Throughout its history, AABB has established several posthumous awards to honor individuals who have made significant contributions on behalf of the transfusion medicine and cellular therapy community. Through its awards program, AABB strives to acknowledge those dedicated to providing quality services and advancements in sciences, so that we can continue to foster the best practices and treatments possible. AABB encourages you to recognize leaders in the field by submitting nominations for AABB’s Memorial Awards. (Several of these recipients are required to give a lecture presentation at the AABB Annual Meeting. To provide sufficient preparation time, most AABB Award recipients are selected one year in advance.)

AABB Memorial Awards for which nominations are being solicited:

2020 Dale A. Smith Memorial Award
2021 Emily Cooley Memorial Award and Lectureship
2021 Hemphill-Jordan Leadership Award
2021 John Elliott Memorial Award
2021 Karl Landsteiner Memorial Award and Lectureship
2021 Sally Frank Memorial Award and Lectureship
2021 Tibor Greenwalt Memorial Award and Lectureship

Please note that award nominations may not be proposed posthumously. Award recipients are not required to be members of AABB. A nomination form must be completed for each nomination submission.

Nominees must understand that certain AABB Awards may be endowed or sponsored by an outside organization/company and AABB reserves the right to publicize the recipient's name and/or the name of their organization along with such endowments/sponsorships in its communication vehicles (e.g., meeting programs, newsletters, videos, social media applications and press releases).

Dale A. Smith Memorial Award

Recipient Selected by the National Blood Foundation (NBF) Scientific Grants Review Committee with Formal Approval by the NBF Board of Trustees.

This award, created in 2002 and funded by Fenwal, A Fresenius Kabi Company, honors Dale A. Smith, a long-time Baxter Healthcare executive who was responsible for establishing the Fenwal Division of Baxter. This award will be presented to an individual(s) or institution to recognize groundbreaking work performed in the application of technology to the practice of transfusion medicine or cellular therapies. Recipient(s) will receive an honorarium totaling $7,500. (The Dale A. Smith Memorial Award is presented annually.)

Emily Cooley Memorial Award and Lectureship

Recipient Selected by a Joint Committee Comprised of Leaders from the Cellular Therapies Section Coordinating Committee and Transfusion Medicine Section Coordinating Committee with formal approval by AABB's Board of Directors.

This award began as a lectureship in 1963 and was designated as a Memorial Award in 1983. The person who receives this award shall have demonstrated teaching ability and have made a major contribution to the field of transfusion medicine or cellular therapies. Acceptance of the award requires attendance at the Annual Meeting and the presentation of a lecture. Recipient will receive a $5,000 honorarium. (The Emily Cooley Memorial Award and Lectureship is presented annually and the recipient is chosen one year in advance.)

Hemphill-Jordan Leadership Award

Recipient is selected by a joint committee composed of leaders from the Cellular Therapies Section Coordinating Committee and the Transfusion Medicine Section Coordinating Committee with formal approval by AABB's Board of Directors.

This award, renamed in 2005 after Bernice Hemphill, W. Quinn Jordan, and Joel Solomon, honors leaders from the transfusion medicine and cellular therapy community. The award recognizes an individual who made significant contributions in the areas of administration, quality programs, law and/or government affairs. The individual shall have demonstrated leadership qualities and a consistent willingness to lend his/her expertise to his/her peers. It may recognize one particular act or an accumulation of years of contributions. Acceptance of the award requires attendance at the Annual Meeting and the presentation of a lecture. Recipient will receive a $5,000 honorarium. (The Hemphill-Jordan Leadership Award is presented annually and the recipient is chosen one year in advance.)

John Elliott Memorial Award

Recipient Selected by a Joint Committee Comprised of Leaders from the Cellular Therapies Section Coordinating Committee and Transfusion Medicine Section Coordinating Committee.

The John Elliott Memorial Award, established in 1956, recognizes an individual who has given outstanding service to AABB by demonstrating a willingness to lend his/her expertise to the association through work on committees, the AABB Board of Directors and other areas. Recipient will receive a $1,000 honorarium. (The John Elliott Memorial Award is presented in odd years only.)

Karl Landsteiner Memorial Award and Lectureship

Recipient Selected by AABB's Board of Directors.

Initiated in 1954 to honor Karl Landsteiner, MD, whose lifetime research laid the foundation for modern blood transfusion therapy, this award recognizes a scientist whose original research resulted in an important contribution to the body of scientific knowledge. The scientist who receives the award shall have an international reputation in transfusion medicine or cellular therapies. The recipient must agree to lecture at the AABB Annual Meeting. Recipient will receive a $7,500 honorarium. (The Karl Landsteiner Memorial Award and Lectureship will be awarded as distinguished candidates are identified. The recipient is chosen one year in advance.)

Sally Frank Memorial Award and Lectureship

Recipient Selected by AABB's Transfusion Medicine Section Coordinating Committee with Formal Approval by AABB's Board of Directors.

The Sally Frank Memorial Award and Lectureship was established in 1982 in memory of Ms. Sally Frank and her dedication to red cell serology and education. This award recognizes an individual who is, or has been, a medical technologist involved with these fields and has demonstrated quality research, teaching and/or service abilities in the technical aspects of immunohematology. Recipient will receive a $1,000 honorarium. (The Sally Frank Memorial Award and Lectureship is presented annually and the recipient is chosen one year in advance.)

Tibor Greenwalt Memorial Award and Lectureship

Recipient is selected by a joint committee composed of leaders from the Cellular Therapies Section Coordinating Committee and the Transfusion Medicine Section Coordinating Committee with formal approval by AABB's Board of Directors.

This award honors Tibor Greenwalt, MD, who was the first registrant at the first AABB Annual Meeting and founding editor of Transfusion. The award recognizes an individual who made major scientific or clinical contributions to hematology, transfusion medicine or cellular therapies, and succinctly communicated these advances. Acceptance of this award requires attendance at the AABB Annual Meeting and the presentation of a lecture on a current topic of interest. Recipient will receive a $1,000 honorarium. (The Tibor Greenwalt Memorial Award and Lectureship is presented annually and the recipient is chosen one year in advance.)