Your Name Clare Fox
Programme of Study and Course Provider Attending EBMT Conference Glasgow
Dates covered by this Report April 2024
To help ensure the continued success of the ELF Fellowship Programme, we ask all recipients to complete an Evaluation Report at the end of their course, or on a yearly basis for courses which last longer than one year.
Your responses will be used to help us understand to impact of the Fellowship Programme, to inspire future Fellowship applicants and to update the charity’s supporters on the use of their donations. If you have been supported by a named donor, we will also share your Report with them, involving you where possible. Please bear this in mind when writing your answers, as the more detail you give, the more we can inspire others.
If you prefer your Report is not shared publicly, is anonymised or redacted in any way, please note this in the final section. We may still ask if we can use individual quotes from your report, but will only do so with your knowledge and agreement.
1. How did you make the decision to study this course with this particular provider? We are interested in knowing what helped you to make the decision to apply, and where and what to study?
I Attended the 3 day 50th European Society for Bone Marrow Transplant (EBMT) Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
The EBMT is a collaborative peer network of professionals working in the fields of clinical haematopoietic cell transplantation, gene therapy and cellular therapy. EBMT has more than 7,200 members who contribute to and benefit from the collective knowledge that the EBMT has accumulated with a focus on innovation, research and the advancement of cellular and stem cell-based therapies to save and improve the lives of patients with blood-related disorders.
EBMT facilitate an annual conference which provides the opportunity to meet with other HCPs and colleagues from other disciplines involved in transplantation to share knowledge and expertise.
In setting up a pre-habilitation programme for patients who require an autologous transplant as part of their treatment pathway EBMT was a primary environment to showcase this information.
2. How important was it that financial support was available to you? Do you think you still would have undertaken the course if you had not received this Fellowship?
The possibility of financial support was the primary reason I was able to attend.
If I had to fund this myself I would not have been able to participate in this course – thank you for your support.
3. What was your overall impression of the course (or the course to date, if applicable)? What are some of the key learning points?
What did you learn from the CPD activity and/or feedback and/or event or experience in your practice?
Attending and participating in the conferences was inspirational. There were several scientific educational streams running concurrently with the opportunity to attend any sessions, some of which held with a multidisciplinary approach for all HCPs, specific disciplines such as data managers, pharmacists, scientists and well as for physicians and nurses and others with a purely nursing focus.
From attending scientific sessions, it is clear that innovation is inextricably linked to scientific discovery. Listening to ground-breaking research exploring gene therapies and AI-driven technology was inspiring and evidences how rapidly-advancing science serves as the foundation for innovation.
There is also tremendous growth in novel innovations and therapies including CAR-T treatments that use CD19 as a target for B-cell malignancies, and B-cell maturation antigen as a target for myeloma. This field is swiftly expanding so that long term data is not yet mature, however experience is developing not only in terms clinical knowledge of how to treat patients, but also what to expect, the complications, and how to deal with them.
Recognising the evident commitment to bringing transformative therapies for transplant patients it was also very clear evidence of foci towards more patient-centred approaches in transplant medicine. This shift is particularly important because of the complex nature of the transplant therapeutic landscape. There were several patient-led sessions, recounting individual experiences of the transplant pathway, some very positive and others clearly very challenging. These personal experiences often cited nurse specialists as being influential in terms of a trusted, consistent health care professional present throughout the treatment pathway. Graft-vs-host disease was discussed by many presenters in terms of having a significant, negative impact on a patients physical and emotional well-being.
This focus on improving patients quality of life post-transplant aligns well with putting patients at the centre of all we do. In terms of improving patient experience and outcomes the topic of pre-habilitation prior to transplant was discussed. It was good to recognise the pre-habilitation programme facilitated at RDUH was exemplar with reference of being held with an MDT f2f approach, different to every other English trusts, one of which held 1.5hr long telephone clinic to share this information. The RDUH Psychologist presented our local experience of setting up a pre-habilitation clinic for those patients for whom an autologous transplant was planned as part of their treatment pathway.
Another message was one of collaboration. EBMT brought together experts from various disciplines of blood and marrow transplant care, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas and knowledge. It is clear the future of healthcare is shaped with partnerships and the energy within the conference of sharing knowledge and expertise was so stimulating.
4. What will the impact be on your career and/or on the experience of your patients?
Attending the conference was stimulating, providing an opportunity to reflect on my practice and the services and experience we offer to our patients and their families.
Specific knowledge was developed in terms of novel therapies such as CAR-T cell therapy and bispecific. This newly acquired knowledge can be shared informally with staff and formally within the Haematology degree module for which I am the lead tutor, run in partnership with the University of Plymouth.
This experience has given me the enthusiasm to attend a conference again in more of a contributor role – perhaps with a poster or delivering a session in the future.
5. Please indicate if you prefer any of this report to be anonymised or not shared publicly.
Yes.