TIF’s International Conference constitutes the biggest educational event in the field of haemoglobin disorders organised on a global scale, comprise of two parallel Conferences, namely the 14th International Conference on Thalassaemia and Other Haemoglobinopathies & 16th TIF Conference for Patients and Parents.

Together, these will attract over 2,000 participants, including health professionals, medical specialists, nurses, scientists, researchers, patients/parents, from over 60 countries around the world.

It is anticipated that the TIF International Conference will provide a unique forum for discussion covering the latest advances in research and overviews on prevention, management, other healthcare issues and current regional, European and international policies directly or indirectly relevant to haemoglobinopathies.

Simultaneously, a special focus on patients’ disease education and capacity building programmes will facilitate the empowerment of the patient/parent community, whose strong and competent representation and participation is extremely important at all levels of decision-making bodies and processes leading to more productive and successful outcomes. It is well acknowledged that the input of knowledgeable and competent patient advocates has brought dramatic advances in the quality of health and life of patients across diseases all over the world, particularly those with chronic and rare diseases.

Furthermore, the networks of healthcare professionals which have developed globally in almost every region of the world, as result of research programmes, will be further strengthened by bringing medical specialists, patients/families and public health officials together to share knowledge and experiences. This effort will contribute to the reduction of inequalities in access to optimal care through the dissemination of good practice techniques and sharing of experiences of these preventable and treatable hereditary diseases.