Jennie Haw

Dr. Jennie Haw has a PhD in Sociology from York University. Her doctoral thesis examined women’s experiences of, and reasons for, private cord blood banking with an aim to understand the relationship between emerging biosciences, health, and new sites of social and moral decision making. In 2017, she was awarded a CIHR Health Systems Impact Fellowship providing her with an opportunity to work with Dr. Devine (chief scientist, Canadian Blood Services) and Dr. Polzer (associate professor, Western University) on a process evaluation of Canadian Blood Services’ national public cord blood bank. Working on this project, she gained a deeper understanding of the blood operator and its role within health and social systems. In 2019, Dr. Haw joined Canadian Blood Services as a social scientist with a focus on donors and donation studies. 

Other appointments

• Secretary, Donors and Donation Working Party, ISBT, 2024–2027. 
• Committee member, AABB DEIA Committee, 2023–2026.

Research interests

Dr. Jennie Haw is a sociologist with specialization in the areas of health, donation, science and technology, and qualitative methodologies. Her research interests include donor engagement, social theories of donation, and the social and political context of donation. Dr. Haw is interested in examining questions such as: Why do people donate? What does meaningful donor engagement mean for people from diverse backgrounds? What are the social conditions that make donation possible for some and not others? How can donor screening processes be maximally inclusive while ensuring the safety of the blood supply?