As we approach winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere, we are likely heading into some very challenging months. COVID-19 has changed our lives. It has created tremendous pressure on families, communities, health care systems and societies. Health care providers, like all of you, at high risk of being infected with COVID-19, are constantly balancing the safety of their families and their commitment to patients.
Cancellation of all in-person medical meetings in 2020 appears trivial in contrast. Medical societies have had to reinvent themselves and have been forced to implement entirely digital events. There has been some unfamiliarity and minor technical difficulties, but overall, the digital transformation has been remarkably smooth and is here to stay in some form.
What is most remarkable to me is how members of ILTS rallied, teamed up, and made things happen. There has been a true sense of community over the last several months, helping each other out and sharing the newest information as it relates to COVID-19 and liver transplantation.
The Vanguard Committee has been hosting a very well-received series of webinars as it relates to COVID-19, with attendance from all over the world. It continues to produce excellent educational webinars on a variety of topics.
The ILTS/ASA Perioperative Care in Liver Transplantation Meeting had a record digital attendance of more than 400 registrations from 44 countries. Traditionally, the attendance was almost entirely North American and usually was around 130 attendees.
ILTS has launched REAL (Regional Expansion Advanced Learning Project), a targeted regional educational effort tailored to different educational needs. There are many more ILTS initiatives, including the Special Interest Groups (SIGs), the ILTS INSIGHTS Webinar Series, and TTS-ILTS paired program initiative. All initiatives can be reviewed on our website.
The 2021 Consensus Conference organized jointly by ILTS and SETH (the Spanish Liver Transplantation Society) promises to be an outstanding conference on non-hepatic cancer and liver transplantation. For the first time, the Consensus Conference will be hosted online.
While we are waiting for effective vaccination and improved treatment options for COVID-19, our highest priority is the safety of our community. We, therefore, do not believe that a May 2021 Istanbul in-person congress is a viable option. We will convert to a fully digital program with a reduced, modified core program but include all the abstract sessions. We ask for your patience as we will provide you with more detailed information in the next few months.
We would like to sincerely thank all ILTS Members for their work and dedication to their patients and continuing engagement in helping our society fulfill its mission.
A big thank you to our management company, K.I.T. Group, who has been tremendous and went the extra mile to assure that ILTS continues to move forward despite the disruption.
Lastly, we also would like to thank our sponsors, who have shown incredible flexibility and continued willingness to support the society.
We are confident 2021 will provide more clarity and stability. All of us at ILTS hope we can see you all in person at the 2022 ILTS Istanbul meeting.
ILTS initiatives
