Last week, the 2017 Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine Conference “Transfusion for All Ages” rolled into Ottawa. Each year, the CSTM presents this event in partnership with Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec.

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

Canadian Blood Services' Graduate Fellowship Program provides support for young investigators who want to initiate or continue training in the field of transfusion science. Graduate students undertaking full-time research training at a Canadian academic institution are invited to apply. The fellowship has a value of $25,000 per annum with an additional travel allowance of $1,000 per year of support. Students may be supported for a maximum of four years, with a requirement for successful renewal halfway through the fellowship. This post has been developed with support from Eve Rickert and Jetta

As a member of the Alliance of Blood Operators, Canadian Blood Services is fortunate to engage with dedicated and forward-facing colleagues from around the world. This spotlight interview was published in our internal newsletter and we have graciously been given permission to repost on this blog.

When a significant change to donor eligibility occurs, like the recent eligibility changes related to hemoglobin levels and iron health, we need to understand in advance the impact it could have on blood collections. Our in-house engineer, John Blake, did some nifty number crunching and estimated that the change would mean about 35,000 fewer donations collected in a year — hence the push for new donors to step forward to help fill the gap.

Through this program, partner organizations provide fellowship opportunities for PhD graduates – learning opportunities that can accelerate their professional growth and advance career readiness. Canadian Blood Services is pleased to participate in this program.

“From the perspective of the blood system, our role I believe is to facilitate research that is required to provide patients with the safest and most effective blood and blood products.”

The Stem Cell Club is just one of many successful and impactful projects funded by the BloodTechNet competition. Do you work in transfusion or transplantation medicine? Got a bright idea on how to share knowledge? Apply for funding to bring it to life.

The 12th Annual Transfusion Medicine Education Videoconference takes place April 12, 2017. Pre-register today.

The R.E.D. blog launched in February 2016 and we’ve published 47 articles that have attracted a combined total of 37,000 readers. We hope you’ve enjoyed them.