As the festive season is upon us and 2024 draws to a close, it’s a fitting time to pause, reflect, and celebrate a year of incredible experiences and achievements. This has been a landmark year for the EBMT, celebrating 50 years of our community and the journey of innovation and hope. Alongside, the EBMT Nurses Group celebrated our 40th year and we continued to make significant strides in supporting, educating, and inspiring Transplant and Cell Therapy nurses across Europe and beyond.
We proudly built on the success of the second edition of the EBMT Textbook for Nurses and through a very fitting collaboration with the national groups of France, Italy, Spain and Germany completed the full textbook translations. These sit proudly alongside the English version and are free to download via the EBMT website.
Our Next Generation project - EBMT NG, aimed at building a strong community for early-career Transplant and Cell Therapy nurses continues to grow from strength to strength with an active online group (EBMT Nurses Next Generation Group) and a superb and highly relevant educational session at the EBMT Annual Meeting. Our EBMT Nurses Group podcast Blood Matters marked year 2 with a fresh rebrand, exciting guests and important topics and additional host, Hilda Mekelenkamp - EBMT Nurses Group President Elect.
Throughout the year, we focused on inclusivity and addressing barriers that many nurses face in accessing educational opportunities. To this end, we awarded more education grants across more educational meetings and in line with our goal, increased those specifically targeted for early career nurses where funding is more challenging. We also implemented local language translations at our key meetings.
This year, the EBMT Nurses Group has been privileged to collaborate on a global scale while strengthening relationships across Europe. A particular highlight was our 16th EBMT NG Educational Meeting in Naples, held in collaboration with the Italian GITMO Nurses Group. Our continued commitment to provide simultaneous translation (English-Italian), was once again met with overwhelmingly positive feedback. The fully integrated research and education programme was well received, and we are already looking forward to the 17th Educational Meeting in Nantes, France 2-3 October 2025, where we will partner with the French Nurses group (GFIC-GM). We hope to see and meet you there!
The ever-changing landscape of Transplant and Cell Therapy means that opportunities for nursing innovation are plentiful. While staffing shortages may have eased in many centres, the incredible skills, knowledge, and expertise demonstrated by Transplant and Cell Therapy nurses take years to develop. Through innovative practice-sharing and networking, we aim to disseminate and enhance this expertise, ensuring it benefits nurses and patients alike. It has been inspiring to see so many nurses supported in their continued professional development, whether as delegates, speakers, panel members, or chairs at our events.
None of these achievements would be possible without the dedication, enthusiasm, and vision of the EBMT team, Nurses Group board and committee members, and Working Party nurses. Your commitment, creativity, and teamwork are truly remarkable. I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all members who have participated in our events this year, whether as speakers or attendees, and to the patient and advocacy speakers, from whom we learn so much.
Looking ahead to 2025, we are excited to anticipate the 51st Annual Meeting of the EBMT. The abstract submission deadline is upon us and the review process around the corner. Although this is a busy time for reviewers, it is also a privilege to read the work that is submitted, see the innovations happening in our nursing community and the associated benefits to patient care and outcomes. The Nurse Programme for 2025 is already complete. We will continue the new tradition of a joint nurse-physician session and for the 51st Annual Meeting, will collaborate with the Psychologist group to deliver a further joint session.
The EBMT Nurses Group remains committed to delivering education and support where it is needed most. If you have suggestions for topics or areas of focus, we would love to hear from you.
As we bid farewell to 2024, I hope you can take some well-deserved rest and enjoy time with family, friends, and loved ones. May 2025 bring health, happiness, and new opportunities for success.
On behalf of the EBMT Nurses Group, I wish you all a joyful festive season, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
With warm regards,
Michelle Kenyon
President, EBMT Nurses Group