Latest / EHA Unplugged / Young Hematologists in the Spotlight: EHA2025 Young EHA Award (Dr Mandy Lauw)

Transcript

Young Hematologists in the Spotlight: EHA2025 Young EHA Award (Dr Mandy Lauw) · EHA Unplugged

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  So for me, this award is much more than just a recognition for
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  my achievements and about me. But I think it's most important
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  that it's visible for the outside world that you can
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  contribute to EJ and contribute to the hematology community and
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  to your field and to your colleagues, even if you're not
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  professor over 60 or published over 500 articles.
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  But that's if you're motivated to do so and if you feel it's
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  important to contribute and to, you know, represents, then you
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  can and and EHA offers us opportunities.
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  Welcome to EHA Unplugged, the official podcast channel of the
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  European Hematology Association. EHA, I'm your host, Isabella
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  Libre, and today we have the pleasure to have with us Doctor
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  Mandilo. Dr. Mandilo is an internist and
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  hematologist at the Department of Hematology at the Raspuns
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  Medical Center in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
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  Thank you for being with us today.
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  Thank you for having me. Doctor Law has been the chair of
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  the Young EHA Committee and she has been instrumental in shaping
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  the future of the hematology by supporting early career
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  professionals. For her contributions, she has
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  received the Young EHA Award at this 2025 EHA Congress.
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  Congratulations Doctor Low on your award.
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  Thank you very much. So we're going to talk about
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  your experience in this Young EHA committee and what this
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  committee does and how we can support young hematologist.
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  So my first question is, what does receiving this Young EHA
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  award means to you? Well.
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  Thank you very much and also for the congratulations.
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  It's an incredible honor. Of course, it's the first Jung
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  EJ award that's been awarded, and I'm actually very much
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  against only awarding the inner circle.
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  But of course, I'm incredibly honored that they felt it was
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  necessary to hand out the first awards of this edition of this
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  type of award to me. And as I said in my acceptance
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  speech, I don't think it's just about me.
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  Any achievements that I did for Young EJ.
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  Of course, I am really happy and pleased to see the on channels
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  position now of the Young EJ committee and the central
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  position that the Young EJ community has within the EJ and
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  as President. Antonio Madam alluded to about
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  40% of the membership of EHA composed of the young EHA
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  community. So 40% of the membership is
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  under 36. And I think that's really
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  relevant and really important to maintain and foster this
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  community. So for me, this award is much
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  more than just a recognition for my achievements and about me,
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  but I think it's most important that it's visible for the
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  outside world that you can contribute to each a contribute
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  to the hematology community, to your field and to your
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  colleagues, even if you're not professor over 60 or published
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  over 500 articles. But that's if you're motivated
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  to do so. And if you feel it's important
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  to contribute and to, you know, represents, then you can.
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  And each A offers us opportunities and I think that's
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  the most important part of this award, that it's visible, that
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  it's acknowledged that it's a value and and it's something
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  that's it's appreciated. It's by the community and also
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  by EHA. So who is considered young at
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  EHK? Well, officially the definition
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  is through membership under 36 years of age.
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  And I think that's something that's still open for
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  discussion. It's an easy way to make a
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  difference between the type of memberships.
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  But it's something that's I think the Young EJ committee and
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  I in the past have been discussing a lot about because I
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  don't think it's just about age. It's not a number, even though
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  young does kind of indicate that.
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  But I think it's about career stage and even if you are a
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  little bit older, but you're still early in your career, you
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  need support If you change because of like your friends
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  focus in your career or for family reasons or sick leave, I
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  think it's still important that you are able to request support
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  from EHA and from the society to help you in your career for
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  research or for education. And so we consider officially
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  under 36 years of age young EHA, but I think it's much more about
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  career stage than age. So hopefully in the future we
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  will be able to either expand that criterium or to change it.
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  What percentage of members are part of of this group of young
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  EHA? More or less.
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  Well, I think the statistics indicated it's about 40%
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  fluctuates a little bit over the year.
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  I think a lot of people especially upcoming to Congress,
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  they, they become a member and for young EJ members it's only
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  €20. So that's why it's very low
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  threshold to become a member as a trainee or as a met students.
