EAHAD 2019 Congress – Insightful discussions in the City of a Hundred Spires
Prague, Czech Republic – 14 February 2019 – Prague, Czech Republic, the city in the heart of Europe, welcomed more than 2600 delegates from over 80 countries to the unforgettable scientific experience that is the Congress of the European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders (EAHAD). For its 12th iteration, the meeting took place at the Prague Congress Centre, featuring beautiful views over the historic city, and presented the ideal backdrop for discussions on the latest treatment developments and ongoing clinical challenges in managing haemophilia and other related bleeding disorders.
The meeting kicked off with the Pre-Congress Day on 5 February emphasising the importance of comprehensive care for people with bleeding disorders. Nurses, physiotherapists and psychosocial specialists shared their knowledge and expertise to further improve care through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach. In parallel to this, young investigators had the possibility to discuss their research projects and learn from distinguished mentors during a half-day workshop dedicated to early career professionals.
The main scientific programme ran from 6-8 February and started, as has become tradition, with the Multi-Disciplinary Educational Session, this year focused on the ageing haemophilia population and the related challenges. This was followed by expert speakers from across Europe and beyond who addressed the near and more distant future of haemophilia treatment, including gene therapy for haemophilia A and B as well as the rarer disorders, and innovative non-factor replacement medications.
Patients’ perspectives and pharmaco-economic issues were also considered, and delegates had the opportunity to contemplate new and pending treatment challenges. Industry symposia shed light on novel therapies for haemophilia and confirmed the partnership of the pharmaceutical industry and the haemophilia community. The programme offered a mixture of 60-90 minute sessions offering different perspectives on a given topic, such as the monitoring of haemophilia treatment and the advantages and challenges of registries and real-world data, alongside shorter case reports and the fast-paced oral abstract SLAM session. The meeting concluded with the Hot Topics session, which is sure to be a conversation starter for many months to come.
EAHAD 2019 was also an opportunity to honour contributions made to the field of bleeding disorders. Awards were given out on the final day for the meeting’s top poster and oral abstract presentations and to the two recipients of the 2019 EAHAD Research Grants. The lifelong contributions of two healthcare professionals were also celebrated through the EAHAD Recognition Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Haemophilia and Allied Bleeding Disorders Field presented to Professor Edward Tuddenham, haematologist, from the Royal Free Hospital in London, UK and Mr Piet de Kleijn, physiotherapist, from the Van Creveldkliniek in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
EAHAD’s annual congress also offers an excellent opportunity for meeting people, starting up new projects and discussing ongoing ones and EAHAD 2019 was no different. The poster area was always full of delegates eager to learn and converse on the recent developments in the field and the networking events gave attendees the chance to unwind after a full day in an informal and cultural atmosphere.
Dr Jan Blatny, consultant haematologist and lead clinician at the Department of Paediatric Haematology, Centre for Thrombosis and Haemostasis at the Children’s University Hospital Brno, Czech Republic served as Congress President. “I feel very honoured that my country was given the privilege to host an EAHAD Congress. I consider it to be an appreciation and recognition of all who care about persons with bleeding disorders in the Czech Republic.”
The 13th annual Congress of EAHAD will be held from 5 to 7 February 2020 in The Hague, the Netherlands, under the presidency of Prof Dr Karin Fijn van Draat.
For more information, please contact:
Angelos Athanasopoulos, EAHAD Communications and Events Officer, angelos.athan@eahad.org
Download the press release as a PDF here