Countdown to CSTM 2026: Agenda contributors

The Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM) annual conference, held in partnership with Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, is taking place June 4-7 in Hamilton, ON.

Each year, the CSTM conference provides opportunity for health-care professionals in transfusion medicine to share knowledge, learn about recent advancements in transfusion medicine, and connect with colleagues from across the country.

In the lead-up to the event, we invited members of Canadian Blood Services’ research and education network to share previews of their contributions to this year’s exciting agenda. Below, colleagues reflect on that they are bringing to the conference and what they are most looking forward to.

CSTM organizing committee representative

Dr. Sandra Ramirez-Arcos is a Canadian Blood Services senior scientist and is serving on the CSTM Organizing Committee as a Scientific Committee member on behalf of our research network from 2026-2029

How will the research you/your team work on be shared during the events?

• Dr. Ramirez-Arcos: There will be presentations on malaria testing and implementation of a nucleic acid testing for the tickborne bacterium Anaplasma (look for session title: Transmissible Diseases and Pathogens, taking place at 10:30 AM on June 5), and climate change with impact on tickborne pathogens (Emerging Topics, 8:15 AM on June 7). These presentations will be given/moderated by staff from Canadian Blood Services’ medical microbiology team.

What are you personally most looking forward to about attending CSTM 2026?

• Dr. Ramirez-Arcos: I am invested in the donor-patient panel discussion we organized for the last day of the Conference taking place at 10:15 AM on June 7.

What advice or comments would you share with attendees ahead of the conference?

• Dr. Ramirez-Arcos: Attend as many sessions as possible and actively participate providing feedback to speakers and poster presenters!

CSTM session contributor

Dr. Kaylee Brooks is a member of Canadian Blood Services’ knowledge mobilization and strategic alliances team. She and colleagues are preparing a session focused on transfusion medicine (TM) education activities.

How will the education activities you/your team work on be shared at CSTM 2026?

• Dr. Brooks: We are planning a session at 8:15 AM on the conference’s final day (June 7) focused on the “Levels and layers of transfusion medicine education” in collaboration with several other experts in this area. During this session, we will showcase a selection of resources from Canadian Blood Services' professional education website, ProfEdu.ca, and discuss the importance of self-directed learning within transfusion medicine. Specifically, we will highlight the Virtual Tour, the nationally recognized Clinical Guide to Transfusion, and our toolkits to support the implementation of new components released by Canadian Blood Services.

How will this session highlight the importance of professional education in transfusion medicine?

• Dr. Brooks: Conference attendees can join us for an engaging discussion of how the different levels and layers of transfusion medicine education in Canada support our TM community. We will have three experts showcase their resources and programs with invitations for the audience to participate throughout. 
  
  My portion of the session will focus on the role of informal and self-directed learning in transfusion medicine education using ProfEdu.ca as an example of this style of education. I hope to get input from our audience on the performance of ProfEdu.ca to better inform the website tools and functionality so that we are adapting to meet the evolving needs of the transfusion medicine community. We hope that you leave the session committed to looking into these resources and programs!

What are you personally most looking forward to about attending CSTM 2026?

• Dr. Brooks: I am looking forward to connecting with our transfusion medicine community partners who help us develop our educational resources on ProfEdu.ca. Since our work includes experts from across the country, we tend to complete our work virtually, so it's nice to have time to meet people in person.

What advice or comments would you share with attendees ahead of the conference?

• Dr. Brooks: As you meet people throughout the conference, it is sometimes helpful to compile a list with a short description of anything you discussed to help you remember who you spoke to. As someone who is still relatively new to the TM community, I find this helpful and will be keeping a list with me this year as well. This also helps me as a knowledge broker—a role that is designed to connect and bring people together—build my network and stay connected with the transfusion medicine community.

Research Day Planning Committee members

Drs. Sheffield, Bernardo Reyes and Wang are members of Canadian Blood Services’ discovery, development (netCAD), and donation policy and studies research teams (respectively). They are also part of the planning committee for Canadian Blood Services’ Research Day – an invitation-only annual event for our research and education network members and key collaborators which takes place the same week as CSTM.

