Ensuring Optimal Blood Safety at All Times

Years later, I experienced transfusion from the other side. In 2015, I required a blood transfusion due to internal abdominal bleeding. In 2020, after 18 years of vCJD mandated deferral, I was eligible to donate blood again. Those two moments brought into sharp focus the life-saving impact of blood donation. It transformed my perspective (from blood center professional to donor and recipient), and reinforced a profound sense of gratitude toward the donors whose generosity sustains our field. 

Every day, countless patients throughout the world rely on safe blood products. For individuals living with chronic conditions, blood transfusions provide ongoing support to manage symptoms and prevent complications. For others, receiving blood is a timely, life-saving intervention. Without access to these products, some would not survive.

This issue of AABB News focuses on safeguarding the blood system, ensuring both safety and sufficiency in the face of evolving threats. Our cover story examines lessons learned from the history of emerging infectious diseases and transfusion-transmitted infections and how the field can prepare now to ensure a safe and sufficient blood supply during the next emerging pathogen event. The second feature explores the recent and notable shift in Canada’s blood safety monitoring following the end of a historic hemovigilance program, as transfusion leaders discuss how the country will move forward to ensure continued vein-to-vein safety and ongoing monitoring.  

Another article highlights the 2026 AABB Landsteiner-Alter Award recipient, Edgar Engleman, MD, whose pioneering contributions have shaped both blood safety and the field of cellular therapy. From his leadership during the HIV/AIDS crisis to foundational work enabling the first FDA-approved cellular therapy in 2010, his career reflects the power of innovation grounded in generating solutions to unmet patient needs. 

Finally, in recognition of World Thalassemia Day, we feature Tracy Antonelli. Tracy shares her journey living with thalassemia and adopting three daughters from China with the same rare blood disorder. Her story is a powerful reminder of why our work matters, and of the patients whose lives depend on a safe and reliable blood supply.