ISTH2015_Book_COMPLETE_Jun_0

Invitation and Welcome Message
Dear ISTH Congress attendees,
The
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international
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your field!
We are happy to welcome you to Toronto, which in the Iroquois language means “place
where trees stand in the water,” and this was likely the initial native local name. From 1795
to 1834 it was the town of York, then becoming the City of Toronto with a population of
9,000. The population of the Toronto metropolitan area has grown to just over six million in
2015. Toronto is known for its multi-ethnicity and diverse neighbourhoods, where culture
and food from many parts of the world can be enjoyed. Similarly, delegates from a large
number of countries will convene at this congress to exchange new research data, ideas,
opinions and suggestions for future collaboration.
The ISTH Congress, now counting as the 25th since the first congress in Montreux, Switzerland,
in 1970, is the largest and most important event every two years for all scientists
and clinicians with an interest in thrombosis and hemostasis. The ISTH Congress has expanded
- from the previous one in Toronto in 1981 of about 2,000 attendees to more than
8,000 today. Different from many other large meetings, the ISTH Congress takes much of
its features from the Local Organizing Committee, which – with logistic support from ISTH
Headquarters and the professional congress organizer – has substantial liberty to decide on
the format of the sessions as well as the social components. For those established in the
field of thrombosis and hemostasis, attending consecutive congresses in different countries
and continents generates fond memories and stimulates comparisons. Those joining the
ISTH Congress for the first time will hopefully get a very positive impression, encouraging
further contributions to science and a return to future meetings.
Saturday and the first half of Sunday are, in keeping with tradition, devoted to the annual
meeting (the 61st) of the Scientific and Standardization Committee (SSC) of the ISTH.
Work in progress, preliminary or final reports from the multitude of projects of the SSC will
be mixed with a wide variety of educational lectures. The latter have been carefully chosen
not to duplicate presentations of invited speakers during the following congress. At the end
of the SSC meeting, on Sunday at lunch, we extend a warm welcome to the recipients of the
Young Investigator and the Reach-The-World awards and invite them to a special reception.
Last year was the exciting premier for World Thrombosis Day (WTD), in which more than
175 organizations were involved and spread important educational messages to millions of
people. On Sunday afternoon, you can enjoy a special presentation of the experiences and
highlights from this inaugural WTD.
The actual ISTH Congress kicks off with the Opening Ceremony on Sunday evening and we
are excited to give you a taste of Canadian music and culture from coast to coast. It will be
followed by a networking reception in the Exhibition Hall.
The scientific congress is composed of a variety of sessions – five plenary lectures by
front-line scientists, 53 state-of-the-art lectures by leaders in the respective fields and
accompanied by corresponding articles in the educational book, 52 abstract symposia with
an introductory review lecture followed by oral presentations of top-scoring abstracts on
the topic, two late-breaking-sessions on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, with piping
hot results from 10 clinical trials, 89 oral communication sessions, and from Monday to
Wednesday poster sessions as well. For those that have reserved tickets, there are Master
Classes covering 40 different topics in the early morning of Sunday to Wednesday. As a new
feature we also have Career Mentorship sessions for small groups at lunch time.
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jth
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