Meet Stefan Fröhling, our November volunteer of the month
- Can you tell us what you do for EHA and when you started?
I first learned about EHA in 2002 when I attended the 7th Congress of EHA in Florence. To contribute to the association’s mission of promoting excellence in patient care, research, and education in hematology, I have served on a number of committees, including the Membership Committee (2012-2017), the Fundraising and Sponsor Committee (2014-2016), the Fellowship and Grants Committee (2014-2018), and the Communication Committee (2014-2018), as well on the EHA Board (2013-2017). In addition, I have been a member of the Congress of EHA Scientific Program Committee Advisory Board (2013-2015) and the Congress of EHA Scientific Program Committee (2015-2017), and I have had the privilege of organizing the Congress of EHA Molecular Hemopoiesis Workshop (2015-2018). Currently, I am a member of the EHA Scientific Working Group Unit and an Associate Editor of HemaSphere, the official journal of EHA.
- How did you became a volunteer? Who helped/encouraged you to become one?
I was encouraged to get involved with EHA by both of my academic mentors, Hartmut Döhner and Gary Gilliland. Furthermore, during my postdoctoral fellowship, I became friends with Brian Huntly who received the EHA-José Carreras Foundation Young Investigator Fellowship in 2005, an honor that I received in 2008. During my interactions with Brian, I learned about the many advantages of EHA, both in terms of the financial support and – most importantly – the opportunity to become part of the European hematology community.
- What is your motivation on volunteering for EHA and what does it give you/do to you?
I am extremely grateful for the support that I received from EHA as a young investigator, which has helped me build a fulfilling career in translational cancer research, and I continue to be impressed by the efforts made by EHA in promoting the career development of young scientists – especially those that are trained as physicians – to commit themselves to patient-oriented hematology research. It is also exciting to see that over the years, EHA has grown into a very dynamic and influential organization yet remains an incredibly likeable "hematology family” (especially everybody at the EHA Executive Office in The Hague) that I want to be part of for the rest of my professional life.
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