Blood Transfusion: the seventh Editor-in-Chief

Abstract

On January 2015, eight years after the appointment of Claudio Velati as Editor-in-Chief of Blood Transfusion, the Board of Directors of the Italian Society of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology (Societa Italiana di Medicina Trasfusionale e Immunoematologia, SIMTI) has designated the successor of Claudio Velati, the seventh Editor-in-Chief. Claudio led Blood Transfusion towards an international arena where it now stands as an indexed and impacted international journal that is the free online official Journal of four European Scientific Societies: SIMTI, the Italian Association of Haemophilia Centres (Associazione Italiana dei Centri Emofilia, AICE), the Croatian Society of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine (Hrvatsko Drustvo za Hematologiju i Transfuzijsku Medicinu, HDHTM), and the Spanish Society of Blood Transfusion and Cellular Therapy (Sociedad Espanola de Transfusion Sanguinea y Terapia Celular, SETS). The journal also has two Affiliated Societies: the Portuguese Association of Immuno-Haemotherapy (Associacao Portuguesa de Imuno-Hemoterapia, APIH) and the Hellenic Society of Blood Transfusion (HSBT). Therefore, Blood Transfusion is now the cultural heritage of several scientific societies and can boast a prestigious international editorial board that has played a key role in achieving the current levels of editorial quality through a conservative policy of only accepting those manuscripts meeting the high standard requirements set by the editors. Claudio is the current President of SIMTI, Europe Regional Director of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), and Head of Emilia-Romagna Blood Coordinating Centre and Bologna Transfusion Medicine and Blood Bank Department. He now will also act as the “Senior Editor” of Blood Transfusion with the task of supervising my work, which will be oriented towards maintaining and possibly increasing the international features of the Journal. In fact, since 2008, a constantly increasing number of articles published in Blood Transfusion have been co-authored by experts from different countries. In addition, we hope that investigators working in other specialties in close contact with Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology will publish their papers in Blood Transfusion and exploit the Journal for their continuing education. I am honoured and well aware of the challenging task that awaits me in succeeding Claudio in the role of Editor-in-Chief. I am confident that the deep motivation and enthusiasm of the Journal’s staff along with the excellent scientific credentials of the colleagues sitting on the editorial board and the numerous reviewers collaborating with us will be the ingredients to yield better and better results. Therefore, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Editorial Office and all members of the Editorial Board who have accepted to support me as well as all the readers, authors, and reviewers of Blood Transfusion, whose commitment is undoubtedly crucial for the continuing success of their Journal. The new Editor-in-Chief, Giancarlo M. Liumbruno (on the left), and the outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Claudio Velati.