The California Blood Bank Society is one of the strongest and most vibrant state blood banking educational organizations in the US. Founded almost 57 years ago, its legacy in the field of Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking has been carried on by generations of medical technologists, physicians, nurses, administrators and many others committed, through education, to meeting the transfusion and cellular therapy needs of California patients.

The mission statement of CBBS, which simply says “We help save lives of people who need blood…by providing education…” guides the many programs we offer. In the short time it will take to read this Welcome Message, you will see what CBBS plans for this year and beyond.

The 57th Annual Meeting.

The Annual Meeting will be held on April 3-6, 2012 in one of the most quintessentially California cities: San Francisco. The hotel has a breathtaking view of the bay and is temptingly close to those historic attractions for which San Francisco is known the world around. The educational sessions, which have already been planned, feature nationally and internationally known blood bankers and transfusion medicine specialists. You will hear cutting edge presentations on serology and immunohematology, transfusion practices, cellular therapies, and topics critical to leading in a complex business and regulatory environment. The planning committees have also designed programs with a renewed focus on practical issues relevant to those of us who work most closely with patients in hospital settings and donors in blood centers. At the conclusion of the meeting, you will not only have had the opportunity to network with peers, exhibitors, and sponsors, but you will have acquired new information to enhance the care you provide to patients and donors.

Regional Seminars.

Our regional seminars bring CBBS programs closer to home, especially to hospital-based technologists, nurses, and blood center staff. The full slate of 2011-2012 meetings is well on its way to completion. This website is your source for additional information.

e-Network Forum.

Launched in 1997 by California visionaries in Transfusion Medicine, Drs. Laurie Naiman and Ira Shulman, the eNetwork Forum (eNF) has made it possible for blood bankers not only in California but around the world to dialog electronically on a wide range of Transfusion Medicine topics. This program has been a model and inspiration for electronic networking venues developed later by other organizations.

Do not hesitate to take advantage of the resources available to you through the eNF. We welcome your questions about transfusion practices, immunohematology, cellular therapies and related topics. As part of our planning for the future of eNF, CBBS is currently in the process of recruiting additional eNF editors; if you are interested, please check the CBBS website for further information.

To conclude this section, I would like to give a heartfelt “Thanks!” to the American Red Cross and Creative Testing Solutions for their generous contributions to the CBBS website. Their financial sponsorship has made it possible for CBBS to have one of the most up-to-date, professional and informative websites among blood banking organizations in the country. These two organizations demonstrate a tremendous commitment to the educational mission of CBBS and have set a commendable example.

CBBS Education Fund.

The Education Fund is a financial scholarship program for qualified applicants, and throughout the years has made it possible for students and others in Transfusion Medicine to participate in the CBBS Annual Meetings. Although students (including residents and fellows) receive highest priority in the selection process, scholarships are also available to CBBS members who qualify for funding that would be applied to Annual Meeting registration and some associated expenses. The CBBS Board strongly encourages participation in this program. The application process is easy and available on the CBBS Website.

I encourage you and your organization to contribute to the Educational Fund. All donations are tax-deductible, and are the lifeblood of the scholarship program. I challenged those who attended the 2011 CBBS Business Meeting to increase the Fund to approximately $60,000 (13%) by the end of the Annual Meeting. This goal was met, thanks to the generosity of many CBBS members! It would be fantastic if together we could increase the Fund to $70,000 by December, when the 2012 Annual Meeting Registration information will be posted on the website.

In closing,

I would like to express the Board’s deep gratitude to those who make CBBS the outstanding organization that so many of us rely on in our professional lives. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we offer our thanks to CBBS individual and institutional members, sponsors, exhibitors, committee members, committee chairs and so many other contributors.

See you at our Regional Seminars and the 2012 Annual Meeting in San Francisco!

Joy Fridey, MD, MBA
President, CBBS, 2011-2012
August 25, 2011