IBMS Monthly Statement July

I’m writing this shortly after Biomedical Science Day – and what a great celebration it was this year. IBMS members and their colleagues were finally back in hospital foyers across the UK spreading the word about the profession and its expertise face-to-face.

On social media, there was lots of support across major government and healthcare accounts – with #BiomedicalScienceDay2022 trending in the UK top 5 on Twitter for most of the day. I think we can honestly say that the profession has reached a point where the importance of our work is recognised, and increasingly understood.

In the run up, I attended Northern Ireland’s AGM and visited laboratories across Belfast. It was my first official visit anywhere as IBMS Chief Executive and it was great to be doing something in person. I was impressed by the dedication of the teams, how resilient they were, and the ways in which they collaborated. There was sense of a new dawn, of positivity, and of having come through the worst of times stronger.

In this month’s magazine, our new Head of Education Sue Jones sets out her vision for the future of IBMS Education and Training in our “Here To Help” article and I’m very excited to work with her. I think she’s going to be a huge asset to the profession and will really help us move our qualifications forward.

This month also sees the IBMS achieving some great new things in our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. By the time you read this, our members will have just marched in our first Pride in London, donning lab coats with rainbow IBMS logos and showing the world just how proud we are of ALL of our members.

With the help of national Council member Tahmina Hussain, we are also launching the IBMS’ Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group – aiming to make our professional body a fairer and more representative organisation. I’m looking forward to seeing how the group will enhance and empower the careers of the IBMS members who need it most.

Maybe it’s because I enjoyed the visit to Belfast so much, or coming off the back of Biomedical Science Day when I’ve seen so many of our members’ smiling faces and positive messages on social media, but with everything the IBMS is doing and has in the pipeline, I feel like we are at the beginning of a new dawn for the profession, and that a brighter future awaits us all.