The reformed International Council for Standardization in Hematology (ICSH).

The International Council for Standardization in Hematology (ICSH) was originally founded as a standardizing committee associated with the European Society of Hematology in 1963. The structure of the council was ratified in 1964 and the Secretariat was subsequently registered legally as an independent foundation in the Netherlands in 1968. Following this, a revised constitution was ratified in 1990 and the elected committee was registered. The basic aim of the ICSH was, as it is now, to achieve reliable and reproducible results in laboratory analysis, primarily concerning diagnostic haematology. Now all guidelines and recommendations will include levels of evidence where appropriate. From the 1970s until approximately 2000, the Managing Board met at least annually and the work of the various committee members resulted in the publication, in prime review journals, of many important guidelines and recommendations regarding standardization of laboratory haematology procedures. Indeed the first prime review publication was in 1965 entitled ‘Recommendations and requirements for hemoglobinometry in human blood’ (ICSH, 1965) and this subject is still a standardization issue. Since then more than 100 guidelines, reviews or recommendations concerning standardization issues have followed and a complete list of publications is available (hopefully complete) on request from the present Board and shortly at the ICSH website (http://www.ICSHweb.org and http://www.hematologystandards.org). Although the ICSH originally considered issues in blood transfusion and haemostasis/thrombosis, in the later years these activities have mainly been taken over by the International Societies of Blood Transfusion and Haemostasis/Thrombosis. At that time, the ICSH worked with a variety of international organizations and in particular was affiliated with the WHO and often held expert panel meetings in conjunction with congresses or special conferences, particularly those associated with the International Society of Hematology. Unfortunately with the decline of the International Society of Hematology’s meetings in North America and western Europe and retirement, from active laboratory practice, of the founding committee members, the effectiveness and productivity of ICSH steadily declined by 2000. Fortunately in the 1990s the global development of the International Society for Laboratory Hematology (ISLH) progressed. One important focus of ISLH was laboratory haematology standardization and in particular they initiated, in conjunction with the ICSH, a working group that formulated international guidelines on a reference method for platelet counting analysis by flow cytometry and the immature reticulocyte fraction (Davis, 1997; ICSH, 2001). Other ISLH consensus documents followed, particularly a consensus rules paper for the examination of blood films (Barnes et al., 2005). Discussions were therefore initiated between the ISLH board and remaining senior members of the old ICSH council between 2002 and 2005. In April 2007 the ICSH was re-registered as an independent foundation in the Netherlands and as a not-for-profit corporation in the USA. An updated constitution was ratified in April 2007 and a copy is available with the Meetings Secretary which can be had on request or on the ICSH website. The ICSH is directed by a Managing Board, for which a Chairman, Vice Chairmen, Secretaries and a Treasurer were elected and named. The present Managing Board is represented by Samuel J. Machin as Chairman, Josep M. Jou (Barcelona, Spain) as Vice Chairman, Stefanie McFadden (Ohio, USA) as Meetings Secretary, Carol Briggs (London, UK) as Scientific Secretary and Bruce H. Davis (Bangor, Maine, USA) as Treasurer. These officers are elected for 3 years by the Assembly of Council. Board members may only be re-elected for an additional 3 years once. Representative membership of the Council is open to all international or national haematological societies, whom, after they have committed their affiliation, may send representatives to the Board meetings. The Council is also composed of industry representatives made up of corporate sponsors of ICSH, of which there are presently EDITORIAL INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY