AABB Foundation Recognizes W. Alton Russell as 2026 Scholar

The AABB Foundation has named W. Alton Russell, PhD, assistant professor at the McGill School of Population and Global Health, a 2026 AABB Foundation Scholar.

Russell earned this distinction following completion of his AABB Foundation-funded research exploring how personalized blood donation policies can improve donor iron-related health while supporting a sufficient blood supply.

“My AABB Foundation grant came at a pivotal time as I was establishing my research group at McGill,” he said. “The grant strengthened my network of international collaborators, funded my earliest research trainees and enabled work I could leverage to secure larger grants for our work informing data-driven blood banking policy.”

Russell's research focuses on using data science, simulation modeling and statistical methods to inform more effective, efficient and equitable blood donation policies.

The AABB Foundation will honor Russell at the 2026 AABB Annual Meeting for his scientific contributions.