Author Archives for Stanford Blood Center
The Web’s Most Asked Questions: What Do Blood Donations Get Tested For?
September 28, 2023 12:55 pm Comments Off on The Web’s Most Asked Questions: What Do Blood Donations Get Tested For?Blood donations are subject to a battery of tests that play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the blood supply. These tests are designed to identify diseases that can potentially be transmitted through blood transfusions. Among the well-known...
The Web’s Most Asked Questions: How Blood Donation Helps Our Community
September 15, 2023 1:52 pm Comments Off on The Web’s Most Asked Questions: How Blood Donation Helps Our CommunityBlood donation is a lifeline for our community, with more than 15 million blood products used annually in the United States. Every two seconds, someone in the country requires blood, meaning blood donation directly impacts our community, saving lives and...
Individual Donor Assessment — Changes to Blood Donation Deferrals
August 7, 2023 8:17 am Comments Off on Individual Donor Assessment — Changes to Blood Donation DeferralsIn May 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a final revised guidance regarding risk assessment for sexually transmitted infectious diseases (most notably HIV) that can be transmitted through transfusion. Stanford Blood Center is currently working to implement these...
A Mother’s Mission: Tabitha’s Commitment to Donating Blood for Others
June 8, 2023 1:59 am Comments Off on A Mother’s Mission: Tabitha’s Commitment to Donating Blood for OthersBy Samantha Baker, Communications Strategist Bay Area local Tabitha Jackson knows firsthand the vital importance of a stable and readily available blood supply for those in need. Her son, who had five congenital heart defects resulting in three open heart...
A Surprising Discovery: How One Blood Donation Led to Early Cancer Diagnosis
June 8, 2023 1:31 am Comments Off on A Surprising Discovery: How One Blood Donation Led to Early Cancer DiagnosisThe Advent of AI in Blood Donation and Transfusion
May 24, 2023 1:58 am Comments Off on The Advent of AI in Blood Donation and TransfusionWritten by Krista Thomas, Communications Strategist, with medical direction and expertise from Dr. Tho D. Pham, Chief Medical Officer With the rise of several artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) applications and uses such as ChatGPT, “deep fake” AI-generated images, and...
What Really Happens to Your Body After You Donate Blood: Effects, Risks and Recovery
May 24, 2023 1:35 am Comments Off on What Really Happens to Your Body After You Donate Blood: Effects, Risks and RecoveryWritten by Krista Thomas, Communications Strategist, with medical direction and expertise from Dr. Suchi Pandey, Chief Medical Officer One of the most common concerns folks have around giving blood—even those who do so regularly—is how their body reacts and...
Why Do We Have Different Blood Types? A Look at Evolution and Inheritance
February 20, 2023 7:36 am Comments Off on Why Do We Have Different Blood Types? A Look at Evolution and InheritanceBy Krista Thomas, Communications Strategist, with medical support and expertise from Dr. Tho Pham, Chief Medical Officer While all blood donors are united by the same general donation experience and, typically, the same passion for supporting others in the community,...
Michael’s Story: The Heart to Carry On
February 20, 2023 7:00 am Comments Off on Michael’s Story: The Heart to Carry OnBy Samantha Baker, Communications Strategist One early morning in 1997, 35-year-old Monterey Peninsula resident Michael V. had difficulty sleeping due to an unusual feeling. “My heart was pounding away as if it was going to come out of my chest,”...