Dr. Geraldine Walsh is a scientific writer with the Canadian Blood Services’ Centre for Innovation. A PhD scientist with a passion for communication, Geraldine supports Canadian Blood Services’ research and development scientists with writing, editing and preparing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Geraldine was captivated by the fascinating topic of blood during her graduate studies at The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (in Dublin, her hometown). During her PhD, she studied blood platelets, the little cell fragments that maintain the delicate balance between clotting and bleeding in our bodies. Today, her role as scientific writer allows her to combine a love of science with a love of writing and a real dedication to quality science communication.
From whole blood to blood components…and back again!
Thursday, December 05, 2019
The Canadian Blood Services Centre for Innovation has been doing research to develop a “new” product for transfusion that some might find surprising: whole blood! Yes, the fluid that is originally drawn from a donor. To learn why, we need to delve into the history of blood transfusion and innovation over the past century.
Centre for Innovation awards funding to support young researchers and improve blood product use
Friday, November 29, 2019
The Centre for Innovation supports research, innovation and education in key areas in blood, plasma, stem cells, and organs and tissues. This support is in part through the many competitive funding programs centre administers. These are open to Canadian researchers interested in pursuing projects focused on Canadian Blood Services priorities. Read on to learn about the recent recipients of funding through our Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and our Blood Efficiency Accelerator Award Program.
Lay Science Writing Competition open for submissions!
Tuesday, October 01, 2019
Stories underlie all research experiences, but these stories are rarely told. The Centre for Innovation is excited to launch its second annual Lay Science Writing Competition and give our research trainees the chance to tell those stories!
Centre for Innovation scientist recognized for his contributions to the field of cryobiology
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Centre for Innovation scientist Dr. Jason Acker was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Society for Cryobiology, a prestigious international award that recognizes individuals who have had an exemplary impact on the field of cryobiology. Congratulations to Dr. Acker, who received this award over the summer at the Society for Cryobiology’s annual meeting in San Diego.
From artificial intelligence to whale poop, and everything in between
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Always an engaging and informative event, this year’s partnership with the University of British Columbia’s School of Biomedical Engineering meant the Centre for Blood Research’s 2019 Research Day touched on an astonishing array of topics...
Research supports equipment change and process improvements
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Canadian Blood Services recently updated the equipment it uses to produce components (red blood cells, plasma and platelets) from whole blood donations. In May 2019, the mammoth task of implementing the new equipment at manufacturing sites across the country was completed. But how did the organization choose which equipment to implement in the first place? Let’s look back at some early research work that helped the organization gather the evidence it needed to support this change.
2018-2019 Centre for Innovation annual progress report now available
Thursday, August 15, 2019
The Centre for Innovation’s annual progress report details the achievements made over the past year by Canadian Blood Services’ network of scientists, medical experts, research partners, and collaborators.
The ethics of doing good research
Thursday, August 08, 2019
By ensuring that innovation respects the rights of research participants, the Research Ethics Board helps Canadian Blood Services advance high quality health research to improve the lives of Canadians.
Highlights from the Canadian transfusion community’s annual conference
Thursday, July 18, 2019
The Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine’s annual conference took place in Calgary, Alberta in early June. The Centre for Innovation’s Geraldine Walsh was there and shares her highlights.
Stories worth sharing: Effectively communicating “Research that matters!”
Thursday, July 04, 2019
Before launching the Canadian Blood Services’ Lay Science Writing Competition for research trainees, the Centre for Innovation made sure to have the right team in place. Valuable support from Science Borealis and the Centre for Blood Research helped make our inaugural competition a success.