The Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM) annual conference, held in partnership with Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, took place on May 29 - June 1, 2025, in St. John’s, Newfoundland with the theme of “No lab is an island.”  Coinciding with CSTM, Canadian Blood Services' annual Research Day offered an opportunity for its extended research network to collaborate, share their research, and connect. Following these events, we invited trainee attendees from across the network to reflect on their experiences and key learnings. This blog was prepared by Zoya Hussain, a Master’s

Platelets are the cells in blood that help stop bleeding by forming clots when an injury occurs. Platelets are given to patients who might develop bleeding, who are living with conditions that cause platelet dysfunction, or who have decreased platelet counts due to chemotherapy and other medical treatments. While transfusions can be a life-saving medical intervention, any transfusion is not without risks. As demand increases, there is also a need to ensure that blood components like platelets are used in the most appropriate and beneficial ways to reduce shortages. Clinical guidelines are a

Dr. William (Bill) Sheffield, Canadian Blood Services’ senior scientist and associate director of research, has been recognized with two awards: the Canadian Society of Transfusion Medicine’s annual QuidelOrtho Award and a 2025 Canadian Blood Services’ Leadership Award in recognition of his outstanding innovations and mentorship within transfusion medicine. The 2025 QuidelOrtho Award At the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM) conference recently held in St. John’s, Dr. Sheffield was presented with the 2025 QuidelOrtho Award. This annual, nomination-based award recognizes a member