About us

On this page:

• ESTM statute
• ESTM organisation
• ESTM position statement
• ESTM Scientific Committee
• ESTM history
• ESTM values

Since 1992, the ESTM has shared knowledge
with more than 3.100 students, from 60 countries,
organizing 85 courses, mainly residential, held in 33 countries,
with the expertise of more than 700 coordinators and teachers

ESTM statute

Download .pdf: ESTM statute

ESTM organisation

ESTM position statement

Position statement of the ESTM concerning its independence from industry, commercial and business or other conflicting interest applicable to operating grants under the second programme of Community action in the field of health (2008-2013)
[2011 Work Plan, Annex VI, under 3, (a) and (b)]

It is hereby stated that:

1. The ESTM is a non-profit Association under the Italian law.
2. The ESTM, as a non-profit NGO, satisfies any requirement on transparency and has no commercial interest with private sector organisations.
3. The ESTM is not depending, for funding of its core expenditures, on any collaboration with private commercial organisations.
4. For the financial year 2012, core funding of 6.000 Euro is foreseen from ordinary membership contribution (30 Euro/year from 200 members), of 4.000 Euro from private (non-commercial) donations, and of 10.000 Euro from possible economies on the prospective budget for the courses and activities planned in the Project of the workplan for 2012.
5. Any ESTM residential course and activity is based on the principle of financial self-sufficiency, consisting in a thorough definition of its specific budget and on the determination of a participation fee (based on the expected number of participants) to cover all inherent expenses.
6. ESTM activities and projects in the last recent years have been partly funded by the ISBT Foundation in 2007 (50.000 Euro, 1/7/2007-30/6/2008) and in 2009 (25.000 Euro, 1/7/2009-30/6/2010).
7. A triennial Project (3/4/2008-3/4/2011) for Transfusion Medicine development in Albania has been funded in 2007 by the Department of International Cooperation, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (total of 390.000 Euro) and co-funded by the ESTM (total of 39.000 Euro).
8. A course in Pescara, in November 2009, on Organisational, technical and clinical aspects of cord blood banking has been partially funded by the Italian National Blood Centre (10.000 Euro) and the Teaching Hospital of Pescara (6.000 Euro).
9. The ESTM educational activity is entirely based on the voluntary contribution in kind of all stakeholders: 9 Council of Administration members (4 Italian, 2 Spanish, 1 French, 1 German, 1 Romanian), 32 Scientific Committee members, from 20 countries (16 EU, 3 non-EU European, and Israel), 5 Advisory Committee members (from 3 European countries).

ESTM Scientific Committee (2011-2013)

Chair

• John Barbara
  (Great Britain)
• Luca Mascaretti
  (Italy)
• Lenka Walterová
  (Czech Republic)

Members

• Michael Angastiniotis
  (Cyprus)
• Svetla Bakalova
  (Bulgaria)
• Lidia Blanco
  (Spain)
• Anneke Brand
  (The Netherlands)
• Ewa Brojer
  (Poland)
• José Manuel Cárdenas
  (Spain)
• Alejandro Chiera
  (Argentina)
• Vincenzo De Angelis
  (Italy)
• Gracinda de Sousa
  (Portugal)
• Dragoslav Domanovic
  (Slovenia)

• Magdy El Ekiaby
  (Egypt)
• Stefano Fontana
  (Switzerland)
• Androulla Eleftheriou
  (Cyprus)
• Giuliano Grazzini
  (Italy)
• Niels Grunnet
  (Denmark)
• Valentina Hafner
  (Romania, WHO)
• Hans Erik Heier
  (Norway)
• Antonio Iacone
  (Italy)
• Jukka Koistinen
  (Finland)
• Micheline Lambermont
  (Belgium)
• Graciela Leon
  (Venezuela)

• Lucio Luzzatto
  (Italy)
• Noga Manny
  (Israel)
• Carmen Martín-Vega
  (Spain)
• Wolfgang R. Mayr
  (Austria)
• Ellen McSweeney
  (Ireland)
• Eduardo Muñiz-Diaz
  (Spain)
• Constantina Politis
  (Greece)
• Chris Prowse
  (Great Britain)
• Irena Qendro
  (Albania)
• Paolo Rebulla
  (Italy)

• Umberto Rossi
  (Italy)
• Primož Rožman
  (Slovenia)
• Abdulgabar Salama
  (Germany)
• Vincenzo Saturni
  (Italy)
• Peter Schlenke
  (Germany)
• Danièle Sondag
  (Belgium)
• Oscar Torres
  (Argentina)
• Petr Turek
  (Czech Republic)
• Tomislav Vuk
  (Croatia)
• Eleftheria Zervou
  (Greece)
• Eugene Zhiburt
  (Russia)

ESTM history

The establishment of the ESTM (European School of Transfusion Medicine) may well be considered the fulfilment of the wishes expressed in Roma by Leone Lattes in 1935, at the eve of the birth of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT).

