Carlos Sérgio Chiattone

President of HEMO 2023
ABHH Vice-director of Institutional Relationships
Santa Casa de São Paulo Medical School
Samaritano Hospital

Consecrated by attendees for the excellence of the past editions, the Brazilian Congress of Hematology, Hemotherapy, and Cellular Therapy (HEMO), organized by the Brazilian Association of Hematology, Hemotherapy, and Cellular Therapy (ABHH), will take place in-person from October 25 to 28, between Wednesday and Saturday of the last week of the month. Again, the congress will be held at the Transamerica Expo Center, in São Paulo.

Every year HEMO becomes more multidisciplinary and is open to and receives health professionals from the field of Hematology and Hemotherapy, medical hematologists and hemotherapists, residents, medical scholars, managers, pharmaceuticals representatives, health institutions, patient associations, in addition to decision-makers and opinion leaders.

HEMO 2023 program will be distributed among 10 simultaneous thematic rooms, divided in areas: Hemotherapy, Cellular Therapy and BMT, Onco-hematology, Pediatric Hematology, Hemostasis and Thrombosis, Anemia, Flow Cytometry, Laboratory Hematology and Hemotherapy, Palliative Care, and Multidisciplinary Events.

As our daily highlights, we have the following events:

● Wednesday (October 25): Educational Programs, Plenary Session with the presentation of awarded scientific abstracts, Super Wednesday (an afternoon exclusive to Corporate Symposia), Multidisciplinary Events and AABB assessor course. At the end of the day, the traditional Opening Solemnity.

● Thursday (October 26): Highlights of Past EHA (HOPE), Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine Symposium, Patient Blood Management Symposium. Sessions of Palliative Care, Hemostasis and Thrombosis, Forum on Medication Access and Equity, Thalassemia Forum , Meeting of Academic Leagues, Multidisciplinary Events and Corporate Activities (Breakfast with the specialist and Corporate Symposia). On this day, we will also have the Guided Visit to Scientific Abstracts.

● Friday (October 27): Scientific sessions on several themes, Guided Visit (panels), Corporate Activities, and Multidisciplinary Events.

● Saturday (October 28): Scientific sessions on several themes, Main Conference, Corporate Activities and Medical Residency Symposium.

The traditional exhibition fair will bring the great novelties in terms of drug technology and equipment by the leading companies in the field. These companies are in charge of promoting important HEMO corporate symposia and Breakfast with Specialist sessions.

In the exhibition area, HEMO 2023 will also exhibit the scientific abstracts selected by the Committee, at pre-scheduled times for guided visits; a studio for podcast recording on-site, in addition to meeting rooms and a food court.

HEMO is also a moment of celebration, reunion, and networking.

We hope you join us!

Carlos Sérgio Chiattone

President of HEMO 2023

With great pleasure, I announce the Brazilian Congress of Hematology, Hemotherapy and Cellular Therapy, traditionally known as HEMO. The 2023 version will be in person between October 25th and 28th at the Transamérica Expo Center in São Paulo. It is said that “walking alone you go faster, but walking together you go further”.

The merger of SBHH¹ with CBH² showed that this saying is not always true as we went further and, at the same time, faster! This initiative gave rise to a unique, consistent, and strong society, the Brazilian Association of Hematology, Hemotherapy and Cellular Therapy (ABHH).

One of the most significant benefits of this merger was the fast growth and qualification of our scientific events.

HEMO quickly became the most prominent specialty congress in Latin America.

This year, we will have an outstanding number of speakers, 435 national and 60 from abroad, of which several are Latin American, aiming to provide an environment of regional integration and discussion of everyday issues. To meet the suggestions requested by members, we have continually modified the program and structure. Among them, I highlight: maintaining a specific day for educational programs, replacing the old “pre-congress courses”, appreciation of scientific works, the most relevant of which are presented orally in sessions relating to their themes; increased programming aimed at non-medical professionals and specific sessions for academic leagues in our specialty.

