This article is part of the May 2018 issue of ASBMT eNews. View the full issue in PDF format here.
A Word from ASBMT President, John F. DiPersio, M.D., Ph.D.
It’s May, and spring is finally here (though this weather could have come a little sooner). Winters in the Midwest are often about staying inside — hibernating a bit, if you will — to recuperate for the better weather to come, which then fills this time of year with more energy and excitement. I, for one, am certainly excited about everything ASBMT has planned for the coming year.
In late April, I met with the ASBMT leadership team and the CIBMTR team to discuss the 2019 Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASBMT and CIBMTR (now known as the TCT Meetings, formerly the Tandem Meetings). As we discussed the logistics of the event, everything from the potential theme to blocking off hotel rooms and when registration starts, I was incredibly impressed with both teams’ cooperation, insight and experience in the event-planning process. We have partnered with the CIBMTR team for many years now on the event and very much appreciate their partnership in this process. As we continue to work with our new ASBMT team, we look forward to adding their knowledge, skills and expertise into the mix as we develop the content and programming for next year’s TCT Meetings. There is still much more information to come on the TCT Meetings, but I can assure you that based on our recent talks, this will be the best one yet. Mark your calendars for February 2019, and I hope to see you all in Houston.
In our immediate future, we will have the Annual ASBMT Fall Clinical Education Conference, September 20-22 in Nashville, for NPs, PAs and Fellows. We’re finalizing the programming for that event in the coming weeks and registration will be open very soon for the event. This year’s programming will include clinical care advances, important insights from February’s Tandem Meetings and a half-day of pediatric BMT lectures. We welcome you to join the ASBMT audience and thought-leaders in Nashville this fall for the event.
Some other new developments are outside of ASBMT, including the recently released Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Inpatient Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule. In this issue of ASBMT eNews, our director of health policy and strategic relations, Stephanie Farnia, gives an overview of what the ASBMT audience needs to know in the proposed rule and how to provide feedback and commentary on the update in the allotted time.
I hope you’ll all take a moment to step outside and enjoy the nice weather at this time of year. In our occupations, I know we are always pressed for time — there just never seems to be enough of it — but I do encourage you to take a walk in the middle of the day, get to your child’s soccer practice a little early to watch them run around and just enjoy the outdoors. We’ve certainly been waiting for it.
John F. DiPersio, M.D., Ph.D.
President of ASBMT