Your Digest
Please note: Due to the statutory Family Day holiday on Monday, the next issue of Your Digest will be published on Friday, Feb. 24. We look forward to sharing regular updates with you then.
Introducing our new board members
Marilyn Barrett and Gertie Mai Muise are the two newest additions to our board of directors. Watch an introductory video to learn more about their professional expertise, personal connections to Canada’s Lifeline and what they look forward to contributing as directors on Canadian Blood Services’ board.
Graham’s blog: A message from down under!
Dr. Graham Sher was in Australia last week for an Alliance of Blood Operators (ABO) meeting. Watch his video message from down under to hear a little more about what the ABO is for, how we participate and what we gain from being a member of this international organization.
What you need to know: performance management cycle
As our fiscal year comes to a close, our organization is preparing to enter a new year in the performance management cycle in April 2023. Leaders across the country will be holding performance appraisal discussions with their team members over the next couple of months. Each of these conversations is meant to be focused and engaging for both employee and leader. Learn more on Connect about how to get the most out of your performance appraisal for 2022‒2023 and your goal setting exercise for 2023‒2024.
Employee Appreciation: Showcase your creative talents
In celebration of our upcoming Employee Appreciation Week (Feb. 27 to March 3), we are calling on all creative folks to showcase their amazing talents! We would love to feature your talent, whether it be painting, photography, writing, music, crafting, home décor, cooking — whatever brings you joy. A special “Your Talents” slideshow will be shared during Employee Appreciation Week on Yammer and Connect TV. You play such important organizational roles, but we also know you possess incredible creative talents, and we would love to show them off. If you would like to contribute, please send two or three images with a few lines about your passion to wellbeing@blood.ca by Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Question of the day
How does Canadian Blood Services foresee genomics impacting blood and transplantation services and what will the upcoming Genomics Development Study entail?
Genomics, the study of an organism’s genetic material, has powerful applications in the fields of transfusion medicine and transplantation. Next Generation Sequencing technologies, for example, are currently used at Canadian Blood Services to match patients and donors for stem cell transplants with precision.
The Genomics Laboratory Development Study will span several years and will be conducted through an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Testing, IT Strategy, and Medical Affairs & Innovation divisions. The study will evaluate leading-edge genomic resources and capabilities, to determine how our organization might best adopt these technologies to further enhance donor and patient care in the future.
For more information on the potential for genomics to impact transfusion medicine, read this blood.ca article featuring Dr. Celina Montemayor-Garcia, medical officer at Canadian Blood Services.
