International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis to hold annual congress in 2020

The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) has announced a strategic decision to hold an annual global congress, starting in 2020. The ISTH’s director of meetings Lisa Astorga, tells CMW: “Due to the increasingly rapid advances in science, as well as laboratory technology and treatment options, an annual congress will allow researchers, clinicians and allied health professionals in the bleeding and clotting field to remain on the cutting-edge of science and deliver the best patient care. “This decision highlights the ISTH’s commitment to transformative scientific discoveries and clinical practices, exchanging information to drive innovation and progress in the field. It will also allow the Society to serve all regions of the world, providing better and more frequent access to more researchers, clinicians and allied health professionals in the field, regardless of where they live.” CMW understands the Society is currently in the bidding process for the location of the 2020 meeting. Advances in science, laboratory technology and treatment options, as well as the greater need for global collaboration and knowledge exchange prompted the decision to launch an annual congress, the Society said. The new annual ISTH congresses will fully incorporate the ISTH Scientific and Standardisation Committee (SSC) components. The congress format will be short and compact and, the Society said, in a format aligned with trends in global medical meetings. The ISTH said it would implement a formal rotation pattern for its annual congresses and plans to host 38% of its congresses in Europe, 38% in North America and 24% in other regions of the world, reflecting the changing membership distribution.