Dana Devine, PhD, officially began her term as the new AABB President on Tuesday, the final day of the 2021 AABB Annual Meeting. Devine’s inauguration was held virtually as outgoing president David Green, MSA, facilitated the AABB tradition of passing the gavel to her – albeit in a prerecorded video this year.
Devine, chief scientist at Canadian Blood Services, has been an AABB member since 1998. In her inaugural speech, she reflected that she is beginning her presidency during one of the most important times in the Association’s history. “This is a particularly exciting time for our Association, and I am thrilled to begin my term as president of the newly named Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies,” Devine said. “I know many of us have been looking forward to this new name and new era for our community for several years. I believe the new name, logo and branding represent an important step forward for our Association; they accurately reflect the work we do, will help to amplify our Association and its mission, and will welcome more professionals into our community.”
Devine also noted that 2022 marks the Association’s 75th anniversary, an important milestone deserving of recognition. “I assure you, we will plan to celebrate our impressive and influential history throughout the year while we continue to expand our value and resources for our community, and preparing for the future,” Devine said.
Devine acknowledged that the field is continuing to face challenges, including issues with securing and maintaining a stable and adequate blood supply, ensuring a sufficient and well-trained workforce, and advancing research in the field. “AABB is working to address many of these concerns,” Devine said. “We continue to advocate on behalf of the community with government and public health officials to implement policies that better address concerns with the supply. We are expanding our education efforts, offering new courses and resources for younger professionals in the field, and offering more free education and professional development programs for our members.”
Devine said that throughout her presidency, she will be a strong advocate for research, which she believes is central to solving the issues of the field. “The challenges our field faces may be somewhat daunting, but new solutions await us,” she said. “These challenges we face can be addressed by us: the women and men who have devoted their career to the blood and biotherapies field. That’s why throughout my presidency, I intend to support and promote research in the field. It is only through research that we can advance science, develop solutions, and expand donor and patient care and safety.”
