The Ontario Regional Blood Coordinating Network (ORBCoN) and Canadian Blood Services co-hosted the 18th Annual ORBCoN/Canadian Blood Services Transfusion Education Workshop and Symposium in April 2023. Tracy Cameron, ORBCoN’s North and East Ontario regional manager, summarizes highlights from the event.

Every year the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine’s (CSTM) Buchanan and QuidelOrtho awards recognize the dedication and innovation of two distinguished members of the transfusion medicine community. Read about the 2023 recipients in this blog!

Canadian Blood Services supports capacity building in transfusion medicine through the support of research and physician trainees. In this blog, trainees reflect on their experiences attending CSTM 2023 in Montreal.

As a new member of the Knowledge Mobilization and Strategic Alliances (KM&SA) team, I was invited to attend Canadian Blood Services Research Day on May 25, 2023, which coincides with the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM) annual conference. I share how attending this opportunity helped shape my passion for Canadian Blood Services as I planned to enter my new role as a Knowledge Broker.

In a presentation recorded as part of the 5 à 7 Research Talks series hosted by Queen’s University, Canadian Blood Services adjunct scientist Dr. Jeannie Callum breaks down how to efficiently deliver blood transfusions and highlights the innovation and engineering at play to ensure bleeding patients get the right blood they need in just the right way at the right time.

Preparing to attend CSTM 2023? Learn about Canadian Blood Services staff and researchers’ contributions to the scientific program and other opportunities to engage with our research and education transfusion network at the Canadian Blood Services booth!

In March 2023, pathogen-reduced platelets rolled out to hospitals served by our Dartmouth production site. Read about the resources available to help health-care providers learn about pathogen-reduced platelets.

Dr. Peter Bell was awarded second prize in Canadian Blood Services’ Research 180 Video Competition for his original video, “Styling proteins with nano-sized scissors: A matter of life and death”. Peter reflects on the video – and the experience of creating it – in this R.E.D. blog.

Dr. Donald Branch, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist, has received the Dale A. Smith Memorial Award for his discovery of the ZZAP reagent. This award, from the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), recognizes the application of technology to the practice of transfusion medicine or biotherapies.

A PhD candidate with the Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia is conducting a study to research where the differences in blood from donor to donor come from and how that information can be used to support better patient outcomes.