From Central Office
Awards and Prizes to be presented at the 39th International Congress of the ISBT in Kuala Lumpur, June 2026
At each international congress of the ISBT, outstanding contributions to the field of transfusion medicine and science are recognized with a series of awards and prizes. Each award /prize has a different profile in terms of career stage and aspect of transfusion as described below. Presentations will be made to the awardees of the Vox Best Paper Prize, Ravi Reddy, Judith Chapman and ISBT awards at the congress opening ceremony in KL, June 21. All nominations for these awards and prizes are carefully considered by the Awards committee and thoroughly well-deserved by the winners against some impressive competition – congratulations to all!
The Presidential award is granted by the Foundation Transfusion Medicine, and the award ceremony is part of the Presidential Award plenary session on Monday June 22. A must for your congress planning calendar!
ISBT Presidential Award 2026
The ISBT Presidential Award was instituted in 2000 and is managed by the Board of the Foundation Transfusion Medicine, The Netherlands and ISBT. It is awarded to a senior person who has made eminent contributions to transfusion medicine or a related field through original basic or applied research, the practice of transfusion therapy or through significant educational and/or service contribution to the field.
We are delighted to announce that the ISBT Presidential Award winner 2026 is Professor Martin L Olsson. Martin will be delivering his award lecture with the intriguing title ‘’Matchmaking 2: to run as fast as you can in two directions simultaneously’’ during the Presidential plenary session at ISBT KL 10.30 – 12.00 on Monday June 22.
Martin received his M.D. in 1991 and Ph.D. in 1997 from Lund University in Sweden where he is now a Professor and Senior Consultant in Transfusion Medicine since 2006 and Medical Director of the Nordic Reference Laboratory for Blood Group Genomics since 2001. He was a Guest Researcher at IBGRL in Bristol, UK, in 1996 and Visiting Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School in 2003-2008. He recently served as Vice Dean for Research and Deputy Dean during six years for the Faculty of Medicine at Lund University. His main clinical and research interests include the molecular genetics and biochemistry of blood groups and their functional roles in health and disease, especially carbohydrate antigens and the use of bacterial enzymes for generating ABO-universal blood. Martin has a long list of peer-reviewed articles and is a frequently invited speaker.
His many awards include prestigious prizes from AABB, BBTS, ISBT and other organizations. He was the first ISBT Scientific Secretary in 2011-2015, on the Executive Committee of the ISBT Board in 2016-2022 and served as President of ISBT 2018-2020. He was appointed Wallenberg Clinical Scholar by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 2016 and is currently the President of the Swedish Society of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine.
Jean Julliard Prize 2026
The Jean Julliard Prize was established in 1962 in memory of the Society's first Secretary-General and is awarded to a scientist (<40 years old) in recognition of recent and excellent scientific work in blood transfusion and related subjects.
Following thorough consideration, the Committee concluded that, on this occasion, none of the submissions fully met the exceptionally high standard of distinction expected for the Jean Julliard Prize. In accordance with the Prize regulations and historical precedent, the decision has therefore been made not to award the Prize this year.
Judith Chapman Award 2026
The Judith Chapman Award was established in 2023 in honour of the Society's first Executive Director, reflecting her passion for supporting people in their professional development, in particular the fields of leadership and management. The award is for an individual who is in a role where they have the opportunity to champion developments in blood transfusion and displays the personal qualities required to propose and see through changes in practice if required. The award includes support towards undertaking a leadership / management course of their choice to enable this.
Koga Luhulla is a medical specialist and hematologist at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), where she serves as the Head of the Blood Transfusion Unit. She has held this leadership position since 2022. MNH is Tanzania's national tertiary referral hospital and handles more than 25,000 blood transfusion each year. In this demanding setting, Koga plays a central role in coordinating transfusion services for a wide range of clinical departments. Since assuming leadership, one of her major achievements has been improving blood availability at MNH. Through strong collaboration with the National Blood Transfusion Service across multiple regions. As a lower-middle-income country institution, MNH faces ongoing challenges related to funding for transfusion services.
A deeper understanding of transfusion service management will enable Koga to optimize limited resources, improve efficiency, and ensure sustainability of critical services. MNH has been enrolled in the AfSBT Stepwise Accreditation Programme under the guidance of the National Blood Transfusion Service. Leadership training will directly support Dr. Luhulla in implementing and sustaining quality improvement plans essential for accreditation.
