ALAN DURSUN
President, Haemophilia Foundation Australia
Next month is Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month and we look forward to seeing our community get involved across Australia. This year’s theme, Teamwork: stronger together, recognises the team around people with bleeding disorders, from treatment centres and Foundations to family, friends and other health services. It is a timely reminder of the strength of our community and what we can achieve when we work together.
As you may have seen in the media and in HFA communications, the Senate has called for an Inquiry into Contaminated blood and blood products. We welcome this inquiry and our first priority is to address the needs and welfare of our bleeding disorders community. We know how important it is for the circumstances surrounding these experiences to be properly understood and for the voices of our community to be heard. HFA is preparing a submission to the Inquiry on behalf of the Australian bleeding disorders community. This will be evidence-based, drawing on HFA’s extensive data and the powerful stories of affected people in our community. For more information and how to get involved see the BBV Inquiry article in this issue of National Haemophilia.
It was a pleasure for HFA to welcome Dawn Rotellini from the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (USA), former Chair of the WFH Women and Girls with Inherited Bleeding Disorders Committee, to Melbourne on 1–2 July 2026.
Together with Suzanne O’Callaghan and Leonie Demos, Dawn facilitated the Women’s Stories Matter Workshop, bringing together 18 women from across Australia. The workshop provided an important opportunity for women to strengthen their ability to share their personal stories, advocate for their healthcare needs and connect with others in the community.
We acknowledge the retirements of Joanna McCosker from Queensland Children’s Hospital, Queensland Haemophilia Centre, and Helen Starosta from Royal Hobart Hospital.
Both Joanna and Helen have made an enormous contribution over many years, generously sharing their knowledge and expertise through HFA education resources and conferences, while providing dedicated care and support to people and families within the bleeding disorders community.
On behalf of HFA and our community, we thank Joanna and Helen for their years of service and wish them both all the very best in retirement.
Claudio Damiani and I had the privilege of travelling to Cambodia in early August as part of WFH Twinning partnership between HFA and Cambodia Hemophilia Association (CHA). We worked with CHA committee members in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap on leadership, governance, volunteering and fundraising, and participated in a family education morning in Siem Reap.
Spending time directly with the CHA community reinforced the importance of building sustainable local leadership and sharing knowledge between our organisations. We are currently working on a website with CHA and hope to go live by the end of the year.
I am honoured to have been invited to join the WFH Youth Committee for 2026–2028, representing Australia alongside young leaders from across the international bleeding disorders community.
Having previously participated in the WFH Youth Leadership Program, I have seen firsthand the value of creating opportunities for young people to develop their voice, confidence and leadership. I look forward to contributing an Australian perspective internationally, while bringing those learnings back to our community and continuing to strengthen opportunities for young people to become involved in advocacy and leadership.
Finally, thank you to everyone who completed the HFA National Survey 2026. We received more than 140 responses and greatly appreciate everyone who took the time to share their experiences and perspectives.
Your feedback will help HFA better understand the priorities and needs of our community and inform our work moving forward. We look forward to reviewing the results and sharing more with you.
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