Tuula Rintala
Director, Quality of Care and Advocacy
EBMT, European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Barcelona, Spain
Inspectors are often the unsung heroes of the JACIE process. Frequently, the focus is on the 1.5 days the inspectors spend onsite, in person reviewing documentation, interviewing staff and observing procedures. However, work that often goes unnoticed is the hours before the onsite inspection spent reviewing the documents submitted in advance and hours afterwards writing the report. Speak to any of our now over 300 inspectors, and you probably get 300+ different answers on the hours required, but even a conservative estimates suggest that every inspection accounts easily for five days of work by the time the report reaches the Centre. Once you add to that the Evidence of Corrections phase before the Certificate is granted, we are getting to close to a week of volunteering on top of many other professional commitments. So why do it?
I was reminded of the why, in an email JACIE Office received this past week from a retiring inspector:
‘Over the years I have witnessed how the implementation of a Quality Management System and the JACIE Standards have become essential in our clinical activity, actually representing a new way of thinking and living the everyday work for professionals involved in stem cell transplantation. It was an honour to be part of a community so dedicated to improving the quality and safety of cellular therapies having the patients’ care and safety always at the core.'
Our inspectors do it, because they believe in continuously challenging yourself and improving on what you do; they become inspectors, because they are eager to learn and share their experience with the others working in the field. Also, they join us because they believe it supports their own service to ensure that patient, staff and product safety is at the cornerstone of everything they do. As one of our inspectors recently put it: ‘This journey of professional growth offers me invaluable perspectives and reinforces my commitment to upholding and advancing quality standards in transplantation.’
We in JACIE are also hugely grateful for the support of the National Transplant Societies give us and our inspectors. In 2025, we have held a JACIE Inspector Training Course in Rome, Italy; Bern, Switzerland, and most recently, in Berlin, Germany. All the courses have been in collaboration with the National Transplant Societies who have supported us not just in organising the logistics, but importantly, in spreading the word and recruiting the trainees. We are also hugely grateful for the support of our National Representatives, who play a key role in bridging the international and the national societies.
However, reading through our ‘Meet the Inspector’ features on our website/EBMT Newsletter, what is striking that regardless of the ‘seniority’ of the Inspector reflecting on their inspector experiences, it is the relationships they have made as an inspector that they appreciate the most. The quotes below are demonstrative examples:
‘I like meeting colleagues that I probably wouldn’t meet if I wasn’t a JACIE inspector. Being a JACIE inspector can also open other opportunities and gives a chance to network and establish potential future collaborations.’
‘Enjoy the process, but do not underestimate the commitment and meaning of being part of the JACIE community as an inspector.’
‘Do it! You’ll learn so much more about JACIE and about yourself, all while meeting inspirational people from many different walks of life.’
In the JACIE Office, as we reflect on this year’s Inspector Training courses and focus on supporting all our trainees through the exams and the observer visits, we are also excited to welcome the new ‘Class of 2025’ into our community.
If you are interested in joining us, please email us (inspectors@ebmt.org) and check our website (https://www.ebmt.org/jacie/inspectors).
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