Our History 

In 1954, a small group of investigators used seed money from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to form the International Committee on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ICTH).  

The members were well-known for their contributions to the fields of blood coagulation and hemorrhagic disorders, so news about their group spread quickly within the scientific community.  

Interest grew, and the ICTH began to consider expanding the scope of its mission. The number of scientists who wanted to attend its meetings was increasing each year, but because of its small size, the Committee could only accommodate a few attendees. 

Planning for Expansion 

For the better part of the 1960s, members of the ICTH clarified and planned the mission, structure, function and leadership of a larger organization. They envisioned a society that would be open to all researchers, clinicians, educators and students working in the many interrelated fields of thrombosis, haemostasis and vascular biology.  

The ICTH had focused primarily on blood coagulation and hemorrhagic disorders; the new organization would expand that focus to include the emerging areas of platelet function and regulation, the mechanisms of thrombosis, fibrinolysis and thrombolysis, and the urgent problems of thromboembolic disorders. 

Birth of a New Society 

In 1969, at the ICTH’s 15th Annual Meeting in Bath, UK, its members finally came to a vote—unanimously approving the creation of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH).  

The Society chose Fritz Koller of Switzerland as its President and Sol Sherry of the USA as Chairman of the newly-formed ISTH Council. Almost 200 scientists joined the Society that year, and of those, 37 are still active members. 

Today, the ISTH’s impact and contributions to the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of thrombotic and bleeding disorders span six continents. With more than 3,500 members in over 84 countries, we are now the leading thrombosis- and haemostasis-related professional organization in the world.