Why Join ISEH? New Investigators Share Their Thoughts

Following the International Society for Experimental Hematology (ISEH) Annual Conference in Frankfurt, some of you may be wondering what else you can get out of your ISEH membership. To give some ideas, we asked members of the ISEH New Investigator Committee (NIC) why they belong to ISEH.

Isabel Beerman (NIH, USA) added “One of the most valuable aspects of my ISEH membership is the access to the network of outstanding researchers. This is highlighted at the annual meeting. This intimate gathering promotes interactions with investigators at all career stages and allows for open discussions of developing research programs. In addition, interactions between members is fostered throughout the year by ISEH sponsored events on the website that highlight relevant publications and provide great educational opportunities from the introduction to hematology (Hematology 101) to learning about emerging technologies driving the field forward (New Investigator Committee Webinars).”

Nina Cabezas-Wallscheid (Max Planck Institute Freiburg, Germany) also told us “I attended my first ISEH meeting after it was recommended by Mick Milsom in 2012. I enjoyed the conference so much that since then I have joined every year. Why? Because I believe that the ISEH community provides each scientist, from junior to senior, a niche to interact and collaborate to drive the hematological field forwards. In addition, I find that ISEH has an extremely important task driving young investigators to top level science and enrolling well-established scientists in this process. I believe that this is partially achieved by keeping the size of the Annual meeting small. Moreover the ISEH community organize state-of-the-art Webinars, journal clubs and keep scientists updated on the latest news through several platforms such as Facebook, Connections, and Simply Blood.”

Novella Guidi (USC, USA) told us “I’ve been a member of ISEH since 2015. At that time I was still a PhD student and I attended my first annual meeting in Kyoto, Japan. Until that time I attended larger meetings, so I was positively surprised of the smaller size of ISEH and the great setting, which provides a focus on interaction between new investigators and PIs. I so enjoyed being able to discuss my research with peers in the field and with other students as well that I immediately decided that I wanted to be closer involved in the society, joining the NIC. After two years I still believe being part of it it’s an honour because it’s the perfect niche to grow as a junior scientist - it builds up my network and collaborations with the bigger names in the field and always keeps me up to date on all the new hematology discoveries.”

Simon Haas (DKFZ Heidelberg, Germany) said “A few years ago when I was a PhD student, Mick Milsom, a senior colleague of mine, encouraged me with much enthusiasm to attend the ISEH meeting. Now, I share his enthusiasm about the conference, as well as the society. It was the first international conference I was attending, and until now remains my favorite meeting. The atmosphere is great, cutting edge hematology research presented in a casual and interactive manner. The ratio of world-leading PIs to PhD students and postdocs is excellent, facilitating the interaction of junior scientist with the big PIs. There are many special events organized particularly for junior scientists. Therefore, I can highly recommend this meeting, as well as to become a member of ISEH.”

Eric Pietras (UC Denver, USA) told us “ISEH is a uniquely cohesive and trainee-focused community where scientists at all levels can create a strong network of friends and collaborators, that includes leading investigators in the hematology community. What I’ve liked most about ISEH, and what motivated me to become a member of the New Investigator Committee, is the emphasis ISEH places on fostering the next generations of scientists, and the level of involvement from members at all levels in creating this culture. Few societies provide the wealth of opportunities for trainees and new investigators to interact with each other and access scientific and career development resources, both at the annual meeting and year-round. It really is a great community and has provided me with numerous opportunities to learn and grow as a scientist, and to help others coming up in the field.”

Sofie Singbrant (Lund University, Sweden) said “I’ve been a member of the ISEH for over ten years, attended the annual ISEH meetings close to every year, and I am currently the chair of the ISEH New Investigator Committee. The reason I got engaged in the society and keep going to the meetings is the perfect mix of outstanding science presented and the many opportunities to network with everyone from PhD students to senior professors in the field. The society also has a large focus on new investigators, which has provided me with valuable knowledge, opportunities to present my work, and a great international network of friends and colleagues over the years!“

Steve Sykes (Fox Chase, Canada) said “I belong to ISEH for a variety of reasons. First, I really enjoy the ISEH newsletter and the new Simply Blood blog posts – both have interesting information I may not otherwise come across. Second, I very much enjoy the webinar series. And of course, the ISEH annual meeting is a big draw for me. Prior to my first ISEH meeting in Melbourne, Australia (2010), I had only attended larger meetings. The intimate and interactive environment of the ISEH meeting provided me easy opportunities to meet other trainees as well as experts in my field. Lastly, being a member of ISEH, which is a tight-knit but welcoming community of normal and malignant hematologists, has allowed me to build meaningful collaborations and long-lasting colleagues.”

Cedric Tremblay (Monash, Australia) also noted “The ISEH community is one of the most active in the field of stem cell and hematology research. I’ve been a member of the ISEH for seven years, and the annual meeting represents the best opportunity to interact with other new investigators and international experts in the field, in a casual ambiance. That’s what makes the ISEH annual meeting so special, and definitely the highlight of the year! Over the years, the ISEH provided me incredible professional opportunities, which deeply influenced my current career path. But what makes ISEH so unique as a society, is the true sense of community that new and more senior investigators contribute to maintain throughout the years.”

Adam Wilkinson (Stanford, USA) added “ISEH membership gives me access to the ISEH webinar series, the ISEH blogs and newsletters, and the ExpHem journal. These help me to stay up-to-date in this fast-moving research field and consider the broader aspects of research and academia. And then the ISEH conference offers a rare opportunity to hear about yet-to-be-published stories emerging in experimental hematology, network with international researchers, and develop new collaborations.”

We hope that this gives you some ideas of how to make the most out of your ISEH membership and some extra reasons why you should join the ISEH Annual Conference in 2018!


Written by:
ISEH 2016 - 2017 New Investigators Committee Members

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