The HEMO 2023 program will be distributed across ten simultaneous thematic rooms, divided into the following areas: Hemotherapy, Cellular Therapy and BMT; Onco-Hematology; Pediatric Hematology; Hemostasis and Thrombosis; Anemia; Flow Cytometry; Laboratory Hematology and Hemotherapy; Palliative Care and Multi and Interdisciplinary Events.

It should be noted that, compared to the previous event, we had a 50% increase in abstracts, reaching 1800.

The poster exhibition, for its appreciation, will receive a guided tour by experts for a deeper scientific discussion and stimulation of interaction among researchers.

Finally, reaffirming its internationalization as one of ABHH's main goals, we will have joint sessions with the EHA (European Hematology Association) and the ASH (American Society of Hematology) this year.

I invite everyone to participate in this event, which, for sure, will be of great scientific and social benefit, taking advantage of everything that São Paulo can offer, particularly its cuisine and cultural activities.

On behalf of ABHH, welcome everyone to HEMO 2023.

Dr. Dante Langhi Jr.

Honored Guest

It is possible to say that the current Brazilian history of Hematology, Hemotherapy and Cell Therapy is mixed up with that of the hematologist and hemotherapist Dante Langhi Jr. Graduated in Medicine from the Faculdade de Medicina da Fundação do ABC, he has a specialization in Hematology from the Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo and Master and Ph.D. in Medicine from the Universidade Federal de São Paulo - Escola Paulista de Medicina.

Dr. Dante is an associate professor at the Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa and an affiliated professor at UNIFESP – Escola Paulista de Medicina. Among his assistance activities, Dr. Dante was the coordinator of the Hemocentro da Santa Casa de São Paulo for almost 30 years. In this institution, he developed most of his professional career and “where he had the privilege of the teachings of Professor Carlos Chiattone”, in addition to extensive participation in the private area of hemotherapy, currently being president of the Board of Directors of the H.HEMO Hemotherapy Group.

Dr. Dante was also the Coordinator of Hemorede of the State of São Paulo for six years. Speaking to the press then, he said he believed the nomination came “in acknowledgment of the work and dedication of years spent to the specialty”.

Dr. Dante has a long association history. He was the president of the former Brazilian Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SBHH) and one of the protagonists of the movement to strengthen relations between the SBHH and the Brazilian College of Hematology (CBH), having as an initial step, in the early 2000s, during the administrations chaired by Langhi, at SBHH and by Roberto Passetto Falcão, at CBH, an agreement for the annual Hematology and Hemotherapy Congresses to be held jointly between the two institutions, which was the starting point for the long- awaited merger of the two Societies and the creation of ABHH. Dr. Dante has always been present and active in the most critical struggles and recent achievements of hemotherapy in Brazil. Together with other ABHH directors, including Dimas Covas, he fought tirelessly for the implementation and mandatory performance of NAT tests in Brazil, which only occurred in 2014. From then on, all hemotherapy services in Brazil, public and private companies, were enforced to carry out the test on the blood collected.

Dr. Dante became president of ABHH in 2018, having served two consecutive terms as president. He focused on the constant and growing professionalization of the Association and approach with young doctors for active participation in technical and political aspects, mainly to guarantee the best treatment for Brazilian patients. During his period as president, the ABHH “Committee on Access to Drugs” was created. During its presidency, ABHH strengthened the relationship between Brazilian Hematology and Hemotherapy with other international medical societies, such as the European Hematology Association (EHA) and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), now consolidated. The “Residency Support Program in Hematology and Hemotherapy” and the “Academic Leagues” were also created. Also, under his management, the first edition of the TACG (Advanced Therapies, Cells and Genes) event was created and held to discuss relevant advances in advanced cell therapy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dante led, with firm action and unconditional support from the directors and all administrative staff at ABHH, numerous emergency actions, with emphasis on blood donation campaigns in football stadiums, which were closed, with the support of the football club fans, thus minimizing the lack of blood at the time. It is worth highlighting the support of the Associação Paulista de Medicina and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), through the involvement of Dr. José Orlando Bordin.

This text is a summary of Dr. Dante Langhi's relevant contributions to Hematology, Hemotherapy and Cellular Therapy throughout his professional career. He continues to work and engage in the main issues involving the specialty in our country.