Time to learn: conference season is upon us

The 6th Annual Norman Bethune Symposium

Through our Centre for Innovation, Canadian Blood Services provides funding for knowledge sharing and education events. One great example is the 6th Annual Norman Bethune Symposium that took place on April 6, 2017, at the University of British Columbia Centre for Blood Research. 

Dr. Norman Bethune (1890-1939) was a Canadian physician who in the 1930s spearheaded the implementation of the first practical mobile blood collection and distribution system and promoted universal access to health care. This symposium, held in his honour, is an informative and entertaining event with participation of a full range of scientists and clinicians at all levels of training.

Tara Fernandez, Enoli De Silva, Tseday Tegegn, and Erika Siren have pulled together a great write up of highlights from the day on the Centre for Blood Research blog. An excerpt follows...

Transfusion medicine has progressed by leaps and bounds since Norman Bethune’s efforts in the 1930s. Among this year’s engaging speakers, Dr. Peter Newman from the Blood Center of Wisconsin, described the allelic polymorphisms in GPIIIa that could lead to alloimmune disorders such as neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia. He highlighted some of the many challenges in managing and treating such platelet disorders and potential strategies to tackle them using CRISPR-mediated genome editing.

Following on from Norman Bethune’s life-saving attempts on the frontline, Dr. Heather Pidcoke described novel techniques of platelet transfusion for effective resuscitation from trauma. In addition, Dr. Shibani Pati from the Blood Systems Research Institute, presented her research on how the transfusion of a combination of platelets, plasma and red blood cells provides an added survival benefit by playing a reparative function on the vascular endothelium.

Photo highlights and videos of the 2017 symposium presentations are also available on the Centre for Blood Research website.

Now, it's time for CSTM 2017!

The 2017 Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine Conference “Transfusion for All Ages” has just rolled into Ottawa. It takes place April 20-23, 2017. The Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine presents this annual conference in partnership Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec. Stay tuned for highlights... 

"Transfusion has come a long way through the ages. Our community is made ever stronger because of organizations like the CSTM and knowledge-sharing events like these. For almost 30 years, this inter-professional organization has promoted excellence in fields of medicine and science that evolve rapidly, with new technologies, novel practices and emerging challenges." - Dr. Graham Sher, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Blood Services (From the CSTM 2017 scientific program, p.10) 

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.

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services.