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  But the problem is how to maintain them because if they
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  like outgrow the criteria of young EJ, they will have to pay
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  the full tariff. And even though that's not that
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  much money, the difference is quite big.
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  And, and it's also in the periods that you don't have all
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  the support and from a Med school or from a supervisor
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  anymore. So I think the young HA
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  committee is not only there for the people who are students and
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  who are still in training, because there's a little bit
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  more infrastructure there. But I, I've fought really hard
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  that also the early career professionals.
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  So the ones that are in the first three to five years of
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  setting up their own labs or becoming an independent
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  hematologist are also still looked after by the young EA
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  committee or by EA, because those are the years where your
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  career is really defined. But they're also the hardest
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  ones where there's not much support anymore.
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  You have to maintain yourself. It's also when you mostly have
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  young family growing up. So those are the, you know,
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  difficult years where I think we can still make a difference.
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  So when you join the Young EHA committee, how was Young EHA
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  constituted and what happened in those years?
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  How is it now? What what has been the the path
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  of EHA in the Young EHA in these years?
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  Well, I think young EHA in its current form is still pretty
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  young. It's it's has been a formal
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  committee of EHA since 2019, so only about 6 years, but it's the
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  the task force that preceded young ETA has been there since
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  about 2013. And it was established by alumni
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  of the TRTH program, of whom many are still involved with
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  ETA, such as Marek Marez, Rolina Geitzik, Heiko Becker.
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  And they felt it was necessary to have representation for the
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  younger generation coming off TRTH, having had the mentorship
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  program there and a really great experience to have a bit more
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  voice within the organization and other programs and to your
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  TH to to have available for the younger generation.
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  So they set up a task force and it took some years for, you
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  know, EJ to get adapts to that and to accept the fact that
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  there was the need for this task force.
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  And since 2019, it became an official committee.
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  And Verena and Heiko were to chairs before me.
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  And I think the difference that I made since I entered the
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  committee in 2019 and became its chair in 2021 is to try and
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  professionalize the position of Young HA within the boards and
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  within the organization. So what I was able to achieve is
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  that we have a permanent observer's seats at the board
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  meetings. So we are involved directly with
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  all the discussions about where the organization is heading and
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  where our position fills in. We have been able to set up some
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  new mentorship programs. So CBTH is basically developed
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  after an idea of of high call. So it's now a permanent
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  mentorship program in addition to CRTH and TRTH.
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  And this year we've been able to set up the mentorship program.
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  So that's also a new program focused on career development.
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  So it's it's pretty great to see how much room we are able to get
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  from the board and the organization to set up these
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  programs. So for our audience that doesn't
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  know all these acronyms, can you please explain what these
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  mentorship programs are? And can you please say what
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  these acronyms acronyms mean? You are completely right.
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  I think they're so grown on me that I forget that these are
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  abbreviations. So TRTH was the first mentorship
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  program and it stands for Translational Research Training
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  in Hematology. And it's a combined mentorship
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  program of EHA and ASH. And I think it's been there
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  since 2011. I don't even know exactly, but
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  it's the oldest one existing and it trains 20 scholars in
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  translational research or laboratory fundamental research.
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  And it's been a really successful program, still very
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  attractive every year. And then I think the second one
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  that came to existence was CRTH clinical research training and
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  hematology, which is not more for the clinical researchers.
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  So you get to learn how to set up a clinical trial and that
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  program also takes in about 20 scholars every year globally.
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  And they have two weeks of really dedicated training and
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  then they have a get together here at Congress.
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  And you see every year that it's also really effective, very
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  educational, but also just fun for the group to be together.
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  And since three years, we have CBTH, which is computational
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  biology training in hematology, which is much more dedicated to
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  like, you know, modern ways of doing research.
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  So using computational biology, AI, it's something that I'm not
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  that trained in, so I wouldn't be able to tell much more.
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  But Heiko Becker was someone who really thought this would be an
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  additional value to like offer training in.
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  And it's great to see that every three years now.
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  It's been a really popular program as well with loads of
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  applications. And then this year it's the
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  launch of the mentorship program, which is really
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  dedicated to career development. So not focus on a scientific
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  topic or research focus, but really how to learn the soft
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  skills, how to advance your career by mentorship.