ESTM has been the result of a series of study documents and discussions on the teaching of Transfusion Medicine, originated by the Council of Europe (in 1963 and 1985) and developed (from 1990 to 1994 and later) by the ISBT within its European Regional Congresses and by the Italian Society of Transfusion Medicine (SIITS-AICT, later converted into SIMTI) through its "Symposia for European Cooperation", following the recommendation issued, in 1989, at the end of the ISBT 1st European Regional Congress in Lugano.

Common features of these European Symposia have been the recognition of the present situation possibly in all countries of the new "broader" Europe, the trial of "transfusing" all the scientific data and documentation work gathered by the Council of Europe and by National Societies into the European Community, and the elaboration of some concrete proposals and guidelines for further harmonisation within Europe.

ESTM conception

In May 1991, the consequences of the new political situation of Europe on Transfusion Medicine were discussed in the Board of SIMTI. Most of the Board members, having benefited in earlier years from the scientific and professional help received by more advanced European countries, felt the time had come to try and give help to Colleagues of countries who started facing new problems: deep gratitude to Europe and faith in the future. The idea was born, but not the ESTM yet.

As an unofficial Foreign Minister of SIMTI, Umberto Rossi was charged with incubating the idea and checking its feasibility.

ESTM gestation

The existing organisations of similar nature (European School of Haematology, of Oncology, Transfusion Medicine Societies) were contacted, to study their structures and their functions.

Suggestions and encouragement were sought by all the European friends. Nobody objected to the idea, no one refused to help serving as member of the Scientific Committee. The time was ripe: had the SIMTI not thought about it, the ESTM would certainly have been conceived anyway somewhere else in Europe. A proper and functional Statute was prepared.

ESTM birth

On 30th March 1992, after a more or less term gestation, the ESTM was born in Milano, in the Notary’s Office, through the signatures of the Constitution Act and of the Statute by 12 promoting members: the then Board members and the previous Presidents of SIMTI.

The birth and the rapid growth of the ESTM are a clear witness of the profound need for increasing harmonisation of the teaching of Transfusion Medicine within a geographical Europe wider than the "political" definitions, given by the European Union and the Council of Europe.

The ESTM is a non-profit Association recognised as NGO under the Italian law, managed by a Council of Administration and an Executive Committee, and guided by Scientific and Advisory Committees. The aims of the ESTM were defined as to provide a specialist teaching of Transfusion Medicine, of an international and European character, for specialists already established from a scientific and professional standpoint, physicians, other graduates and paramedical personnel under specialist training.

The educational "philosophy" of the ESTM, based on a sound cultural background of pathophysiology and clinical medicine, has been expressed in a series of "points of guidance", agreed upon in 1993 by its Scientific Committee.

On 6th June 1992, in Roma, the first meeting of the ESTM Scientific Committee took place: ideas were given and action was encouraged. The first course took place in Moscow (September 1992), jointly with the European School of Haematology (ESH); the second one in Barcelona (June 1993), prior to the ISBT European Regional Congress.

download ppt: ESTM activities

So far, 125 coordinators and more than 620 teachers have been involved, from 32 European countries, and some from Israel, UAE, Senegal, Latin America, Australia and USA.

Participants have been so far more than 3.100, from 41 European countries (and some from Canada, United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, Salvador, Uruguay, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Hong-Kong, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Kenya, Angola, Senegal, Cabo Verde, São Tomé and Gambia)

ESTM values

Progress in transfusion practice, towards harmonised training

On 13th May 1993, in a joint ESTM meeting in Jerusalem, the question "How to learn Transfusion Medicine?" was thoroughly discussed, and the urgent need of a concerted action worldwide was recognised as a priority.

It may look discouraging, after 16 years, to realise that not much progress has been made in assuring a widespread knowledge and implementation of the considerable advances occurred in the meantime in the practice of Transfusion Medicine.

