President's page
From the EFI President - EFI Newsletter, issue 109, March 2026
Dear EFI Members,
First, I would like to officially welcome Neema Mayor as the new Director of the EFI Newsletters, starting from the present edition. Neema steps into this vital role, succeeding Sebastiaan, who has done a fantastic job managing our communications over the past years. Please join me in thanking Sebastiaan for his dedication and hard work, and in offering Neema our full support. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Renata Zunec and Zorana Grubic for organizing the East-West Immunogenetics Congress in Zagreb from the 26th to the 28th of February, this year. This meeting was very successful, featuring presentations of the highest scientific levels and generating insightful discussions following every session. In the next few weeks, we will meet in Edinburgh. Our deep gratitude goes to Ann-Margaret Little and David Turner for taking the lead in organizing the 39th EFI/BSHI Congress, that will take place in April 2026. This event marks a significant milestone for our community, especially given the history: we all remember that our planned 2020 Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a successful, but virtual event, in 2021. We are anticipating a massive success in Edinburgh, bolstered by an excellent scientific and social program. As usual, during the open ceremony, the participants will have the possibility to appreciate the Ceppellini Lecture, the presentation from the young winner of the Julia Bodmer Award as well as the presentation from the Author of the most last year downloaded manuscript published in the HLA Journal. The plenary sessions promise to be highly engaging, with esteemed speakers presenting cutting-edge work in stem cell transplantation, solid organ transplantation, and the broader fields of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Attendees will benefit immensely from the diverse teaching sessions covering these same core topics, as well as the valuable opportunities presented by the oral and poster sessions. A huge” thank you” is extended to Guarant and to the EFI office in Leiden, Sonja, Ingrid and Margriet, for their crucial organizational support. Another very special “thank you” goes to the Sponsors that also this year will support the EFI activities during the Congress and to Miller Foundation with their generous contribution that will enable 10 young EFI members to participate in this congress, contributing to the development of professionals in our Community.
We are now turning our attention to the EFI Summer School that will take place from 11th to 14th November in the island of Crete, Greece, organized in collaboration with our Scientific Sister Societies, ASHI, APHIA and ARSHI. Our thanks to Katerina Tarassi for her organizational efforts and for having meticulously developed with Deborah Sage, Chair of the EFI Educational Committee, the scientific program, that looks highly ambitious. We are confident that this event will be very well attended and prove invaluable for the growth and development of our young researchers, who are encouraged to submit abstracts related to their work. Our commitment to continuous learning remains strong with the ongoing presentation of webinars organized by the Education Committee, chaired by Deborah Sage, by the Scientific Committee, chaired by Luca Vago and by the EFI Young Professionals, chaired by Timo Olieslagers.
We are also proud to highlight the migration from the old to the new EFI website, which represents a major step forward for our association. This new platform is the result of the hard work of the Secretaries in the EFI Office and Eric Spierings, in close collaboration with the Company Redkiwi. We invite all of you to explore it and experience a more agile and modern way to stay connected with our Community. At this purpose, I also suggest to all of you to follow the activities of EFI in the LinkedIn page, continuously updated, in particular by the EFI Office, by Sandra Tafulo and by the Members of the EFI Young Professionals Committee.
Furthermore, it is relevant to underline that the recent elections for the President-Elect and two new Councillors for the EFI Executive Committee have concluded successfully. We look forward to welcoming the new EFI President Elect and the new Councillors to the team, continuing our shared governance, but also thanking those that generously gave their availability, but were not elected this time. Finally, heartfelt thanks to all the members of the different EFI Committees that with their dedication, the countless hours of voluntary work, and their expertise are the engine that drives this association. Thank you for working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the scientific and organizational excellence of EFI.
With my warmest regards,
Marco, EFI President