Canadian Blood Services announces new Dana Devine Award

Our partnership with the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is helping to train the next generation of researchers in transfusion science.

This is a repost of a blog written by the Center for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia that originally appeared on the Centre for Blood Research blog in January 2024.

Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is proud to announce a new award in honour of Dr. Dana Devine to support early career scientists in a field related to transfusion science and medicine, blood banking and blood biotherapies. The award is delivered in partnership with the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM) and will be announced at the CSTM Annual Conference, where the recipient will deliver a lecture and receive an award in the value of $750.00. 

The CBS Dana Devine Award program recognizes promising scientists in a field related to transfusion science and medicine, blood banking and blood biotherapies. The program provides an opportunity for their research to be recognized by the transfusion community and is intended to support their career progression in academia in support of the blood system. More details about the award including the nomination process and application form can be found here.   

Dr. Devine is one of the CBR’s founding members and is an integral part of the Centre. She helped write the $15 million Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) grant application that led to the CBR’s creation, along with other founding members Drs. Ross MacGillivray, Grant Mauk, Don Brooks, and Charles Haynes. In addition to her long-time work with the CBR, Dr. Devine held many other reputable positions, including her roles as a professor in UBC’s Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, the chief scientist at Canadian Blood Services, the president-elect of the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), and the Editor-in-Chief of the blood transfusion journal Vox Sanguinis. 

Throughout Dr. Devine’s career, she made countless memories and a strong impact in the lives of many colleagues and students. Several individuals who had the pleasure of working with Dr. Devine shared their experiences with us. 

“I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to train under Dr. Dana Devine, a leader in transfusion medicine and a scientist that has shaped the current blood banking system in Canada. Her vast knowledge, wisdom and mentorship has enhanced my overall experience as a trainee in her lab. One of the many special things about Dana was her commitment to her people. Despite the several senior roles she held at various national and international organizations, Dana was always available to her trainees, leaving her door open and welcoming impromptu meetings with excitement and ready to give helpful feedback.” – Colton Strong, PhD Candidate, Kastrup & Devine Lab

“I feel incredibly fortunate to have been mentored by Dana - a brilliant scientist, a star in transfusion medicine, and an amazing human being. Working closely with Dana for over 30 years, I witnessed her love for encouraging trainees to excel and grow - I can't imagine a more perfect award in her name than this one. One of my favorite memories of working in her lab? When I was a graduate student, we would set up a small station at the back of the lab and Dana would trim my hair when it got too long, LOL!” – Katherine Serrano, Previous Research Associate, CBS

“Dana was my PhD supervisor, and I was privileged to have her as a Board Member on my most recent company. There is no better role model for empathetic mentorship, unwavering dedication, and fearless leadership. Dana is an intellectual powerhouse who inspired generations of trainees and is the standard against which many young scientists have modeled their careers. I am honored to have gotten to train directly under her, and proud of Canadian Blood Services and the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine for recognizing Dana's achievements with an early career discovery scientist award. Congratulations Dana! This is very well deserved.” – Jonathan Thon, PhD, Devine Lab (2008)

“Dana Devine was my mother bear.  I was a graduate student in a new country cut off from my family due to various circumstances.  She is an incredible, supportive, loving human being, an amazing scientist with accomplishments that many dream of and a mentor to many. Her wishes were genuinely to see her students and staff succeed in whatever they chose to do.  That support always came with a smile and a helping hand.” – Jihan Marjan, PhD, Devine Lab (1989)

Congratulations and thank you to Dr. Devine on her career in transfusion medicine and for the significant impacts she’s made on the field and to the CBR community.

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact.

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency.