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.

Canadian Blood Services’ scientist recognized for his mentorship of graduate students


Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Dr. Jason Acker was recently awarded the University of Alberta Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) Graduate Student Supervisor Award. We chatted to Dr. Acker to find out what this award means to him.

Stories worth sharing: Blood clotting factor or clot buster?


Tuesday, April 16, 2019
In the delicate balance between clotting and bleeding, current laboratory research being undertaken by our partners is evolving our knowledge of how anticoagulant drugs work

Winning science research writers announced


Friday, April 05, 2019
The results of our first-ever Lay Science Writing Competition are in, read-on to discover who gets top-prize and what happens next.

50 ways to learn more about Centre for Innovation supported research


Thursday, March 28, 2019
We just published our 50th Research Unit. Read on to discover how you can use this trove of information to learn more about the excellent work conducted at the Canadian Blood Services Centre for Innovation.

Pathogen Inactivation – A Primer


Friday, March 08, 2019
This primer is part I of our new series exploring the future of blood banking. Given that D is also for Development: Canadian Blood Services and the Centre for Innovation have been following the development of pathogen inactivation technologies and how they can be used to improve safety. Read-on to learn more about these technologies and their potential to shift the blood safety paradigm.

Research Unit: Modelling risk to ensure safety when considering changes to blood testing


Thursday, February 28, 2019
This month’s Research Unit describes efforts by researchers to create a simulation and modelling study to understand how the risk of transfusion-transmission of HTLV would change if the screening were modified.

D is also for Development!


Friday, February 22, 2019
Welcome to our new R.E.D. blog series where we focus on our Centre for Innovation development projects to give you a glimpse into the future of blood banking... our future!

Stories worth Sharing: Highlights from our partners: Thrombomodulin: Old protein with new functions and hope


Friday, February 08, 2019
This week, we highlight work from one of our partners, the Centre for Blood Research. Wayne Zhao describes a review by Dr. Ed Conway, Centre for Blood Research director and adjunct scientist at the Centre for Innovation. This review describes the many roles of thrombomodulin, a protein involved in blood coagulation.

Research Unit: What's in a bag of plasma?


Thursday, January 24, 2019
In this study, Dr. William Sheffield and Craig Jenkins from the Centre for Innovation tested levels and activities of important plasma factors for coagulation in recovered plasma. They found that the way in which plasma is manufactured from whole blood impacts the composition of recovered plasma.

Annual progress report highlights the Centre for Innovation’s impactful research, development, education and training


Thursday, January 10, 2019
#WeDoResearch! Through our Centre for Innovation, our engaged network of scientists, medical experts, partners, and collaborators conduct and disseminate high quality, impactful research for the benefit of Canadian patients and the Canadian healthcare system.