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Arun V. J.: ISBT Is Where the Future of Transfusion Medicine Begins

Arun V J/LinkedIn

Jun 29, 2026, 02:41

Arun V. J.: ISBT Is Where the Future of Transfusion Medicine Begins

Arun V. J., The Leader of Transfusion Medicine at Malabar Medical College, shared a post on LinkedIn:

” ‘Most conferences are market stalls. International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) isn’t.’

Most medical conferences in our region operate like air-conditioned market stalls. Pay the registration. Sit through scientific sessions. Network with whoever’s standing near the coffee. Leave.

International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) Kuala Lumpur did something different.

They invested three full days in young professionals.

Not as an afterthought. As the architecture. Breakfast sessions. Lunch trivia. Mentoring programs. Pairing early-career professionals with experts across different tracks: laboratory science, clinical practice, administration, research.

Different countries. Different backgrounds. Same vulnerability: ‘Where do I actually fit in transfusion medicine?’

Here’s what I haven’t seen any other society in our region do: they named the imposter syndrome.

They didn’t pretend everyone had figured it out by year two. They created structured spaces where a young professional could sit across from a mentor and say, ‘I’m confused about my direction,’ and hear, ‘That’s normal. Here’s how we think about it.’

The difference is measurable. Young professionals don’t leave feeling like they paid for a hall.

They leave knowing the field has infrastructure for them. That mentorship isn’t something you hope for. It’s built into how ISBT operates.

That matters for retention. For direction. For the field.

Thank you ISBT and my colleagues who have taught me so much over the past few days.” Arun V. J.: ISBT Is Where the Future of Transfusion Medicine Begins