Campaign leadership
World Thrombosis Day is led by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), the global medical society driving the campaign’s scientific direction and worldwide reach. At the center of that leadership are the WTD Chair and Vice Chair, who play a crucial role in advancing the mission and objectives of the campaign by providing strategic guidance, leadership and expertise in the field of thrombosis prevention and awareness. Both the Chair and Vice Chair are members of the ISTH Council, connecting World Thrombosis Day directly to the society’s broader scientific and educational work.
Role of the Chair and Vice Chair
The WTD Chair and Vice Chair provide scientific and strategic oversight for the campaign, ensuring that its awareness efforts stay grounded in the latest thrombosis research and clinical guidance. Their leadership shapes how World Thrombosis Day engages patients, health care professionals, partners and the public each year.
Partnering with World Thrombosis Day
World Thrombosis Day collaborates with medical societies, patient advocacy groups and corporate partners worldwide to advance thrombosis prevention and awareness. Working alongside the WTD Chair and Vice Chair, these partnerships help bring emerging clinical research, regional expertise and diverse patient perspectives into the campaign’s global reach.
Organizations interested in partnering with World Thrombosis Day are encouraged to contact the campaign team at wtd@isth.org.
Meet the campaign leadership
World Thrombosis Day is guided by a Chair and Vice Chair who bring deep clinical expertise and a shared commitment to advancing thrombosis prevention worldwide. Meet the leaders shaping this year’s campaign.
James D. Douketis M.D.
World Thrombosis Day Chair
2026-28
World Thrombosis Day Chair:
James D. Douketis MD, FRCPC, FACP, FCCP, FCAHS
James D. Douketis MD, FRCPC, FACP, FCCP, FCAHS
Jim Douketis is a staff physician in general internal medicine and thromboembolism at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. He is a professor of medicine and holds the David Braley-Nancy Gordon Chair in Thromboembolic Disease at McMaster University.
Douketis earned his medical degree and completed internal medicine training at the University of Toronto, followed by a thrombosis fellowship at McMaster University.
His research focuses on perioperative anticoagulant management and related guideline development, along with the prevention, treatment and prognosis of patients with venous thromboembolism. He has authored 470 peer-reviewed publications, with an h-index of 112, an i-index of 360 and about 121,000 citations as of December 2025.
Douketis is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Science. He holds leadership positions in national and international thrombosis societies and serves in several editorial roles for thrombosis and internal medicine journals.
He lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with his wife, Dr. Margaret Nowaczyk, a clinical geneticist. The couple has two sons, Jack and Luke. Douketis also plays cello with the Burlington Symphony Orchestra.
World Thrombosis Day Vice-Chair:
Kathleen Freson, M.Eng, PhD
Vice-Chair
2026-28
Professor Kathleen Freson is a professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at KU Leuven and serves as Director of the Centre for Molecular and Vascular Biology. She studied Bioscience Engineering, specializing in Cell and Gene Technology. She is Director of the Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences, overseeing the training and development of nearly 1,800 PhD students and 450 postdoctoral researchers.
Professor Freson’s research focuses on omics and functional genetics approaches to elucidate the molecular basis of bleeding and platelet disorders. She has a particular interest in developing and applying stem cell–based models to investigate the molecular defects underlying inherited thrombocytopenia.
She is actively involved in international scientific leadership and collaboration, serving as Chair of subcommittees within the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis. She is also a member of the ClinGen Working Group for Thrombosis and Hemostasis and the American Society of Hematology Subcommittee on Precision Medicine.
Her work advances the understanding of inherited blood disorders and contributes to the development of precision medicine approaches in inherited thrombotic and bleeding disorders.
Kathleen Freson, M.Eng, PhD
World Thrombosis Day Vice-Chair
2026-28
2026-28
Use our free WTD campaign resources
Download our comprehensive fact sheets, educational toolkits and awareness posters to spread life-saving information about thrombosis in your community. These professionally designed materials are available at no cost to help you educate patients, colleagues and the public about blood clot prevention and recognition.
