Words of Welcome

From the large number of abstracts submitted a challenging program of simultaneous oral sessions and poster sessions has been established. The 6 best abstracts will be presented during the Presidential Symposium. This year, for the second time, a joint EHA-ASH Symposium will take place on Saturday, June 17. A number of meetings of EHA Scientific Working Groups will be held, which will be of interest to many of you.

In addition, 25 Satellite Symposia will run on Super Thursday, covering the State-of-the-Art in experimental and clinical hematology. The Joint Symposium of the European School of Haematology (ESH) and EHA will take place on Friday.

In contrast to previous meetings, the Opening Ceremony will now take place on Friday, June 16, directly followed by the presentation of the José Carreras Lecture by Professor Eliane Gluckman. In the same session, the winners of the EHA-José Carreras Foundation Young Investigator Fellowship and the additional EHA Fellowships and Grants will be presented. For the first time a press conference will be held dealing with major topics selected from the presentations given during the Presidential Symposium.

The congress program is accredited for Continuing Medical Education (CME) by the EHA-CME System, which is the new name for the European Council for Accreditation in Hematology (ECAH). Since this European Commission funded project ended in November 2005 EHA assures the continuity in collaboration with many of the original ECAH partners including ESH. EHA and ESH are dedicated to establishing modern hematology in the European curriculum for medical postgraduate education. The scientific program of the 11th Congress of the EHA has also been reviewed and approved for accreditation by the American Medical Association (AMA).

From a social point of view, it goes without saying that Amsterdam is unbeatable in June! The RAI Congress Centre is close to the city center and you should at least expose yourself to one museum (2006 has been appointed as the Rembrandt year). An extensive program for accompanying persons has been developed, visiting places of interest throughout the Netherlands.

Hand in hand with our meeting progressing will be the Dutch National Soccer Team finding its way to the final game in the World Championship Tournament in Germany taking place at the same time. We will have television screens throughout the conference center to keep you posted (not only on the achievements of the Dutch team).

Do not miss our social event in the former Stock Exchange of Amsterdam (1903), the “Beurs van Berlage” (www.beursvanberlage.nl), which takes place on Saturday night, June 17 from 20.30 hours till midnight. Although this year no full buffet dinner will be served, there are plenty of bites and drinks to get you through. An attractive evening program will be presented in a fascinating environment comprising music entertainment, dancing, a big screen showing a live soccer game from the World Championship Tournament in Germany (Italy vs. USA) and additional surprises.

On behalf of the EHA Board, the Scientific Program Committee and the Scientific and Education Committee of the 11th Congress: again welcome to Amsterdam. We trust that this number one hematology congress in Europe will provide you with intense interaction with your peers and induce new creative ideas for your work!

Finally, do not forget to attend the typically Dutch Farewell Lunch Buffet at the end of the congress on Sunday afternoon. We are looking forward to your active participation in the 11th Congress.