For this instalment of “Meet the researcher”, we met with Dr. Jason Acker, a senior research scientist at Canadian Blood Services who specializes in the manufacturing and storage of blood components. “What gets me up in the morning is the knowledge that through the work of my team and my collaborators, we are able to have a direct impact on the lives of patients. The technical and scientific support we provide helps the organization make critical decisions about the quality of the products that we are collecting, manufacturing and distributing.” ~ Dr. Jason Acker, Research Scientist, Canadian

Recipients of the Canadian Blood Services Lifetime Achievement Award are individuals whose landmark contributions are recognized as both extraordinary and world class in the field of transfusion or transplantation medicine, stem cell or cord blood research in Canada and/or abroad.

In 2017, we published numerous research stories, here are a few of our favourites. Natural killers: when cells go wrong — New research reveals insights into causes of FNAIT A new study by Centre for Innovation scientist Dr. Heyu Ni and his research team at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto reveals insights into causes of miscarriage for some women... Calculating impacts of change Our in-house engineer, John Blake, did some nifty number crunching and estimated that an eligibility change would mean about 35,000 fewer donations collected in a year — hence a push for new donors to step forward to

It's hard to believe that 2017 is almost over. As we prepare for 2018, we take a look back on our most-read research, education and discovery stories from the past year. #5 Encouraging meaningful careers in STEM – Part 1 To encourage more young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math, and in honour of Ada Lovelace Day 2017, we were pleased to share profiles of women in these essential fields... #4 Kidney Paired Donation – powerful program reaches significant milestone More than 500 kidney transplants have occurred across Canada through the Kidney Paired Donation

Health systems impact fellow Dr. Jennie Haw digs into social aspects of cord blood banking

To encourage more young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math, and in honour of Ada Lovelace Day 2017, we are pleased to share profiles of women in these essential fields at Canadian Blood Services. We chose these stories in particular because they share a common theme of both perseverance and flexibility. They represent just a sampling of the convergence of skills, abilities and professional backgrounds that support Canada’s national blood system, its related activities, and the patients it serves. Part One shares words of wisdom from the field of Science and

To encourage more young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math, and in honour of Ada Lovelace Day 2017, we are pleased to share profiles of women in these essential fields at Canadian Blood Services.

Innovation150 series: As Canada celebrates 150 years we look back on Canadian innovations in transfusion and transplantation medicine over the years. A series of posts feature remarkable Canadian progress - past, present and future. Part 1: Dr. Lawrence Bruce Robertson and blood transfusion in the trenches of World War I Part 2: Wartime Service and Canadian Transfusion Medicine Part 3: Meet Canada's Blood-Typing Pioneers In our first three #innovation150 posts on this blog, we brought readers back in time to the early days of Canadian transfusion medicine born out of wartime need during WW I

July marks Cord Blood Awareness Month in certain places around the world. In homage to this important campaign we collected a few related stories from the RED archives and share a bit more information about why Cord Blood matters. Cord blood stem cells can be used in the treatment of more than 80 different diseases and disorders. By donating their baby’s cord blood, parents have the power to help patients living with diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, aplastic anemia, and sickle cell disease. Researchers continue to explore the possibilities of using cord blood in many other treatments. At

As medical director stem cells at Canadian Blood Services, a scientist in the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa, Dr. David Allan possesses a wealth of knowledge about clinical practice and research directions in blood- and bone marrow-based cellular therapies. He is also the current recipient of Canadian Blood Services’ Kenneth J. Fyke Award, which supports health services and policy research to promote the development of evidence-based Canadian practices and policies in transfusion, blood stem cell transplantation