Presidential Message

First of all, I would like to announce that the 17^th International Congress of the World Apheresis Association (WAA) is going to be held on September 14-17, 2022. It will be a joint meeting of the World Apheresis Association, the European Society for Hemapheresis, and the Turkish Society for the Hematological Rare Diseases and will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, between September 14^th and 17^th.  It is a time of the year that will allow us to enjoy not only the comprehensive scientific program prepared by the Scientific Committee but also the social activities, art, and history of the city. The scientific program covers various topics related to apheresis, especially the most up-to-date apheresis technologies, and their clinical applications. The WAA represents international members who are not only physicians, but nurses, technicians, and others involved in the field; educational programs will be presented during the congress for allied health professionals. I hope that the meeting will be well attended and successful for both the scientific and social value to our members and guests.

The other thing I would like to say is that this year is the last year of my WAA presidency. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the members of all societies for collaborating in my presidential continuum. As the president of the WAA, it was my pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you. Honestly, everyone did their best, and the WAA has become one of the most influential organizations worldwide.

As you know, when the WAA was founded in 1986, it represented eight societies. Today, I am honored to say that the WAA represents 18 international societies as an umbrella organization. We have welcomed three new societies, the Uzbekistan Hematology and Transfusiology Association and the Hematological Rare Diseases Society, both from Turkey, and most recently the Israeli Society over the last 4 years. Currently, the WAA is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious organizations in its field. For that, I am grateful to every single one of our member societies who work harder to become much better. Everyone under the umbrella of WAA invigorates this organization.

In 2002, the WAA started a worldwide registry of therapeutic apheresis procedures. Today, over 80,000 reports on more than 20,000 patients are included in the database, and various publications in peer-reviewed literature produced from this database. As you know, the whole world fought against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Many papers about the use of apheresis, convalescent plasma, and transfusion during the pandemic were published in The WAA journal, Transfusion and Apheresis Science. I would like to thank all the scientists who shared their valuable experiences and knowledge in the journal to increase international collaborations. The WAA is always ready to provide intellectual and scientific support to all professionals in the field of blood transfusion and apheresis.

As the President of the WAA, I have had the opportunity to work with you for six years to achieve our mutual goals. One more time, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the member societies for collaborating in my presidential continuum. I look forward to seeing you all at the 17^th International Congress of The World Apheresis Association that will be held on September 14-17, 2022 in Istanbul. For more information on this highly anticipated meeting please go to: https://waa2022.org/

Fevzi Altuntas, MD
WAA President