Anyone else in the midst of year-end evaluations – for yourself, those who you supervise, your children’s report card, or all of the above?

I must admit that I sometimes begin with the mindset that these year-end evaluations are items to be completed on the “to-do” checklist. But every time, as I begin working on them, something wonderful happens – what felt like a “to-do” becomes a deep reflection of achievement, lessons learned and thinking ahead.

Likewise, did you know that ASTCT is in the midst of drafting its 2022 annual report? Basically a report card we must provide to our members and the public as part of our organizational bylaws.

Looking Back

As I’ve been reflecting on the work ASTCT has produced this past year, I have one word – WOW! Take a look at some of these accomplishments:

• Journal Impact Factor – 5.609
• 2022 Tandem Attendance – 4,686 (in person and online attendees)
• Practice Guidelines Mobile App downloads – 11,320
• Membership – 3,600+
• Twitter Followers – We reached 10,000+ in September.
• We hosted our first Joint Access Workshop – ASTCT and NMDP gathered key stakeholders in the field of cellular transplantation in Washington, DC, to address access barriers to transplant and published a whitepaper on the meeting.
• CAR-T Coding and Billing Guide – We released three updates with the latest information for revenue managers.
• Science Highlights – our newsletter grew from 7,300 to 7,653.
• ASTCT Talks – Our podcast series had a total of 2,735 listeners.
• Nucleus – Via our online publication, we published 98 articles, attracting nearly 13,000 new visitors to the site.
• We released the Fludarabine shortage FAQs.
• We updated the COVID-19 Guidelines and the ASH/ASTCT COVID-19 vaccine FAQs.
• ASTCT met with the White House COVID-19 Response Team to discuss issues related to COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for individuals with blood diseases and disorders who are immunocompromised and/or treated with immunosuppressive therapies.

Looking Ahead

What a time to deeply reflect on the amount of work and accomplishment in what has been yet another “transitional” year from the global pandemic.

We’ve done so much. More important, we’ve learned so much. And, as a result, 2023 is shaping up to be a year of even greater achievement.  Check out some of these plans!

• Tandem Meetings: The 2023 Tandem Meetings are quickly approaching, taking place February 15 – 19 in Orlando. Once again, ASTCT and CIBMTR made it a priority to offer attendees the opportunity to live stream sessions and access recordings through the online attendee experience. This online offering gives healthcare providers from around the world greater access to valuable education and continuing education credits.
• Technology improvements: ASTCT is on track to launch a new website and an improved mobile app in 2023. Stay tuned for updates, as these are critical entries and tools for our community.
• New Meetings in 2023: ASTCT will be hosting the sixth International Workshop on Biology, Prevention and Treatment of Relapse after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy next October. The workshop will present the latest scientific and clinical advances related to relapse after HSCT and to provide a forum for the presentation of ongoing laboratory, translational, and clinical research.

Make it an Opportunity, Not a “To Do”

The end of the calendar year is so busy. But I hope you take some time to reflect – as I’ve been doing for ASTCT – on the accomplishments and the learnings. As many of us are celebrating different important holidays, I send you my best wishes and a reminder to take a few moments to reflect on the achievement of YOUR year.   

Tags: President, president message, Brenda Sandmaier