The idea for this event developed after discovering a box of Dr. Robert Langdell's original papers describing the National Blood Bank Act and the development of a National Blood Policy. Many technologists as well as physicians are not able to answer questions such as...What was the National Blood Policy Act? Who was Charles Drew? What was the Australia antigen?
This workshop is geared toward newer members of our profession who want to gain a historical perspective of why we do what we do, how we got there and the future challenges/directions of our industry. This workshop will provide an overview of the history of blood banks from their humble beginnings with the ABO system to the current system that provides blood throughout the world. It will also cover the history of the AABB accreditation program starting with the idea of accreditation, the development of the program into its current form and the future of the program. Finally, from this workshop, participants will gain a historical perspective on how the government got involved in the regulation of blood products to its current role in providing guidances and regulations. This session is intended to be extremely fun yet informative.