Hamilton Land Acknowledgement
The City of Hamilton is situated upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas. This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which was an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We further acknowledge that this land is covered by the Between the Lakes Purchase, 1792, between the Crown and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
Today, the city of Hamilton is home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island (North America) and we recognize that we must do more to learn about the rich history of this land so that we can better understand our roles as residents, neighbours, partners, and caretakers.
Reference: https://tourismhamilton.com/city-of-hamilton-land-acknowledgement/
On behalf of the CSTM Hamilton Conference Organizing Committee, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2026 CSTM Annual Scientific Conference, held June 4–7 at the Hamilton Convention Centre.
We are delighted that you are joining us for this year's event, Cascading Connections. This conference brings together industry leaders, subject-matter experts, and dedicated professionals from across Canada to exchange ideas, share experiences, and advance our collective knowledge. Our goal is to create an engaging environment that fosters thoughtful discussion, meaningful networking, and innovative insights that inspire new perspectives in Transfusion Medicine.
Throughout the conference duration, you will have access to a diverse program of sessions, workshops, and a keynote presentation-each designed to offer both practical tools and forward-thinking views on the current trends and emerging developments in Transfusion Medicine. We encourage you to immerse yourself fully in the experience, connect with colleagues, and explore opportunities for collaboration and professional growth.
In 2025, CSTM hosted three virtual Education Days. Our February session, The Heart of Sickle Cell Disease, explored key aspects of sickle cell care. July's event, A Sticky Summer, focused on platelets, while our November session, The Code Call, provided an engaging look at Emergency Response Codes. These Education Days are designed to expand access to learning for our members, and all recorded webinars remain available for on-demand viewing on the CSTM website. CSTM is also partnering with sponsors to develop additional educational resources to further support the Transfusion Medicine community.
We extend our sincere appreciation to our sponsors, whose generous support makes the CSTM Annual Conference-and many other CSTM initiatives-possible. Their contributions help sustain our website, awards, and conference bursaries, and enable committees to produce essential resources such as the CSTM Standards and guidance documents. These funds also support pediatric and obstetrical transfusion projects and help maintain national networks of specialists who provide guidance to members and website visitors.
Our CSTM Committees and Working Groups meet regularly and work throughout the year to advance our mission. Ongoing committees include:
Annual Conference Standing Committees and Working Groups
Local Conference Organizing Committee
Canadian Obstetric and Pediatric Transfusion Network
Communications Committee
CSTM Standards Committee
Education Committee
Specialization in Transfusion Science Committee
Sponsorship Committee
Transfusion Safety Network
We invite you to consider volunteering with one of our committees or working groups. It is a rewarding way to expand your national network and contribute to the transfusion medicine community. To apply, please visit: https://www.transfusion.ca/Members/Board/Volunteers
CSTM engages with its membership and the public through multiple channels. Our website, which has recently been re-designed, received over 12,000 visitors in 2025, with the majority accessing from Canada and nearly one-quarter from the United States. On social media, CSTM shares updates and educational content on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, and Facebook, while recorded education sessions are available to members on YouTube. Members also receive the monthly CSTM Communique newsletter, have access to exclusive website resources, and can use the CSTM Standards. Additionally, the CSTM Connect mailing list-open to both members and non-members-offers a space for questions and discussion among more than 200 participants. We encourage you to follow the updates and contribute your questions to the CSTM Connect community.
Whether you are here to learn, share, or make (Cascading) connections, we hope the CSTM Annual Scientific Conference provides a meaningful and memorable experience. Our team is here to support you-please feel free to reach out if you need any assistance throughout the event.
We hope you enjoy the conference and take time to experience the beauty of Hamilton, home to more than 100 breathtaking waterfalls. Local attractions such as the Royal Botanical Gardens, McMaster University, and the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum are well worth a visit!
Thank you for joining us. We look forward to an inspiring and productive conference together.
Sincerely,
Nicole Gettle
CSTM President
Conference Co-Chairs Welcome
It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the upcoming 2026 CSTM Conference, where leaders, innovators, laboratory technologists, researchers, practitioners, scientists, patients, and donors from across the field will come together to explore new ideas, share advancements, and spark meaningful collaborations. This year, we are proud to offer an inspiring program that reflects the depth, diversity, and momentum of our community in the heart of Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton is a hub for transfusion medicine, with connections that include the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program, the Ontario Regional Blood Coordinating Network, the McMaster Transfusion Medicine Fellowship Program, and the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Transfusion Research.