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  So we're going to see how this works out, but the idea was that
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  we want to train people as well. And you know, how to, you know,
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  be mobile, how to do work life balance combination, how to, you
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  know, do negotiations about your position.
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  I mean, those are the things that are not never written on a
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  paper. And it's hard to learn, but
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  hopefully by mentorship. So we've we've made couples of
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  mentors and mentees one-on-one. So 50 mentees and mentors are
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  starting this Congress with a one year long mentorship program
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  and hopefully it will be success, but that's something
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  we're going to evaluate, of course.
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  How do you join these programs? There's a long waiting list.
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  So for CRTHCBTH and TRTH is quite competitive because it's
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  only 20 spots and they're mostly really the top of the league of
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  their generation. So it can be quite competitive.
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  And that's why we also wanted the mentorship program to be
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  there to be less competitive. So it's 50 people, no scientific
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  or research minimum requirements, but just because
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  they wanted to join. And we really fought hard to
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  also include people from countries that are not usually
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  involved in CRTH or TRTH or people from Macedonia, Albania,
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  Hungary, Turkey. So really the countries that
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  maybe can use this mentorship to elevate themselves to the level
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  that they need to become involved in the more competitive
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  programs. And the countries that don't
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  have access to the standard level of education that we are
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  so used to in the Netherlands or in the Western countries.
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  So that was the goal to spread the wealth basically of EHA and
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  to give them access to to these resources.
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  So the only requirement for basically the ministry program
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  is that you are a member for €20 and that's that's basically it.
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  So we really wanted to keep it low thresholds.
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  What are initiatives from EHA that are particularly aimed at
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  young hematologist would you like to highlight?
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  Well, I mean, I think these mentorship programs of course
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  are are really visible there. Then of course the grants are
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  there as well. I think those are excellent ways
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  for career development and for career building, obviously very
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  competitive. So also there there will be a
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  pretty small selection of people that are eligible for those
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  grants. But I think in the wider sense,
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  EJ, there's the everything that EJ does is obviously geared
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  towards education and research. So the campus is there with
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  loads of resources. Think some of it can be updated
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  a little bit more to the way of learning that the younger
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  generation does these days. But it's all there.
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  We have Lighting the Flame for the even younger generation.
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  So people who are not sure yet they, they want to do
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  hematology, but they have an interest and they can join
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  lighting the flame, which I think has been done for two
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  years now. So, and I think the, the
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  combination of all those resources is quite a lot that
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  each offers, plus the Congress, of course, with all the
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  education that we offer here. And I think if you're already in
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  hematology, the master classes are also a great opportunity.
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  So it's a bit of a smaller group, but it's focus on one
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  topic, but you get to learn a lot from each other and from 1
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  mentor. And of course, for real
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  education purposes, many countries have the EJ exam as a
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  part of their like requirements to graduate for as a
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  hematologist. Not all countries require it,
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  but some of them do. I think it's it's also a really
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  nice way to standardize at least a minimum quality of hematology.
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  So in your view, what are the key challenges faced by young
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  hematologist where EH can help and is not yet helping I?
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  Think what's important for EJ to acknowledge is that it's, it's
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  not like adults and children that are just young adults, but
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  I think there's still other challenges that the younger
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  generation faces. So it's a combination of
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  changing worlds, having to raise a family, having two people
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  working, which is maybe different than how the current
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  established generation has grown up and has has been able to set
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  up their careers. It's pretty competitive.
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  There's less money for research to grants are more scars and
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  harder to get and more competitive that way.
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  So I think the mindset is something that I think is ever
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  changing and still something that EJ can work on.
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  And I think if you look at the countries that are awarded with
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  the grants or with the mentorship programs, it's still
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  very much focused on the Western part of Europe, because I mean,
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  it's natural that those people have more access to education
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  and research. And so they are from a higher
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  level. I think it's one of the main
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  focuses of EHA to spread the wealth a little bit more to the
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  eastern countries as well, without devaluating the, you
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  know, the honor of the, of the grants and the, and the value it
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  gives, but also to make sure that there's a bit of more
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  equity in, you know, educational level and research level across
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  Europe. And I think with the current
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  global situation, unfortunately, it's only getting harder to make
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  sure that everyone is safe and cared for.
