Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access Action Plan

The Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) believes that all people should have the support they need to succeed in a respectful, fair and equitable environment. AABB is committed to our staff, members and the community in embracing diversity, equity, inclusion and access (DEIA). AABB's DEIA Action Plan represents our Association’s commitment to these values.

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Why a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access Action Plan?

AABB's vision, mission, purpose and core values are dependent on the diversity of our global community, which values equity, inclusion and access for all. Our DEIA Action Plan provides an initial road map to embrace these values within our workforce and community, with scalable actions toward specific goals and anticipated outcomes. This DEIA Action Plan is not intended to be static, but to undergo continual review as we learn and evolve in this space and receive feedback and input from the community, with modifications and updates to be made as needed.

AABB's Initial Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access Research

As a first step to inform future actions and initiatives, AABB engaged an expert consulting firm in September 2021 to conduct a survey focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and access among the transfusion medicine and biotherapies community. An invitation to participate in the survey was successfully delivered to 5,251 individuals who reside in the United States and Canada (Phase 2 data collection to be conducted in other global regions). A total of 706 qualified surveys (i.e., excluding abandoned or disqualified surveys) were collected with a margin of error of +/-4% at the 95% confidence level. The data from this survey would help AABB better understand:

• How AABB members and recently lapsed members in the U.S. and Canada define diversity
• The degree to which AABB and the fields it represents (i.e., blood establishments, transfusion medicine, biotherapies) are inclusive
• Whether some demographic groups are underrepresented in AABB or these fields
• What actions AABB can take to reinforce DEAI as an organizational value

AABB welcomes the community to review the survey results and provide feedback on future initiatives.

How AABB will Achieve its DEIA Goals

To embrace DEIA as an essential value supporting AABB’s mission and vision, AABB’s DEIA goals require tactical action. While activities have already been implemented, action must be consistently implemented throughout the Association. This will require the incorporation of DEIA goals into current policies and procedures. It is understood that tactical approaches may require iterations to successfully achieve these DEIA goals. Read about our DEIA Goals here.