This is the eleventh year we have sponsored a continuing-education lecture series for histocompatibility, immunogenetics, and transplantation professionals. I founded this program in 1998 when I recognized a growing need for affordable continuing education opportunities that did not require travel. Although our primary target audience is technologists and transplant coordinators, our lectures cover a range of topics that are of interest to everyone from those new in the field of histocompatibility to experienced laboratory directors and transplant physicians. Over the years we have expanded the program from just six lectures in our first year to our current series of twenty lectures per year. With each year’s series, we strive to include topics of interest in both solid organ and stem cell transplantation along with conferences that focus on new technologies or on optimizing and troubleshooting existing technologies.

The audio conference format has proven to be very effective for communicating cutting-edge technology and information to everyone from the technologists at the bench to the high-level professional who is too busy to travel. Although audio conferences such as ours will never replace the invaluable networking and friendship building opportunities provided by ASHI’s face-to-face Regional Workshops, they do provide a unique opportunity to hear lectures given by highly respected and renowned international scientists affiliated with both academic institutions and transplant related organizations such as National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

We have had lectures originating from the U.S. as well as from Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. We currently have listeners regularly participating from all over the Continental U.S., Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Canada as well as from Australia, Germany, Cyprus, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Jordan, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Switzerland.

Our interactive lectures reach individuals around the world through in-depth audio conferences. Without ever leaving their workplace participants can listen to the lectures in one of two ways, either live on the day of the conference, or through listening to a recording of the lecture. There are advantages to both types of participation. Those who participate in the live conferences can ask questions and get immediate answers as well as listen to other participants’ questions and comments. Participants who chose to listen to recorded lectures gain the flexibility of scheduling educational sessions at a time that works best for their institution and this is especially useful for labs in distant time zones. Additionally, it is possible to request recorded lectures at any time throughout the year.

Our program is approved by the American Board for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics and all participants earn ABHI Continuing Education Credit (CEC) equal to 1.5 contact hours or 0.225 CEC per lecture whether they listen to the lectures live or recorded.

As the lecture series has grown over the past several years, we have continued to strive to broaden our base while remaining true to the goal of providing quality continuing education in immunogenetics, histocompatibiliy and transplantation.

Sandra Rosen-Bronson, Ph.D., D.(ABHI)