Dana Devine, PhD, a pioneering scientist, educator, leader in the blood and biotherapies community, and former president of AABB,
died Nov. 12. Devine retired as chief scientist at Canadian Blood Services (CBS) in March 2023, concluding more than 25 years of remarkable service.
Devine’s distinguished tenure at CBS began shortly after its establishment, when she became director of the research and development group, now known as the Center for Innovation. Throughout her career, she held key leadership roles at CBS, including vice president of medical, scientific and research affairs for 11 years, and chief scientist from 2018 until her retirement.
Her groundbreaking research modernized transmissible disease testing, enhanced platelet manufacturing processes, and supported the development of CBS’s organ and tissue donation and transplantation program. Devine also played a pivotal role in launching the Blood4Research Program, which collects blood from committed donors for research to drive advances in blood collection, manufacturing and storage.
Beyond CBS, Devine co-founded and served as a director of the Center for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia, where she was a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine. Her mentorship shaped the careers of countless researchers entering the field.
An AABB member from 1998 until her retirement, Devine was an internationally respected and celebrated leader in the field. She served as AABB president for the 2021-22 Association year, as the president of the BEST Collaborative and as the editor-in-chief of
Vox Sanguinis. In 2021, Devine received AABB’s prestigious
Hemphill-Jordan Leadership Award for her extensive contributions to transfusion medicine.
In 2024, CBS and the Canadian Society of Transfusion Medicine introduced the
Dana Devine Award, which recognizes promising scientists in a field related to transfusion science and medicine, blood banking and blood biotherapies — cementing her enduring legacy in the field. AABB will celebrate her contributions and share reflections from colleagues in an upcoming issue of
AABB News.
