In April 2003, a silent killer quietly invaded Toronto just days before the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Thousands were quarantined after six people died of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the number of suspected cases spiked. The world watched as colleagues in Canada struggled to find a way to deal with this medical emergency and public health crisis that forced ACCR to cancel their meeting. While we do not know when the next crisis may hit, we do know that future natural or man-made emergencies are a certainty. Given this likelihood, are you prepared to care for your patients, your staff, and yourself when the next crisis hits? How does care change in the face of a crisis when you may be at risk? These are just some of the important issues hematologists must consider and lessons we must learn from past experiences around the world.
Emergency preparedness is the topic of this year's ASH-EHA Policy Forum. In partnership with the European Hematology Association (EHA), ASH will explore important strategic questions that force us to reflect on the role we need to be prepared to play as hematologists during public health crises. This year's session will take place immediately before the Plenary Scientific Session, on Sunday, December 9, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Hall A1. The session will be co-chaired by ASH President Dr. Andrew Schafer and EHA President Dr. Willem Fibbe. We are delighted that renowned experts Drs. Don Low and Albert Osterhaus have agreed to stimulate our thinking about this topic and allow us to learn from their personal experiences.
Dr. Low saw the SARS epidemic unfold from his vantage point as Microbiologist-in-Chief at the Toronto Medical Laboratories and Mount Sinai Hospital, a diagnostic laboratory serving 100 hospitals in the Greater Toronto area. He will share his unique perspective about the challenges his colleagues and staff faced and offer insights that hematologists will want to consider in his presentation titled "SARS Outbreak in Toronto: Lessons Learned."
Dr. Osterhaus, widely recognized as "The Virus Hunter" for his expertise and sometimes unconventional methods in studying infectious diseases, was trained as a veterinarian. He turned to virology after he recognized the significance and impact of viruses that cross the species barrier. He founded the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and Environment and heads a 100-person lab at Erasumus MC in Rotterdam. At the height of the SARS epidemic, he headed the first laboratory to provide evidence demonstrating that the disease was caused by a coronavirus that usually resides in civet cats and other carnivorous animals.
There will be time for questions from the audience after the speakers have shared their remarks. Please mark your calendar for this special policy forum.
