About MABB

The Massachusetts Association of Blood Banks (MABB) is a volunteer organization of transfusion medicine and cellular therapy professionals.  Our members are medical technologists, physicians, nurses, researchers, students, teachers, and industry leaders. We work at many different hospitals, health care organizations, universities, and blood centers.  We value the opportunity to advance the professional standards of blood banking and cell therapy in our region and around the world.

Our goals:

  • to foster the exchange of ideas and information
  • to advance and encourage high standards of performance
  • to encourage development through education, public information, and research
  • to plan for cooperation between blood banks at times of disaster

Governance

History

The MABB began in 1970 as an idea by June Arnold and other techs at Cardinal Cushing Hospital in Brockton. There was overwhelming support for development of a peer group organization that could discuss current issues and “blood banker problems.” So began the hard work of developing the Massachusetts Association of Blood Banks as we know it today. The MABB was officially launched on Feb 4th, 1971. The purpose of the organization was to foster the exchange of ideas and to encourage the development of blood banks through education. The first board organized monthly meetings, an annual seminar, scholarships and awards. The original newsletter “Blood Bank News “was first published in 1978. It was renamed “Reactions” in 1979. After a hiatus of many years, “Reactions” was brought back in 2008 and was very well received. The newsletter is currently, once again, on hiatus, awaiting resurrection by a new group of MABB members.

The goal of the MABB – the fostering and support of new ideas and methods – has not changed throughout the years. MABB strives to accomplish this with its annual seminar. As the association continues to grow it is the responsibility of each member to show support by attending the seminar and sharing insights gained there with fellow professionals who are unable to attend. The MABB has come a long way from 30 individuals in 1991 to over 300 members today. Thanks to the foresight of such people as June Arnold, Harold Warford, Elaine Fayello (Nappi), Patty Fleming, Carl Wrubel, Donna Pacini, Peter Lorey and others who gave their time and efforts so many years ago, we now have an organization that is growing and flourishing, and in which we can be proud to be a part! 

The MABB Logo

The original MABB logo was designed by Marilynn Kovar Kozak and represented the three founding disciplines of blood banking: technology, nursing, and administration.

Letter from a retired Boston-area laboratory technologist and former MABB board member:

14 April, 2014

As the first anniversary of the Marathon Bombing approaches, I want to thank all the Boston Blood Bankers for their heroic efforts last Patriots Day.  No one, other than fellow blood bankers will ever fathom how hard you worked with such flawless accuracy and speed.  I can only imagine the total volume of blood products that passed through the six trauma center ERs and ORs as well as the outlying hospitals that took other patients less critically injured.  I don’t think any other city in the world could have treated as many critical victims without a fatality,  other than those at the scene.  We train many of the best and last year the Best of Boston and the New England region shined brighter than the beacon in Boston Light that illuminates the entrance to Boston Harbor. 

God Speed.   Boston Strong!      

Susan (Arendacs) Roche