AABB2026: Richard Schäfer, MD, FRSB, Inaugurated as AABB President

At the close of the 2026 AABB Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Richard Schäfer, MD, FRSB, officially began his term as AABB President. 

Schäfer, professor and the medical director of transfusion medicine at the Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy of the Medical Center of the University of Freiburg in Germany, has been a member of AABB since 2023 and has previously served on the AABB Board of Directors and, for the past year, as AABB president-elect.

Schäfer joined AABB when he was living and working in the United States, and immediately found the association to be valuable. “From the very beginning, I felt AABB was an extremely welcoming organization, and one that provided endless benefits for my professional life,” he said. “I found the Association to be so valuable, I maintained my membership and my involvement when I returned to Europe. Today, I can’t imagine what my career would have been like had I not been a member. It has helped to expand my knowledge and skills, supported my research, connected me with countless others in the field throughout the world, and always helps to keep me informed about what is happening in transfusion medicine and biotherapies.”

In addition to our Association’s new president, AABB proudly announces the 2026-27 members of the AABB Board of Directors:

• Richard Schäfer, MD, FRSB: President
• Jose Cancelas, MD, PhD, CABP: Past President
• Delisa English, MBA: President-Elect
• Sally Campbell-Lee, MD, FCAP, CABP: Vice President
• John Hagins: Secretary
• Melissa Cushing, MD: Treasurer and At-Large Director #6
• Pampee Young, Md, PhD: At-Large Director #1
• Tanya Petraszko, Md, FRCPC: At-Large Director #2
• Audra Taylor, MS, SBB(ASCP): At-Large Director #3
• Don Siegel, PhD, MD: At-Large Director #4
• Raymond Goodrich, PhD: At-Large Director #5
• Caroline Wesonga Wangamati, MSc, MA, BCom: At-Large Director #7
• Harpreet Sandhu, CLS (AAB), MBA, MS: At-Large Director #8
• Sean Stowell, MD: At-Large Director #9
• Alyssa Ziman, MD: At-Large Director #10
• Wen Lu, MD: Director (Transfusion Medicine Section Representative)
• Eapen Mayo, MD: Director (Cellular Therapies Section Representative)
• Suzanne Thibodeaux, MD, PhD, CABP(H): Appointed Director
• Soraya Amar, MD: Appointed Director
• Debra BenAvram, FASAE, CAE: Ex-Officio Director