielding is going to deliver the BJHaem/RCPath/
Wilkinson Lecture presenting a state of the art talk on the management of
adult patients with ALL. We are also delighted that Peter Hillmen will give
the BSH Medal Lecture updating us all on the rapidly changing landscape
of CLL treatment. The final named lecture will be given by Professor Carlo
Balduini from Pavia who will give the BSHT Biggs McFarlane Lecture
entitled ‘Inherited Thrombocytopenias – Frequently Seen in Adults’.
The LLR have jointly sponsored a symposium and as usual we have an
outstanding set of speakers for this cutting edge session. We have also
retained the ever popular Morphology Session, the Coagulation Vignettes
and the BCSH guidelines session.
One of the threats we face is that Haematology is being squeezed out
of the medical school curriculum so we have a session on how to get
medical students interested in our profession.
Our thanks also go to our colleagues in the pharmaceutical industry
who support this meeting and provide, as usual, some excellent satellite
symposia.
Finally we are lucky to be holding this meeting in the very centre of the
rejuvenated, vibrant and bustling city of Birmingham with an outstanding
city centre venue.
The ASM is always the friendliest of meetings so please join us, be
stimulated, be challenged and meet both old and new friends.