BSH 2025 - Glasgow

​Thanks to the generous support of the HaemStar ISTH Legacy Fund, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the British Society of Haematology Annual Scientific Meeting 2025, held from the 27th to 29th April in Glasgow. As my first academic conference, it was an inspiring, educational, and thoroughly enjoyable experience.

I was there to present a poster on the HaemStar AudHIT project, which investigates the diagnosis and management of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT). Our poster focused on the diagnostic side, and our analysis concluded that patients with suspected HIT undergo a sub-optimal diagnostic work-up, highlighting an important area for improvement in clinical practice. I valued the thought-provoking discussions with clinicians during the Poster Walk—particularly around the use of the HIT Alert Card and the underlying reasons behind the deviation from diagnostic guidelines.

Beyond the poster presentation, the conference was packed with engaging sessions. A few highlights included:

·       The Sir John Dacie Lecture by Prof Andreas Greinacher, which was especially relevant to our project. His talk on anti-PF4 antibody disorders offered detail into the mechanisms behind HIT and VITT — complementing our research focus.

·       The Crucible session which featured creative, forward-thinking ideas to improve the care of our ageing population. Solutions ranged from encouraging doctors to move to more rural areas, through to redesigning training pathways. However, I felt the winning idea was particularly ingenious given my interest in paediatrics, which proposed applying principles from paediatric care to geriatric services which was a perspective I hadn’t considered before.

·       The top abstract presentations spanned topics in general haematology, obstetric haematology, and immunohaematology. Not only was the research itself fascinating, but it gave me an insight into what makes an effective and engaging presentation, with complementary discussions. I will certainly aim for oral presentations in the future, so this was useful both in terms of content and delivery.

To top it all off, we also emersed ourselves in some of the Scottish culture! The appearance of traditional bagpipes just before the poster walk brought a unique and unforgettable touch to the conference. As this was my first visit to Scotland, I also took the opportunity to explore both Glasgow and Edinburgh, and the scenic views it has to offer – making the whole experience even more special.

 Being my first conference, I had no idea what to expect – but the experience did not disappoint. I’m incredibly grateful to the HaemStar ISTH Legacy Fund for making this experience possible. Attending BSH ASM 2025 has deepened my understanding of haematology and sparked an interest in research. I hope to attend similar conferences in the future!