Behind the Scenes at the All-Ireland Haematology Forum 2024
The All-Ireland Haematology Forum was set up with the goal of making connections between early career researchers in Northern Ireland and in the Republic. Following an excellent conference held in Queens University Belfast last year, we were delighted to take up the challenge of organising the 2024 meeting in UCD this past summer. The conference brought together MSc and PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and PIs from all over Ireland to present and discuss their research, make connections, and facilitate collaboration between different research groups.
Organizing the conference was a challenge that required months of planning and collaboration. We were delighted to be sponsored by Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI (LLNI), a Northern Ireland-based charity dedicated to researching and developing new treatments for blood cancers, and to welcome Richard Buchanan, LLNI chairperson to UCD to open the conference. We were also privileged to partner with Novogene, Brennan and Company, and Vector Builder, whose support was instrumental in bringing the 2024 forum to life.
An aspect of the conference in Belfast that attendees really liked was that one person from every lab represented at the conference gave a talk that covered both their own work, and that also gave an overview of the ongoing research in the wider lab group. We thought that this was a really nice idea that could foster conversation and collaboration between individuals and lab groups, and so we replicated that this year. We were delighted to have 10 talks from individual groups on the day.
We were fortunate to have three excellent keynote speakers on our programme, including Prof. Triona Ni Chonghaile (RCSI), who spoke on the role of anti-apoptotic proteins in multiple myeloma, and SBI’s own Prof. Jonathan Bond, who provided fascinating insights into new developments and advances in leukaemia treatment. We were also delighted to welcome Karl Corcoran to UCD, and to hear him speak about his experiences of undergoing cancer treatment and his motivations for becoming involved in advocacy and Young Persons Advisory Group (YPAG).
Presentations from Karl Corcoran (YPAG member), Associate Professor Triona Ní Chonghaile (RCSI) and Professor Jonathan Bond (SBI)
The day concluded with poster presentations and prizes for the top 3 posters, which were decided based on an audience vote. Emma Doyle from Eric Conway’s lab (UCD), Grainne Holland from Adrian Bracken’s lab (TCD) and Alex Mutch from Katrina Lappin’s lab (QUB) were selected for the best poster prizes.
Beyond the talks and poster presentations, the networking opportunities were a vital aspect of the conference. It was great to see connections being forged throughout the day in the coffee and lunch breaks, with discussions continuing well beyond the formal sessions. We got very positive feedback on this aspect of the day, and are excited to see what collaborations might arise from this at next years conference!
Full house for the AIHF conference
Reflecting on the Experience
Organizing the All-Ireland Haematology Forum was both a challenging and fulfilling experience. Personally, I found it very rewarding to see everything come together on the day and run smoothly, and to get positive feedback from attendees. It was very interesting to get to experience the ‘behind the scenes’ of a conference, and to see what is involved in making these events a success. Of course, the conference would not have been possible without the dedication of the organizing team, the enthusiasm of the attendees, and the support of all our sponsors.
L to R: Theodora Grosu (PhD Student, Bond Group) and Claire Fitzgerald (Postdoctoral Researcher, Bond Group) were two of this year's AIHF organisers.
The All-Ireland Haematology Forum was organised by Luke Jones, Theodora Grosu, Tania Dias and Claire Fitzgerald (all SBI), with support from Thomas Lefeivre (University of Bordeaux) and Deirdre Venney (Dana Farber Cancer Institute)
