Science & Innovation Forum - Advancing Blood Safety: The Evolving Science and Future of Plasticizers in Blood Collection and Storage

Please note: AABB reserves the right to make updates to this program.

• Intended Audience: Blood Center Leadership, Cellular Therapy Specialists, Directors, Hospital Blood Banks, Hospitals, Immunohematology Reference Labs (IRL’s), Laboratory Staff, Managers/Supervisors, Medical Directors, Physicians, Policy Stakeholders, Regulatory Professionals, Research Scientists, Residents/Fellows, Scientists, Students (MD, MT, SBB), Technologists, Transfusion Safety Officers

• Registration

  This Science & Innovation Forum is complimentary to all, but registration is required. By registering for this AABB-hosted program you consent to have your information shared with the program sponsor, Macopharma. Once registered, you will receive an automated email from customercare@gotowebinar.com with access instructions unique to you (check your spam or junk email folders if you do not receive it; add customercare@gotowebinar.com to your safe sender list). The program will be hosted on GoToWebinar so please take a moment prior to the live program to review the different join methods for GoToWebinar.

  Faculty

  Moderator: Claudia S. Cohn, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, AABB, Bethesda, MD; Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Director, Blood Bank Laboratory, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

  Dr. Claudia S. Cohn is Chief Medical Officer of AABB and Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota. She also serves as Medical Director of the Blood Bank Laboratory at M Health Fairview. Dr. Cohn earned her PhD in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, her MD from Louisiana State University, and completed her Transfusion Medicine fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.

  Her main academic interests include refractory platelet management, disaster preparedness, hemovigilance, and appropriate use of blood components. She brings extensive experience in moderating scientific forums and guiding multidisciplinary discussions on emerging issues impacting blood systems and patient safety.

  Speaker: Quentin Brebant, New Product R&D Manager, Macopharma, Tourcoing, France

  Quentin Brebant is New Product R&D Manager at Macopharma, where he leads development of next-generation blood collection and storage systems, including non-DEHP technologies. His expertise includes biomaterials, plasticizer chemistry, and the design of medical devices for blood processing applications. He has been closely involved in the development and evaluation of alternative plasticizers such as DEHT, with a focus on maintaining red blood cell quality and compliance with evolving regulatory requirements. His work bridges materials science and transfusion medicine.

  Speaker: Susan N. Leppke, MPH, Vice President, Government Affairs, America's Blood Centers, Washington, DC

  Susan Leppke, MPH, is Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at America's Blood Centers, where she leads federal advocacy and policy initiatives impacting the U.S. blood system. She has extensive experience in public health policy, regulatory strategy, and stakeholder engagement related to blood safety, availability, and biotherapies. Before her current role, Ms. Leppke held senior leadership positions at AABB, where she contributed to public policy, regulatory affairs, and strategic partnerships supporting the advancement of transfusion medicine and blood safety standards. Her career spans both scientific and policy domains, positioning her as a key voice in navigating regulatory and implementation challenges associated with emerging transitions such as moving beyond DEHP in blood collection and storage systems.

  Speaker: Anaïs Lotens, PhD, QC and R&D Manager, Belgian Red Cross Blood Service, Brussels, Belgium

  Anaïs Lotens is QC and R&D Manager for the Belgian Red Cross Blood Service, a position she has held since 2011. She is currently pursuing a PhD thesis at UCLouvain in Brussels, focused on opportunities to improve platelet storage. She is a member of the European Blood Alliance (EBA) Working Group on Blood Components. She serves as an organizer of the Quality Control Proficiency Testing Scheme in collaboration with France and Luxembourg. She has conducted numerous studies focused on improving blood product quality.

  Speaker: Nadine Marpaux, QC and R&D Manager, Director of Risk and Quality, Product Quality Control Manager, French Blood Establishment (EFS) – Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon, France

  Nadine Marpaux is the QC and R&D Manager at the French Blood Establishment (EFS) in Bourgogne Franche-Comté, a position she has held since 2010. She has worked in transfusion medicine and blood product quality since the 1990s and has conducted extensive studies to improve blood product quality. She currently serves as Chair of the European Blood Alliance (EBA) Working Group on Blood Components / Quality Control Proficiency Testing Scheme and is one of the organizers of this initiative in collaboration with France, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

  Speaker: Ralph R. Vassallo, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical & Scientific Officer, Vitalant, Scottsdale, AZ

  Dr. Ralph Vassallo joined Vitalant in 2014 and is responsible for medical strategy, donor health initiatives, medical oversight of operations, facilitating hospital consultations, and guiding research efforts throughout the enterprise, including the Vitalant Research Institute and the Vitalant Innovation Center. Before joining Vitalant, Dr. Vassallo served as the chief medical officer for the East Division of the American Red Cross Blood Services and was a member of the hospital leadership team at Jefferson Health Northeast in Philadelphia. He serves on the board of directors of the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion Collaborative, on the editorial boards of journals and textbooks, and has chaired several committees of the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB).

  He has published over 100 book chapters, articles, and reviews. He received his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His work has focused on advancing blood safety through evidence-based approaches, including evaluation of transfusion-related risks and optimization of donor and recipient outcomes. Dr. Vassallo has held leadership roles within national transfusion organizations and actively contributes to scientific and policy discussions in the field.

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  The content of this event was developed independently from the AABB continuing education program. The opinions expressed are those of the faculty. Continuing education credit is not offered.

  Science & Innovation Forums are live and on-demand programs that are presented by companies serving the AABB community and target critical needs in the field that can be addressed by the sponsor's solutions technology. Registration is complimentary to all.

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