Canadian Blood Services chief scientist inaugurated as AABB President, recognized for her leadership

November 12, 2021
Dr. Geraldine Walsh

Dr. Dana Devine inaugurated as AABB President

Congratulations to Dr. Dana Devine, Canadian Blood Services’ chief scientist, who was recently inaugurated as president of the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB). The official start of Dr. Devine’s term was marked by a virtual inauguration ceremony on the final day of the 2021 AABB Annual Meeting in October. Devine is taking over as president at an exciting and challenging time for the AABB and will be at the helm during the association’s 75th anniversary, which takes place in 2022.

  • DYK AABB recently rebranded and is now called the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies? Learn more on the AABB website: Rebranding AABB.

Using her platform to advance research

Dr. Devine is Canadian Blood Services’ chief scientist and also a professor at the departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia, and the director of the Centre for Blood Research, where she runs an active research laboratory. With her longstanding and distinguished research career, it is no surprise that in her inauguration speech, Dr. Devine stated that as AABB president, she will be a strong advocate for research. She noted that research will play a critical role in addressing challenges facing the field: “It is only through research that we can advance science, develop solutions, and expand donor and patient care and safety”.

Devine recognized with prestigious AABB leadership award

Ahead of the annual meeting, the 2021 AABB award recipients were announced, and it was fitting to see Dr. Devine among them. She was awarded the 2021 Hemphill-Jordan Leadership Award for “her extensive contributions in transfusion medicine, particularly in the areas of administration, quality programs, and law/government affairs.” In particular, Devine was recognized for “creating an integrated research program with strong ties to government and academic sectors. This model also included direct support for trainees, including PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and transfusion medicine residents/fellows.”

  • Learn more about the Hemphill-Jordan Leadership Award on the AABB website.

This award recognizes Dr. Devine’s legacy of service with Canadian Blood Services – a legacy that continues unabated and is reflected in the myriad of research, development, education and training activities conducted and supported by Canadian Blood Services. Dr. Devine first joined Canadian Blood Services in 1999 as the executive director of research and development. Before becoming our chief scientist in 2018, Devine served for many years on Canadian Blood Services’ executive management team as vice president of what is now the Medical Affairs and Innovation division (then Medical Services and Innovation).

Dr. Devine’s vision in her executive roles has shaped many of research and development activities and initiatives undertaken by Canadian Blood Services over the past 22 years. Dr. Devine’s foresight also contributed to the creation of the Canadian Blood Services’ Blood4Research Program – a unique facility dedicated to enabling research that advances transfusion, cellular therapies and transplantation medicine. And as chief scientist, Devine continues to guide and influence the future of research at Canadian Blood Services.

When I asked Dr. Devine about this award, she noted how much having these leadership roles have meant to her throughout her career:

“I am very honoured to receive this award. I have enjoyed being in leadership roles because they allow me to focus the organization on ensuring that my scientific colleagues have a productive work environment, that we are training the scientists (and specialist physicians) of tomorrow, and that we are working on important research topics for Canadian patients, and patients elsewhere in the world.”

Congratulations to Dr. Devine on this most well-deserved award! Canadian Blood Services and our ever-growing research and education network in Canada (and beyond) are grateful to you for your dedication to transfusion medicine research.

Canadian Dr. Heather Hume also recognized

Dr. Heather Hume, a hematologist at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine and a clinical professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Montreal, was awarded the 2021 Emily Cooley Memorial Award and Lectureship. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated teaching ability and has made a major contribution to the field of transfusion medicine or cellular therapies. Dr. Hume, who in the past worked as an executive medical director at Canadian Blood Services, received the award for “her instrumental work in spearheading the development of a transfusion medicine fellowship training program and guideline development of best practice recommendations for the transfusion of blood components and immunoglobulin therapy and for her leadership in translating the essentials of best transfusion practices to low-resource settings.” Many congratulation, Dr. Hume!

  • Learn more about the Emily Cooley Memorial Award and Lectureship and the other 2021 AABB award recipients on the AABB website.

Dr. Devine, Dr. Hume and the other award winners will be recognized by the AABB at a virtual event on November 16, 2021.

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.