For the last two years, Amena Warner has sat at INGID’s helm, steering the organisation through an impressive array of developments; an online course on immunoglobulin administration, the new INGID website and the development of the soon-to-be-released European Guidelines for IgG Administration. As the longest-serving board member in INGID’s history, Amena had previously been the Treasurer and Vice-President, so for her, “it was a natural progression for me to stand for President”.
The President works closely with the INGID board, which Amena describes as “like being the conductor of an orchestra, as it is the board that collectively makes all the sounds that come together to make the end result great”. Of all the achievements during her time as President, it is the completion of the European Guidelines for IgG Administration that most satisfies Amena. The Guidelines form a key response to what Amena sees as one of the big challenges in immunodeficiency nursing, which she describes as “variations on the levels of practice of nurses in different countries”. Amena is very proud of what the organisation has achieved over the past years, and she reflects that “none of those achievements would have happened without the collective working partnership of the board. INGID is going from strength to strength in reaching out to immunology nurses around the world. Long may it continue to do so.”
Of course, none of these achievements come without difficulty, and one of the biggest challenges has been to keep the INGID board meetings moving so that everything is discussed without taking up too much time. As Amena states, “all the board give up two hours on a Sunday on a regular basis…there is always lots to discuss, and with all the time differences around the globe, making sure that it does not go on too late at night is a challenge”.
Reflecting on her time as President, Amena recognises “that the position comes with a lot of responsibility, but also great rewards when you see the projects that we have been working on come to fruition”. It is timely to reflect on the role and accomplishments of the INGID board and its president as the INGID General Meeting approaches in September.