How will the research activities you/your team work on be shared at CSTM 2026?

• Dr. Bernardo Reyes: Our team’s research and development activities will be shared at CSTM 2026 through poster and oral presentations, pending abstract review by the CSTM organizing committee. In addition, netCAD will deliver a dedicated presentation during Research Day, highlighting the evaluation of new methodologies in blood product assessment. Specific dates and times will be available in the official CSTM 2026 program.
   
• Dr. Wang: The donation policy and studies team conducts research on topics related to donor health and safety, deferral policies, donor behaviour, and epidemiology of transfusion-transmissible diseases. At CSTM 2026, research assistant Poojan Joshi will be presenting a social science perspective titled Genomic sequencing in a blood donation context: opportunities and considerations on Saturday (June 6) morning. That same morning, scientist Dr. Kelly Holloway, will be presenting in the “Patient Perspectives and Engagement in Research” session, providing insight into the perspectives and experiences of Ig recipients, their families, and caregivers. 
  
  On Sunday (June 7) morning, associate director of epidemiology and surveillance Dr. Sheila O’Brien, will be present Insight into donor health and safety: Data in action in the “Emerging Topics” session. I will also be presenting abstracts titled Residual risk of HIV, HCV, and HBV three years post-implementation of sexual behaviour-based screening, and Re-entry of donors deferred for false-reactive screening tests: 10 years post-implementation.

What are you personally most looking forward to about attending CSTM 2026?

• Dr. Sheffield: I look forward to connecting with both my close colleagues and the many persons in the broader network that I only see once or twice a year.
   
• Dr. Bernardo Reyes: I am most looking forward to connecting with colleagues across the transfusion medicine community, exchanging ideas, and learning from the diverse work being presented. CSTM 2026 provides a valuable opportunity to engage in discussions around emerging research, including unpublished data, and to gain insights that can help inform our work.
   
• Dr. Wang: CSTM 2026 will be my first opportunity to attend a conference on transfusion medicine, as I joined Canadian Blood Services in 2025. I am looking forward to learning about different aspects of transfusion medicine outside my own focus on epidemiology and connecting with researchers in the field.

From your research lens, what sessions/topics on the CSTM agenda are you most eager to learn about?

• Dr. Sheffield: It’s a bit early to call, given that the abstracts at this writing are still being evaluated, but I am sure there are interesting things coming out of both big science omics approaches and more traditional “let’s follow one pathway and see if we can make a drug” strategies.
   
• Dr. Bernardo Reyes: From a development perspective, I am particularly interested in learning about emerging topics related to blood product quality, including transmissible diseases and pathogens, as well as advances in detection and mitigation strategies. I am also looking forward to updates from the Canadian Transfusion Trials Group (CTTG), especially clinical studies that may help shape transfusion practices. Overall, I’m keen to see how these scientific and clinical developments can support innovation and continuous improvement in blood products.
   
• Dr. Wang: I am particularly interested in the sessions Transmissible Diseases & Pathogens (June 5), as this is a major focus of blood safety, as well as Genomic sequencing in a blood donation context: opportunities and considerations (June 6), as this is a very exciting emerging field that will create new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

What advice or comments would you share with attendees ahead of the conference, particularly for first time attendees?

• Dr. Sheffield: Learn, mingle, ask questions!
   
• Dr. Bernardo Reyes: For conference attendees, I would encourage you to take full advantage of the opportunity to attend a variety of sessions, ask questions, and connect with presenters and peers. For first-time Research Day attendees, I would recommend approaching the day with curiosity, and don’t hesitate to ask questions or introduce yourself to presenters. It’s a supportive environment, and a great space to learn, share ideas, and enhance your professional network.
   
• Dr. Wang: As a first time CSTM and Research Day attendee myself, I will be entering with an open mind and a desire to connect with others. I believe it’s important for all attendees to acknowledge their own important role in advancing transfusion medicine and be eager to share their knowledge and learn from others, regardless of how many years of experience they have in this field.

Join the conversation at CSTM

The theme for CSTM 2026 is “Cascading Connections”. Visit the CSTM website for more information about the conference and follow along with #cstm_scmt as it gets underway!

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.