January 2015, meaning that a new year has started and time for the president to write an annual report.

2014 started sad as you know. We were very still sad because of the pass away of Helmut Borberg in the last month of 2013. Professor Borberg has been very active in the ESFH since many years.

In fact, within the ESFH in 2014 we continued a process which was started in the two years earlier: “the ESFH is of profit for all persons involved in apheresis”. In 2012, in co-operation with Sanquin Blood Supply in the Netherlands (the Dutch national blood transfusion organization), a program to train nurses / operators in the field of apheresis was developed. Since than, this course is build and try-outs showed the value of this course. The complete course was given a number of times by mrs. Marleen Neyrinck, apheresis nurse from AZ Delta in Roeselare, Belgium and myself for apheresis nurses and operators, but also for physicians working in the field of apheresis. On various international meetings on apheresis, also some lessons of this course were given.

For representing apheresis nurses and operators and to co-ordinate courses for nurses within the ESFH, the board suggested admitting a nurse in the board. Prior to that, the bylaws of our society had to be changed. At the general assembly in May 2014 (meeting Florence), the new bylaws were approved, and we were happy that mrs. Ingrid de Beer apheresis nurse and team leader from the University Hospital in Leiden (the Netherlands) agreed to represent apheresis nurses and operators within the ESFH board.

The scientific highlight of our society in 2014 was the joined SIdEM / ESFH meeting in Florence 19-22 May 2014. Many colleagues participated actively on this successful meeting. The next meeting will be organized by the Société Francaise d’ Hémaphérèse (SFH) in co-operation with the World Apheresis Association (WAA) and the ESFH in April 2016. Preparations are in full swing.

Hans Vrielink, January 2015