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  But I guess that's something that's is part of EH as mission,
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  not only for the younger generation but in general.
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  Yes, you have been also involved in this new, I think it's a task
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  force in DEI, diversity, equity and inclusion.
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  So this is another activity of EHA that is close to your heart.
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  What else do you would you like to say or highlight about it?
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  I haven't been involved personally.
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  So Anna Cabanova, my Co Chair, my Vice Chair of the Young EJ
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  committee was our representative in the DEI committee.
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  So of course, a committee with a dangerous name these days if you
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  are from another continent, but I think it it's very
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  complementary to each other. So I think the DEI task force is
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  very much geared towards giving that diversity, equity and
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  inclusion. So career stage and age are part
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  of that. So that's also where the young
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  age a committee fills in. And it goes beyond that, of
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  course, but that's why I think they're very complementary to
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  each other. And yeah, it helps each other.
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  So how do you feel is the young voice represented at the moment
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  in the committees and in in general in AHA?
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  Is this voice heard? Does young AHA need more space?
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  What is your view on this? I think the foundations are
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  there. I'm very happy to see where we
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  are today. Getting his award is an
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  incredible honor and acknowledgement of the fact that
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  we have come a long way. I've just seen No no burgers.
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  My successor presenting the best abstract young each a best
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  abstract awards. That's been one of my challenges
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  in the past years to make sure that we have a visibility not
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  only in the events that we organize ourselves, but also for
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  the big room of 15,000 people that they know.
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  Young Iche is something that exists and that we are there and
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  what we do and, and seeing him there is, I think one of the
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  things that makes me proud of the fact that that's a natural
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  given now that it's OK for a young Iche chair to present
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  those awards. And that it's, it's part of the
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  Congress and it's, it's, it's supposed to be there.
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  And I hope that's, you know, what I will see over the next
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  years that the things that I fought really hard for are now
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  settled and established elements of Congress, of EJ, the seat at
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  the board meetings, the involvement of younger
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  generation hematologists in all the different committees, not
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  only by representation from the young EJ committee, but it's a
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  natural thing that not only established people get taken on
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  the committees, but that there's diversity in everyone who's able
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  to get on those committees. That's you don't get selected
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  only by CV, but also by what you can contribute and what you
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  stand for. And that doesn't mean that you
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  can only become part of the education committee or research
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  committee because you have won an award, but also because you
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  can contribute from a different angle.
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  And I think with the different committees of EHA, it's getting
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  better and better with the SWGSI think we can still make a
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  difference there. So hopefully that's something
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  that's will grow over the next couple of years.
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  So for young hematologists listening to this podcast and
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  starting their careers, what's your best advice about how to
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  get involved in in EHA? The biggest advice is if you
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  want to be involved, if you want to do more than just reach out
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  to the Young ETA committee or to ETA and make yourself known.
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  I think it starts with feeling that's EJ has something to offer
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  for you if it's either Congress or one of the educational
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  resources that you feel that you have something there to to gain
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  from. And I think something that I
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  really find important is that they feel a community feeling so
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  that it's fun to be part of EJ or to have colleagues and
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  friends within the Congress or internationally that you get to
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  see again every year at Congress.
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  And that it's, it's, it's nice to be part of EHA.
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  And I think it starts there that you feel at home at the Congress
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  and with the things that EHA offers.
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  And maybe then apply for one of the grants on a mentorship
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  programs if you want to get further ahead in your field.
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  And if you really want to contribute in a committee, you
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  probably will only do that when you already feel that there's
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  more in EHA than that you want to get to know.
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  So just inquire and ask and then first enjoy the things that EJ
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  has to offer. So if you wanted the audience to
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  remember just one thing of this podcast, what would it be?
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  I think the the one thing that's I stand for and that I hope
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  young EJ stands for is accessibility.
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  So if you want, EJ has lots to offer.
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  You can just ask or look it up and anyone can contribute and
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  anyone can be involved. And I think that's the biggest
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  important message that I want to convey.
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  Well, thank you very much for being with us today.
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  Congratulations again on this award and all you have done for
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  EHA this years. Yeah, thank you for the audience
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  to for listening and please stay tuned for more episodes.