Dear BSBMTCT member,

Before we know it, another year is almost through…and a new one about to start!

We hope you are coping with the winter pressures, which have brought new day-by-day challenges within our NHS, for our community, and for society in general…

However, we hope to bring some positivity over the Festive Season and the turn of the year….

• Firstly, we would like to congratulate the newly appointed members of the BSBMTCT Executive Committee who will start their new roles in January 2023; Deborah Richardson as President Elect, Sara Ghorashian as Chair of Advanced Cellular Therapies (ACT) Sub-Committee and Thushan de Silva as Chair of the Vaccinations Sub-Committee.
• We wholeheartedly thank Kim Orchard, who completes his term as Past-President and Board of Trustees member, for his commitment and achievements for BSBMTCT, especially during the first part of the pandemic, and wish him all the best for future ‘adventures’. John Snowden now becomes the Past President for the next two years, and Eduardo Olavarria is your BSBMTCT President from January 2023.
• Also sincere thanks to Deborah Richardson for her term as BSBMTCT Treasurer, although her input will remain very much ongoing to support the newly elected Treasurer in this important and complex role for the Society. Nominations have now closed, and the voting process has begun. Please do vote, the deadline is 5pm on Tuesday 3^rd January 2023. We will announce the results on the 4^th January 2023.
• The Executive Committee has also been looking for UK JACIE representatives to join the committee in January, we will be announcing the results in early January.
• Many thanks to our serving Executive Committee members, all of whom are developing and delivering on their portfolios in the key issues that affect our community – good practice guidelines, workforce, advanced cellular therapies, vaccinations, indications, recognition within the NHS, and maximising the use of the registry for studies and quality improvement.
• We also recognise the immense contributions of our BSBMTCT Executive members, who with speakers and chairs, have contributed to our three major well-attended national meetings this year – the Scientific Meeting in Spring, the summer Advanced Cellular Therapies Showcase and the Educational Meeting in Autumn. Feedback was very positive, and these three excellent meetings will be rolled over into 2023, on the date below.

• We continue to campaign on key issues – and sometimes campaigns can be won! You will have recently received notification about the expanded recommendations from the JCVI for Herpes Zoster Vaccine (Shingrix) for our patients 18 years and older, following a joint campaign between Anthony Nolan and BSBMTCT. Please see link here: BSBMTCT and Anthony Nolan Joint Statement: Shingrix Vaccine recommended for all adult HSCT recipients – British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation
• The ‘Ruxolitnib campaign’ is ongoing, and we’re doing our best to support centres getting fair revision of the NHS re-imbursement tariff for CARTs, as well as access to bone marrow harvesting kits and other basic items of equipment and reagents that have been compromised by supply chain issues. Our close working and partnership within the BSBMTCT Executive with Anthony Nolan, NHS representatives, and NHSBT helps to address these issues. Please let us know of any other issues!
• Fairness is important in our Society and our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)survey is now out and will provide invaluable information for the future of our Society, as well as meeting various requirements as a professional and charitable organisation. Thank you to those that have already submitted, if you haven’t yet responded the link can be found here: https://bsbmtct.org/bsbmtct-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-survey/

 Otherwise please save the dates for the upcoming BSBMTCT events :

• BSBMTCT CTSC Meeting – 7^th February 2023 – More details to follow
• BSBMTCT Scientific Day 2023Wednesday 17 May 2023, as a hybrid meeting
• BSBMTCT Scientific showcase for Advanced Cell Therapy (ACT) subcommittee 2023with the provisional date Monday 19^th June 2023.
• BSBMTCT Education Day 2023 Wednesday 1^st November 2023, as a hybrid meeting

 Our very best wishes and Season’s Greetings!

 Hoping that BSBMTCT will continue to grow as the voice for the BMT and Cellular Therapy community in 2023!

 John Snowden, Kim Orchard, Fiona Dignan, Deborah Richardson, Eduardo Olavarria, & Julia Lee