Throughout the conference, you will have the opportunity to engage with renowned speakers, participate in in‑depth technical sessions, interactive workshops, and enriching networking activities. Outside the conference, we invite you to discover Hamilton's highlights-a city especially known for its waterfalls and scenic trails, its rapidly growing culinary scene, and its historic sites that we are excited to showcase. The Niagara region and Toronto are also nearby, offering even more possibilities for adventure beyond the conference.
Our theme, "Cascading Connections," embodies our belief in the transformative power of shared ideas, forged relationships, and emerging collaborations within our transfusion medicine community. It evokes the ripple effect that occurs when people come together with curiosity, intention, and a shared vision for progress. In the program, we have emphasized sessions that amplify the voices of donors and patients, explore emerging topics, and address the pressing issues our community must tackle collectively. We hope this conference not only offers you new perspectives and meaningful connections, but also sparks renewed inspiration-fueling innovations and partnerships that will continue to grow long after the final session.
On behalf of the organizing committee, whether you are joining us for the first time or returning as a participant from previous years, we extend our sincere gratitude and appreciate your commitment and dedication to our transfusion medicine community.
We look forward to welcoming you to the "Hammer"-and we hope you enjoy the 2026 CSTM Conference!
Dr. Andrew Shih & Rebecca Barty
CBS Welcome
Colleagues,
I want to welcome you to Hamilton for the 2026 Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM) conference.
As you gather at the conference you will be embodying this year's theme – connections. There will be familiar faces to get re-acquainted with and newcomers to get to know. The connections you form at events like these bring to life the vibrant and expansive transfusion community.
We have been busy building connections at Canadian Blood Services as well. Through our Stem Cells Program, collaboration with transplant centres is improving access to Canadian donors and reducing reliance on international registries. In partnership with the GEMINI hospital network we are advancing a vein-to-vein analysis linking donation attributes with transfusion outcomes to strengthen the evidence base for practice. We surveyed hospitals across the country to identify platelet volume reduction practices and are working on best practices to optimize platelet use.
Our work to grow and diversify Canada's donor base is also deeply rooted in connections. Meeting the needs of the diverse patient populations we serve requires trust, sustained relationships and meaningful engagement with historically underrepresented communities, including African, Caribbean, and Black donors. Through intentional partnerships, community listening, collaborative research and co-developed actions, we are working to build a more representative and resilient blood supply system.
This work could never have been accomplished alone. That's why Canadian Blood Services is proud to be a sponsor of this conference alongside our colleagues at Héma-Québec.
So, I challenge each of you to reach out and make a new connection over these next few days. Conversations that begin as a trickle will expand as relationships form and ideas percolate until they cascade into a waterfall of innovation. This is how we move forward as a community, by bringing people together, woven with a single purpose to meet the needs of the patients we serve.
Sincerely,
Dr. Graham Sher, O.C.
CEO
Canadian Blood Services
On behalf of the entire Héma-Québec team, I am pleased to welcome you to this year's conference of the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine. We are delighted to gather in Hamilton for a valuable opportunity to connect, reflect, and collaborate with colleagues from across the country.
This conference is always a valuable opportunity to step back, share our experiences, and look ahead together. There is no shortage of complex challenges ahead-whether scientific, technological, or organizational-but they also present important opportunities to continue advancing innovation.
More than ever, it is by drawing on the strength of our network and the richness of our collaborations that we will meet these challenges. Transfusion medicine is built on collective expertise, strengthened through dialogue, knowledge sharing, and a shared commitment to quality and patient safety. In that regard, the theme of Cascading Connections feels particularly fitting.
This 2026 edition is also especially meaningful for Héma-Québec, as it marks the first year we will present the Transfusion Camp Impactful Educator Award-a pan-Canadian initiative involving all Québec faculties of medicine and several key members of our organization. It's another testament to the central role of collaboration in transfusion medicine!
I wish you a most enriching conference and thank you for contributing, through your presence and engagement, to the vitality of our community.
Enjoy the conference!
Nathalie Fagnan, M.S.M., FCPA, IAS.A
President and Chief Executive Officer
Héma-Québec