Returns on Investment: Why I Keep Coming Back to the AABB Annual Meeting

The AABB Annual Meeting is an event that I look forward to returning to each year and have since my first Annual Meeting. My first meeting was supposed to be in Baltimore in 2020… but instead, the COVID-19 pandemic changed our plans, and it became a first for all of us — our first virtual AABB Annual Meeting.

Being what I’ll call an “early-career late millennial,” experiencing my first AABB Annual Meeting virtually may not have been a bad thing; it may have been one of the best opportunities I didn’t expect. I had the opportunity to network virtually, without the pressure of meeting the big names of the field in person. In that virtual space, we were all on equal footing.

My first in-person AABB Annual Meeting took place in 2023 in Nashville. Despite having two virtual meetings under my belt, a good friend of mine nudged me to go to the first-time attendee luncheon, since it was my first in-person meeting (Thank you, Kristin). This luncheon featured a variety of speakers, including well-known leaders involved in AABB who shared how this association, and attendance at the AABB Annual Meetings, had positively impacted them.

It was at this luncheon that I met one of my virtual connections in the real world, and I realized that I had been blessed to escape the nerves that accompany the early-career professional’s constant companion—imposter syndrome. This connection was none other than Sue Johnson. They say you should never meet your (professional) heroes, but that rule certainly does not apply to Sue! When I told her I was considering an SBB program, her support and encouragement over Twitter and Zoom motivated me to continue to pursue the dreams that once felt out of reach. That support has continued as I further develop my career.

That experience captured the three main reasons I keep coming back to the Annual Meeting:

Connection

While the virtual space allows us to more easily connect with people, especially over great distances, being able to connect in person still has incredible value. The AABB Annual Meeting provides a space to build connections across distances and specialties within transfusion medicine and biotherapies. The virtual space allows us to maintain and nurture these connections throughout the year.

Professional and Personal Development

The time you spend at the AABB Annual Meeting is an investment into continued growth. Exposure to best practices and new research pushes you to become a better physician, medical laboratory scientist, quality associate or research scientist.

Education

The Annual Meeting provides some top-notch education sessions. There is a very solid chance you’ll learn something relevant to a situation or scenario you’ve had to face within the past year, and you’ll leave the Annual Meeting equipped with expertise and confidence to handle these moving forward, providing the best patient care as part of a team.

The opportunity to connect with industry professionals and experts and develop personally and professionally through network and education is tied together with an element of fun. All attendees at the AABB Annual Meeting genuinely enjoy being there, and you can feel the excitement to share, collaborate and learn from one another.

A Bonus Perk

The very last reason I enjoy returning to the Annual Meeting each year is that it gives me the joyful opportunity to experience the local coffee shops. This year, when I’m not in education sessions—or presenting my oral abstract on Monday evening—you’ll find me checking out San Diego’s cafés.

Here are a few I can’t wait to explore:

• KOS COFFEE CO: A rustic chic coffee corner with pastries and breakfast bowls.
• Copa Vida East Village: A modern coffee space with a curated tea collection and breakfast sandwiches. This is where those who prefer a cup of tea should go!
• Café de L’Opera: Coffee, crêpes, and viennoiserie.
• Achilles Coffee Roasters at Gaslamp or Park 12:  Breakfast options, smoothies, sandwiches and fresh coffee.
• Spill the Beans: Bagels and coffee.

Whether it’s discovering new sessions, meeting new colleagues or trying new coffee shops, the AABB Annual Meeting always leaves me energized and inspired. If you’ll be in San Diego for AABB2025, I’d love to connect—whether over a session, a conversation or a cup of coffee.

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About the Author

Chloe Homich, MLS(ASCP)^CMSBB^CM, CQA(ASQ) is the manager of the immunohematology reference laboratory and the out-of-hospital limited transfusion service at Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD), a Division of New York Blood Center Enterprises, and an instructor for the medical laboratory science program at the University of Delaware. She has previously held quality and regulatory compliance roles and worked in donor infectious disease testing. She is a founding member and currently serves on AABB’s Social Media Committee and volunteers as an AABB assessor.