However, the initiatives taken in the last seventeen years, in the whole of Europe, by the ISBT, by some National Scientific Societies and by the ESTM have considerably helped clarify the theory and practice of Transfusion Medicine in most European countries and to establish some network of scientific and professional communication: acting somehow also as a stimulus for countries of other continents (Africa and Asia) bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

Some relevant national differences still exist in different countries or areas of Europe, waiting for proper recognition, study and common European solution.

Basic requirements

Agreement was reached on a series of basic requirements, essential to build an acceptable safety of blood donation and Transfusion Medicine in all European countries:

• A clear definition of what is meant by the medical specialisation in "Transfusion Medicine" and the existence in the country of a sufficient number of dedicated Transfusion Medicine specialists.
• The presence of a minimum core of Transfusion Medicine competence in the cultural background of general doctors and other specialists, of nurses and technicians.
• A well functioning organisation of voluntary donation, within the national system of public health and hospital assistance, with adequate consideration of donors' medical care.
• A general feeling of belonging to a national, but also to a European medical and transfusional community.
• A proper cultural approach to blood safety and risk management.
• A widespread application of "quality" principles, in the frame of quality management, to the national organisation (central and peripheral) of Transfusion Medicine.

Towards consistent European Transfusion Medicine?

It became clear that nearly all the medical and transfusion problems of Europe need nowadays to be addressed not only by individual national measures, but also and mainly by a common, "transversal" European approach for the whole area. Although the heterogeneity of languages, of ethnical origins, and of cultural and religious traditions might make this approach more difficult, the very same reasons make it even more necessary and urgent.

Within this frame, the activities of the ESTM in the last few years have been oriented towards a fuller appreciation of the critical relevance of the contribution of clinical medicine to blood safety. More generally, the ESTM experience has allowed to fully appreciate that "Transfusing medical science into medical practice" is the real present challenge all over Europe, needs to become a permanent thought in medical research, and should be felt as a common responsibility by anyone involved in European Transfusion Medicine.

ESTM activities continue to be inspired by the fact that, all over Europe, blood safety has been first obtained (in presently "rich" countries) and should always be attained at first (in presently "poor" countries) at the lowest possible financial cost, counting mostly on the education of people (at all possible levels) and on the generalised application of simple screening procedures: the basis (and quickly!) before the top of the pyramid!

Education in "quality management", being fairly independent from financial resources and mainly addressed to human behaviour, can be considered an adequate common way to overcome national differences in Transfusion Medicine in Europe.

 

 

What next?

Towards "Homo Europaeus"!

In 1948 (at the first post-World War ISBT Congress in Turin), the "accepted wish" was expressed that "in all countries should the theoretical and practical teaching of blood transfusion and of related subjects be organized". After more than 60 years, one has to realise that a real, sound, honest "European" education is presently the most urgent need for European Transfusion Medicine: not only a genuine "academic" one, but a professional one as well, based on mutual recognition of common problems but also on the sympathetic acceptance of traditional and historical differences.

Prof. Cazal's introduction to a Council of Europe's document, in 1983 ("to assure "Homo Europaeus" of the same security as regards transfusion -the same transfusion rights and duties- wherever he lived and travelled"), can be appropriately quoted as an obvious motivation for the European harmonisation of Transfusion Medicine: that should be a matter of common and equal concern, for all European countries.

A growing feeling of interest and affection has been perceived in the last years by coordinators, teachers, and participants to ESTM activities; to ensure continuity, some structural and operational rearrangements are now necessary, including financial support, and commitment for a period of at least five years: this support should be free of any commercial interest and guarantee the absolute independence of the activities planned and performed by the ESTM.

» Support ESTM

Any kind of support, to better reach ESTM's goals, shall certainly help all persons involved in its activities from all over Europe (Scientific Committee, Council of Administration, coordinators, faculty members, national reporters, participants) continue to believe in the ESTM projects and contribute to their realisation.

Continuity may as well be assured through cooperation, as is already the case with some, with Institutions active in Education in Transfusion Medicine, such as WHO, European Union, Council of Europe, EBA, ISBT, NATA, IPFA, NESA, TIF, national or international scientific Societies, national or international Cooperation programmes.

The ESTM experience so far has shown indeed that sharing professional activities with Colleagues of different countries, and helping them with a "twinning" attitude, is the key to real progress of Transfusion Medicine in Europe, and in neighbouring countries.