Maureen

In Michigan, we have our state American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science meeting every April.  This year it is from April 23-25 in Kalamazoo.  Like many state and regional meetings for Lab Science, it includes numerous educational sessions, a few dinners, and a vendor exhibition area.
 
Note also that many larger blood suppliers have regular meetings for the customers they serve that discuss current matters regarding blood banking.
 
Scott

OABB, http://oabb4u.org/home

I suspect there will be some regional bias after mentioning AABB
That said, I'm in the Midwest and have been impressed by the Wisconsin Association of Blood Banks annual meeting (disclosure: I used to chair their Education Committee and since leaving WI have been back as a presenter twice in the past 6 years). There's is a 2 day conference with a fairly large vendor area/participation.  www.wabb.org

www.MABBWEB.ORG  

We (ASCLS-CNE American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science of Central New England) put on a 3 day conference in Providence, RI, each spring. Like the Maine meeting, it covers all lab areas and we welcome all vendors and sponsored speakers.

Different photo-reactive chemicals.  Intercept = amatosalen, Mirasol = riboflavin.  Both activated by UV light to cross link DNA/RNA sections to inactivate proliferation of bugs/white cells.  Lots of info with google...

Another important difference, at least in the US, is that INTERCEPT is approved/licensed for use with platelets and plasma but approval to use Mirasol in the U.S. is still pending (The Terumo website says Mirasol is "available in select markets". We went live with INTERCEPT for platelets earlier this year, been a generally positive experience. Downsides have been mostly related to collection targets (there are somewhat strict acceptance parameters for volume, platelet concentration and platelet content that required us to tweak our collection targets a fair bit) and the system isn't licensed for triple products, so we can only collect and process single and double collections.  We had previously irradiated all of our platelets, so it was a nice benefit to no longer have to irradiate once we implemented INTERCEPT.

Our 1st ECHO is approximately 7 years old, and running very well. 

I could not agree more that the "usual UK practice" needs to shift.  Some of these "practices" were introduced, not so much by the BSH, MHRA, UKAS, SHOT, etc, but by NHSBT themselves - who are not an accrediting body (thank goodness, as they do not necessarily take any notice of experts within their own organisation), but are thought to be so by some who do not know any better!

Our Lab has a 'Documentation of Verbal Orders' - policy and form (available as Log Books), which the blood bank techs follow as needed.  Like most labs we strongly encourage transfusion orders to be placed by the provider, nurse or trained patient services personnel, but we will accept and order as necessary.

What Malcolm?  No anti-weak D antisera available in the U.K.?
(There is such a thing as an auntie weak D, however.)  My father's sister was a terrible center-back when playing for Suffolk.
Scott

We use the Fisher Scientific borosilicate glass tube cat # 14-961-26.  it does not have this statement anywhere on the individual box, the carton or the website catalog description.   We also write on them with Sharpies.
Anyway - what does that statement "For Research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures."  even mean?  What context/use does the manufacturer mean?  Have you found anyone to ask?

I thoroughly enjoyed both of your presentations, Malcolm!  and it was nice to meet Dr. Pepper in person!  Cheers to the blood bankers of the world.

Thank you Malcolm, for traveling so far and sharing your expertise with us, and thank you to Phil as well ~~ it was an excellent convention ~~  Save the date, the 2018 70th Annual Convention is April 24th through the 26th ~~

The meeting was just fabulous (as were my hosts), and it was simply fantastic to meet so many people from this wonderful site.
It was be invidious of me to mention the names of the individual lecturers, as they were all excellent, but I have to say, nevertheless, that there were five people who stood out for me; namely Ed Synder, Melanie Champion, Ghislain Noumsi, Kathy Rafferty and Anne Eder (which rather makes my earlier comment about being invidious redundant, but this is not so say that the other speakers were not anything less than superb).
I tried to upload a couple of photographs (and failed miserably!), but, as promised, I have sent my two lectures to Cliff Reeves for uploading onto the site (couldn't do it myself- they were either too big, or it was beyond my IT ability - or both!).

Most programs will not ID the antibody.   They are just a tool for the blood banker to use during ID.     In my experience, most blood bankers, including SBBers could not tell the difference between  an anti-D+C and either an anti-C+G or anti-G, anti-hrB, rather than anti-C+e or anti-hrS, rather than anti-ce (anti-f) IMO (sad but true).  

Just a couple of days before I fly out.  I am sooooooooooooo excited!

I wish CAP would put all 1 specimen results all together, then move on to the next specimen.  Doing all the ABO, then all the Rh, then ABS... THAT'S what causing all the clerical errors I've seen.  We're supposed to test and report just like a patient spec - and that isn't it!

We’re excited ~~ the 69th ASCLS-CNE Annual Convention’s speaker program is now available on the web ~ the site is open for online registration  
Providence is a great city to visit in the spring – and this is an excellent opportunity for networking and learning.
Feel free to share this link  www.ascls-cne.org/annual-convention  to view the program and register!

We’re excited ~~ the 69th ASCLS-CNE Annual Convention’s speaker program is now available on the web ~ the site is open for online registration  
Providence is a great city to visit in the spring – and this is an excellent opportunity for networking and learning.
Feel free to share this link  www.ascls-cne.org/annual-convention  to view the program and register!

That is wonderful!  I am putting it on my calendar and will try to get to the conference. 

Marking my  calendar as we speak! It will be awesome to see and hear you lecture again Malcolm! As Kate says, Providence is "just down the road a piece" from Boston  

I've put it on my schedule - and I will certainly be there this time!  Providence is just a skip down the road from Boston...

Thanks to a very generous invitation from the organisers (in particular Phil Hoffman, aka Dr Pepper on this site, and Maddie Josephs, Chair) I will be attending and speaking at the 69th Annual Clinical Laboratory Science Convention - Central New England (ASCLS - CNE) taking place at the Rhode Island Convention Center between May 9th and May 11th 2017.  I will be talking on Wednesday 10th May 2017, giving a lecture entitled, "An In Depth Description of the Kell Blood Group System." and then, after a well-deserved break for the delegates, and for those that can stand it, a second lecture entitled, "King Henry Viii, McLeod Syndrome, Chronic Granulomatous Disease and Kx."
Sorry if this comes across as being "big headed", but I am really excited about coming back over to the USA.    

Thanks for letting us know ~~ I  noticed them, but didn't realize it could be a game ~~