We’re excited to launch a brand-new look for the Professional Education website, Canadian Blood Services’ resource hub for health-care professionals working in transfusion medicine or as part of the organ and tissue donation and transplantation community. The new design makes it easier to find and use valuable resources, whether it’s a clinical guideline, best practice, publication or information about upcoming events. Although the website may have a new look, all content—developed in collaboration with leading experts in their fields—remains unchanged from the website’s previous version

Rising to the challenge For Canadian Blood Services and its research and education network, the last fiscal year (April 2020 to March 2021) was marked by the continuing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. As you’ll read in our Centre for Innovation 2020-2021 annual progress report, what emerges from these difficult times are stories of agility and resilience, collaboration and partnership, and innovation and excellence. It was an outstanding year for Canadian Blood Services research. The report outlines the Centre for Innovation’s efforts to support the pandemic response and our ongoing work

Dr. Dana Devine inaugurated as AABB President Congratulations to Dr. Dana Devine, Canadian Blood Services’ chief scientist, who was recently inaugurated as president of the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB). The official start of Dr. Devine’s term was marked by a virtual inauguration ceremony on the final day of the 2021 AABB Annual Meeting in October. Devine is taking over as president at an exciting and challenging time for the AABB and will be at the helm during the association’s 75th anniversary, which takes place in 2022. DYK AABB recently rebranded and is

In August this year Dr. Alvin Zipursky, a Canadian physician and researcher, died at the age of 90. He was renowned for improving children’s health in Canada and around the world and made research discoveries that were central to developing a life-saving treatment for a deadly disease called rhesus hemolytic disease, also known as Rh disease. Before a treatment was available, many Canadian women lost their babies to Rh disease, a condition that can develop in pregnancy when the mother and baby have incompatible blood types. Dr. Zipursky’s research and a collaboration with Drs. Bruce Chown and

Lay Science Writing Competition launched Nov 2, 2021 Once again, Canadian Blood Services is delighted to partner with the Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia to host this competition, which supports our trainee network to develop vital communication skills by challenging them to showcase their research using plain language. The theme for this year’s competition is “Science behind the scenes”. We encourage applicants to get creative in their interpretation of the theme but entries could include stories giving a behind-the-scenes look into working in a laboratory, or

Funding to drive innovation and education DYK, Canadian Blood Services has multiple competitive funding programs open to Canadian researchers, educators and trainees interested in pursuing projects focused on Canadian Blood Services priorities? Through these programs, Canadian Blood Services drives innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy, and transplantation, and builds capacity through training and education. The following competitions are currently welcoming applications or letters of intent by November 15, 2021: Canadian Blood Services Graduate Fellowship Program: Providing

This post was originally published on the CBR blog on September 2, 2021 as: “CBR-SBME Research Day 2021: A Spotlight on Summer Student Research”. It was written by Ardin Sacayanan, CBR-SBME summer student alum from the Laksman Lab, and David Chen, CBR-SBME summer student alum from the Kizhakkedathu Lab. Ever wondered how you can make artwork with biological reagents found in the lab? How about exploring the latest bleeding-edge research in science and medicine? If these topics interest you, then you won’t want to miss out on this event recap of CBR-SBME Research Day 2021! The Centre for Blood

The latest evidence on managing patients with massive hemorrhage, a major cause of potentially preventable deaths, is now available in a recently updated chapter of Canadian Blood Services’ Clinical Guide to Transfusion. According to Dr. Gwen Clarke, associate medical director of laboratory services at Canadian Blood Services and co-editor of the Guide, the chapter on massive hemorrhage and emergency transfusion is a valuable resource for staff in hospital emergency departments, operating rooms and obstetrical services as well as medical, surgical and laboratory trainees. The management of

A powerful collaboration between blood services, research institutions and industry leaders promises to bring blood transfusion therapy to new levels of precision and safety. The work is being conducted by a group called the Blood transfusion Genomics Consortium (BGC) that includes global leaders in genomics and hematology. Their ambitious two-year plan aims to establish international standards for a comprehensive and affordable DNA-based blood typing test—setting the stage for the first clinical application of this type of high-throughput technology in transfusion medicine. According to