Live Program Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Program Number: 26EL-654

Educational Track: Technical/Clinical
Topics: Blood Donation & Collection, Patient Transfusion
Intended Audience: Directors, Donor Recruitment Staff, Hospital Blood Banks, Hospitals, Immunohematology Reference Labs (IRL’s), Laboratory Staff, Medical Directors, Nurses, Perfusionists, Physicians, Research Scientists, Residents/Fellows, Scientists, Students (MD, MT, SBB), Technologists, Transfusion Safety Officers

Faculty
(titles and affiliations at the time of the live program)
Director/Moderator: Andrew Jones, MD, CABP, Laboratory Director, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, Oakland, CA
Speakers:

Ashutosh Lal, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, San Francisco & Oakland, CA
Madhav Vissa, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, San Francisco & Oakland, CA
Anne Rishon, CPNP, Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Hematology Department, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, Oakland, CA

Program Description

The thalassemia syndromes constitute the most frequent inherited anemias managed with chronic red cell transfusion worldwide. The prevalence of thalassemia in the United States has increased with individuals exhibiting a wide spectrum of disease expression. The twin objectives of transfusion management of thalassemia are alleviating anemia and suppressing ineffective erythropoiesis. Transfusions are associated with the potential complications of iron overload, transfusion-transmitted infections, and alloimmunization. On the other hand, under-utilization of transfusion causes persistence of symptomatic anemia, hypersplenism, bone deformities, and poor quality of life. New transfusion guidelines that address the specific epidemiology and model of care of thalassemia in the U.S. have been published. This program will provide information on the pathophysiology and classification of thalassemia syndromes and the current clinical guidelines for chronic red cell transfusions, along with a patient-focused discussion of shared decision-making. Faculty representing multiple healthcare professions will discuss their complementary roles in the care of patients with thalassemia and how collaborative, team-based approaches can support optimal transfusion management and patient outcomes.

Learning Objectives

After participating in this educational activity, participants should be able to:

Describe the pathophysiology of anemia and ineffective erythropoiesis in thalassemia.
Apply principles of shared decision-making and interprofessional collaboration
in developing management plans for transfusion-dependent thalassemia.
List the goals of transfusion therapy, including how, when, and what to transfuse.

How to Claim Continuing Education Credit

Single Viewers: if you registered as a single viewer, complete the evaluation found on the "CE Information" tab after watching the video. By submitting the evaluation, you are attesting to watching the presentation in its entirety.

Group Viewers: This is applicable for groups/facilities that purchased Group Viewing access for this program (registration will be verified prior to processing a group viewing attendance log). Group Viewing Coordinators should submit the attendance log to eLearning@aabb.org within 72 hours of the completion/viewing date. Once AABB receives an attendance log, each participant on the attendance log will be granted access as a single viewer to this program and will be required to complete the evaluation in order to claim continuing education credit. Each participant will be required to have an AABB account in order to access this program/platform. If a participant does not have an account, he/she can create one using the same email address provided on the attendance log.

Andrew Jones MD

UCSF Beinoff Children’s Hospital Oakland

Appearances