Understanding how iron metabolism is regulated is a particularly important clinical issue to consider as some red cell donors may not effectively replenish their iron stores in between donations. Furthermore, diseases in which anemia and excess iron coexist such as thalassemia exhibit complicated regulation schema that are still incompletely understood and are further complicated in transfusion-dependent cohorts. Hepcidin, a peptide hormone thought to be the main regulator of iron flows in the body, is considered the "erythroid regulator" that regulates iron absorption and recycling. In this session, the crosstalk between iron regulation and erythroid proliferation and maturation will be reviewed and the role of hepcidin in this crosstalk will be discussed. One speaker will discuss iron regulation in erythropoiesis. Another speaker will review the role of hepcidin in ineffective erythropoiesis such as in thalassemia and a third speaker will discuss the role of iron regulation in iron overload and iron deficiency.