Science writing behind the scenes Blood Thursday, June 09, 2022 Dr. Geraldine Walsh The Canadian Blood Services Lay Science Writing Competition is an annual event that engages and challenges our trainees to tell us their research stories. For the most recent competition, it was a pleasure to once again to partner with Science Borealis. Science...

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Lay Science Writing Competition runner up: The greatest tool in research  Transfusion Blood Thursday, April 28, 2022 Parth Patel The constant whirring and buzz of a research lab is jarring at first, but it eventually becomes a comforting white noise. The machines making the noise are, after all, the same machines that provide many of...

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Product resiliency: future-proofing our product portfolio Plasma Stem Cells Transfusion Blood Thursday, March 31, 2022 Dr. Geraldine Walsh Dr. Cyrus Eduljee What is your role in Innovation and Portfolio Management and what led you to take on this role? I joined Canadian Blood Services in 2021 as the associate director of portfolio management with the goal of developing and leading the product and portfolio management team. This team oversees product lifecycle activities for our collection…

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The Canadian Blood Services Lifetime Achievement Award 2021: Nominations now open Transplantation Organs and Tissues Plasma Stem Cells Transfusion Blood Tuesday, April 06, 2021 Dr. Geraldine Walsh The Canadian Blood Services Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals whose landmark contributions are both extraordinary and world class in the field of transfusion or transplantation medicine, stem cell or cord blood research in Canada and/or abroad. This prestigious award is now open for nominations for 2021. Read on…

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2020: The year no one expected - Challenges researchers face during a global pandemic Plasma Blood Tuesday, March 30, 2021 Sarah Longo Imagine starting a new research position where you are confined to working from home, you have only met coworkers virtually, and there is no disconnect between work and personal life. Welcome to the year 2020. Every new position comes with its struggles; however, I never imagined I would begin and complete my undergraduate…

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Improving platelet transfusion practice: examining the quality of guidelines Transfusion Blood Friday, March 26, 2021 Tricia Abe We need platelets to perform vital functions in our bodies: they help heal our wounds and prevent us from bleeding excessively. We also need a certain number of them—what’s referred to as our platelet blood count—for these functions to be carried out effectively. Faced with an increased risk of bleeding, people with a low platelet blood count, such…

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Lost in lab: deciphering blood immune cells to fight COVID-19 Plasma Blood Tuesday, March 23, 2021 Melina Messing We are delighted to publish the entries that were awarded joint first place in this year’s Lay Science Writing Competition. Read on for Melina Messing’s sobering but ultimately hopeful entry describing her experiences as a immunology researcher during the pandemic. The immune system is a civilization that lives within us. Our organs are its home. Our arteries…

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Developing cell biology lessons for seniors in the age of COVID Tuesday, March 23, 2021 Polina Petlitsyna We are delighted to publish the entries that were awarded joint first place in this year’s Lay Science Writing Competition. Read on for Polina Petlitsyna’s engaging entry about her work as a summer student at the Centre for Blood Research and the importance of good communication to build trust in science.  “I don’t trust all this science stuff,” grumbled…

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Challenges 2020: Lay science writing winners announced Plasma Transfusion Blood Thursday, March 11, 2021 Dr. Geraldine Walsh The Centre for Innovation was thrilled to once again partner with the Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia to deliver our annual Lay Science Writing Competition. And with this year’s theme of “Challenges 2020”, it’s no surprise that the competition received many interesting, heartfelt and inspiring entries. A huge thank you to everyone who entered. Our…

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Why getting a COVID-19 vaccine shouldn’t stop you from donating blood Plasma Transfusion Blood Thursday, March 04, 2021 Dr. Geraldine Walsh When people have recently received certain vaccines, they may have a waiting period, called a temporary deferral, before they can donate blood or plasma. So, as the global rollout of vaccines against COVID-19 began in December 2020, blood operators and their regulators needed to determine whether people who receive these vaccines should be temporarily deferred.…

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