This post was written by Dr. Mona Khorshidfar and Wayne Zhao, both of whom are members of Dr. Dana Devine’s laboratory at the Centre for Blood Research. The post was originally published on the Centre for Blood Research blog. Read that original post here. The Centre for Blood Research (CBR) Travel Award provides graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with the opportunity to attend first-class scientific conferences. Not only can awardees present their own research, but they can also access networking opportunities and a sneak peak at the newest cutting-edge research and technologies. Two

As SARS-CoV-2 was emerging in early 2020, Canadian Blood Services and other blood operators were unsure how their operations and the blood supply would be affected. Now, over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, an article by Canadian Blood Services’ medical officer, Dr. Aditi Khandelwal, looks back on the pandemic’s impact on blood donations in Canada. Using data on donor attendance, donor eligibility and donation events, Dr. Khandelwal paints a picture of a resilient blood system thanks in large part to dedicated blood donors. Despite challenges, donors kept coming through the

Through the Centre for Innovation’s competitive funding programs, Canadian Blood Services conducts and supports researchers and research projects in key areas. Recipients for one of our most dynamic programs, the BloodTechNet Award, were recently announced, and several other funding opportunities are now open for applications. BloodTechNet Award Program recipients BloodTechNet funding supports the development of innovative educational projects. These projects deliver educational tools and resources to help development of skills, knowledge and expertise for health professionals in transfusion

Organ donation coordinators endure high rates of burnout. Canadian Blood Services and CHEO aim to change that. Before Ken Lotherington joined the organ and tissue donation and transplantation (OTDT) team at Canadian Blood Services, he was employed within a hospital in Halifax. There, he worked directly with patient families as a tissue specialist and supported the donation program during organ and tissue recovery procedures. “It was amazing, difficult and challenging work,” says Ken, who is based in Dartmouth, N.S. “Coordinators are one of the most critical roles that support organ and tissue

This is an edited repost of a profile written by Andy An, MD/PhD student in the Hancock Lab and Cecilia H. Kim, CBR-SBME Summer Studentship Program alumna. The original article can be found on the Centre for Blood Research blog here. Dr. Peter Schubert is a principal investigator with the UBC Centre for Blood Research (CBR) and a clinical associate professor at the department of pathology and laboratory medicine. As a Canadian Blood Services’ senior scientist and the principal manager of the Blood4Research Facility, which is part of the Centre for Innovation, he is also responsible for

By Dr. Donald Branch and Dr. Jacob Pendergrast Dr. Donald Branch is Senior Scientist, Canadian Blood Services Centre for Innovation, and Professor in Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Jacob Pendergrast is Associate Medical Director, Blood Transfusion Laboratory, University Health Network, and Assistant Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. Research conducted by our team at the University of Toronto QUEST program and supported by Canadian Blood Services is improving patient safety for those who need intravenous immune globulin (IVIg

The Canadian Blood Services Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals whose landmark contributions are both extraordinary and world class in the field of transfusion or transplantation medicine, stem cell or cord blood research in Canada and/or abroad. This prestigious award is now open for nominations for 2021. Read on to learn more about the award, the nomination process and who has been honoured with this award in the past. Who can be nominated? To be nominated for the Canadian Blood Services Lifetime Achievement Award, an individual must have contributed significantly to improving

We need platelets to perform vital functions in our bodies: they help heal our wounds and prevent us from bleeding excessively. We also need a certain number of them—what’s referred to as our platelet blood count—for these functions to be carried out effectively. Faced with an increased risk of bleeding, people with a low platelet blood count, such as cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, can boost their numbers with a platelet transfusion. But how low does a person’s platelet count have to be before they would benefit from a platelet transfusion? To help answer questions like this, doctors

The Centre for Innovation was thrilled to once again partner with the Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia to deliver our annual Lay Science Writing Competition. And with this year’s theme of “Challenges 2020”, it’s no surprise that the competition received many interesting, heartfelt and inspiring entries. A huge thank you to everyone who entered. Our panel of esteemed judges, which included science and communication experts from Canadian Blood Services and the Centre for Blood Research, faced their own challenge to pick the best entries based on the competition