CSTM 2023: Reflections from Canadian Blood Services research and physician trainees in transfusion medicine

June 29, 2023

Originally posted on the Canadian Blood Services Research, Education, and Discovery (R.E.D.) blog and republished with permission.
https://www.blood.ca/en/research/our-research-stories/research-education-discovery/cstm-2023-reflections-canadian-blood

Read the responses from Canadian Blood Services research & CBR trainees Tseday Tegegn, and Emel Islamzada. Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Tseday Tegegn, PhD candidate in Dr. Ed Pryzdial’s lab at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver

Tseday is a recipient of funding through the Canadian Blood Services Graduate Fellowship Program and 2023 Travel Bursary Program.

  • What were you most looking forward to about CSTM 2023?

This was my first time attending CSTM and visiting a city in the eastern part of Canada! I was most looking forward to presenting my research to the Canadian Blood Services community and learning about different areas of research that are going on in other labs across the country.

  • Did you share your research findings at the conference?

I completed a rapid presentation and an oral presentation titled “Mechanism of dengue virus-induced thrombocytopenia: Virus-encoded non-structural protein 1 is expressed on the infected megakaryocyte and platelet surface.” My research covers broad interdisciplinary areas consisting of virology, biology, blood coagulation, and transfusion.

My research topic focuses on a particular process that can contribute to dengue virus-induced low platelet count which often disrupts normal blood clotting. After hearing my presentation, I hope attendees learne about dengue virus and how our lab investigates its most common clinical symptom called thrombocytopenia, which is a significant reduction of platelet number.

  • How do you think your experience at CSTM will impact your future career?

By presenting, I benefitted from discussions with other scientists, nurses and clinical staff that asked questions about my research topic. One oral presenter had a similar topic as mine, so that sparked a lot of discussion and exchange of knowledge!

  • How has the support of Canadian Blood Services’ funding, resources and/or research network been valuable to you and your career?

Receiving funding from Canadian Blood Services helped me pursue research and I am grateful that it contributed to my graduate school endeavor.

During CSTM 2023, Canadian Blood Services welcomed attendees to participate in a connection map activity that used stickers to depict the many benefits received and contributions made by members of the research and education transfusion network. Tseday Tegegn and Emel Islamzada pose in front of the map after adding stickers representing their research.

Emel Islamzada, PhD candidate in Dr. Hongshen Ma’s lab at the Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver

Emel is a recipient of funding through the Canadian Blood Services Graduate Fellowship Program and 2023 Travel Bursary Program.

  • What were you most looking forward to about CSTM 2023?

This was my first time attending CSTM and there were a few things I was looking forward to! First, I was excited to learn about the latest research advances by Canadian transfusion medicine experts. There is a lot of research I read from Canadian Blood Services researchers (including the Acker lab, Branch lab, Sheffield lab, to name a few) and it was wonderful to meet the researchers and their teams in person to talk about their work. I also had some protocol and technique-related questions I got a chance to talk to presenters about, which was very helpful in my own team’s research. Finally, I was looking forward to the networking and collaboration opportunities, which is especially important for me as I am preparing to defend.  

  • Did you share your research findings at the conference?

I did not present this year, unfortunately, as I was still working through the pile of experimental data at the time! The conference was a wonderful experience that I hope to attend again in 2024. 

  • How do you think your experience at CSTM will impact your future career?

I am very grateful for the wonderful talks that gave me so much inspiration for potential research directions in the future as I do hope to stay on in academic research. There were also a lot of current issues discussed, and it was great learning what other work is being done, networking and collaborating. I believe the conference helped me to be more prepared for an important future step in my career.  

  • How has the support of Canadian Blood Services’ funding, resources and/or research network been valuable to you and your career?

Receiving a Canadian Blood Services Graduate Fellowship Award supported me to jump-start my career in research. Additionally, the networking opportunities, opportunities to showcase our team’s research, and additional learnings outside of research that have been facilitated (such as sitting in for grant panels and contributing to knowledge translation blog posts) have been such a delight. I am honored and very happy to be supported by Canadian Blood Services’ Graduate Fellowship Program!