Vox Sanguinis Best Paper Prize 2025
The winning aper is selected by the Awards committee from the Vox Sanguinis section editors’ shortlist of papers published in the journal over previous year.
The 2025 prize, to be awarded in KL to Professor Masja de Haas the corresponding author on the paper “Real-world performance of a clinical droplet digital polymerase chain reaction assay for non-invasive foetal blood group and platelet antigen genotyping of alloimmunized pregnant women with antibodies directed against RhD, RhE, Rhc, RhC, K1, HPA-1a or HPA-5b: a 1-year experience.” Camilla Calandrini, Onno J. H. M. Verhagen, Ahmed Tissoudali, Christa H. E. Homburg, Jessica Vessies, Mark Brussee, Erik H. van Beers, C. Ellen van der Schoot, Masja de Haas
Ravi Reddy Award 2026
The Ravi Reddy Award, formerly known as the ISBT Award for Developing Countries, has been renamed in 2026 in honour of Ravi Reddy, a past ISBT President, Chair of the ISBT Foundation and long-term advocate for advancement of blood services in resource limited settings. The award will be given to a blood service/centre operating in a low or lower-middle-income Country (LMIC), that has made a significant contribution to strengthening blood transfusion practice within the country. The purpose of this award is to encourage blood services/centres in LMIC to further develop blood transfusion activities, and to recognise and acknowledge blood services/centres in LMIC for their achievements in strengthening Blood Transfusion.
The 2026 award has been granted to the Department of Transfusion Medicine of the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai India, for providing a reliable and safe blood supply and showing excellence in the areas of education, research, innovation, and outreach. Priti Desai, and Anisha Navkudkar will receive the award on behalf of the department.
ISBT Awards 2026
The ISBT Award is granted to persons who have made a significant contribution to transfusion medicine and science, particularly in the educational aspect. The decision to grant the ISBT Award is the privilege of the ISBT Executive Board of Directors. In Kuala Lumpur, there will be three ISBT Awards winners:
Erica Wood is recognised for her outstanding and sustained contributions to ISBT and to the global transfusion medicine community and her internationally recognised work in transfusion research, haemovigilance, and patient blood management contributing to safe and effective transfusion practice worldwide.
Erica has played a central role in shaping the strategic direction and global impact of the society, serving as Regional Director for the Western Pacific, Vice President, and subsequently President Elect, President, and Past President of ISBT. Her outstanding leadership provided stability and continuing development for the society through the most challenging of times during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has contributed significantly to the advancement of the Society’s scientific and educational initiatives, including strengthening international collaborations, such as with SRI, supporting the development of evidence-based transfusion guidelines with WHO and others, and fostering engagement of young professionals and transfusion practitioners. Since leaving the board in 2024, Erica has further supported ISBT as Chair of the ISBT Awards Committee, leading the review and restructuring of ISBT awards and prizes.
Lilian Casthilo is recognised for her distinguished career in immunohematology and blood group genetics, as well as her valuable and sustained contributions to ISBT. Lilian’s leadership and active engagement with the ISBT includes service on the Board of Directors as Regional Director for Latin America, on the Standing Committee for the Academy, and as an I TRY IT mentor, and participation in ISBT Working Parties, strengthening the Society’s activities and advancing its mission. Lilian’s commitment to ISBT has significantly contributed to expanding the Society’s presence and collaboration across Latin America, while promoting scientific exchange and the dissemination of knowledge in transfusion medicine. In parallel with her internationally recognised research and leadership in molecular immunohematology at Hemocentro-UNICAMP, her dedication to mentoring, education, and collaboration through ISBT initiatives has helped support and inspire professionals across the global transfusion community.
Salwa Hindawi is recognised for her longstanding contributions to ISBT and to the advancement of transfusion medicine. Through her service as Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean region and active participation in several ISBT Working Parties, including Global Blood Safety, Haemovigilance, and Clinical Transfusion, she has played an important role in strengthening the Society’s engagement and visibility across the region. Salwa has helped to connect many transfusion medicine professionals from the Eastern Mediterranean region with the Society and its initiatives, fostering collaboration, education, and scientific exchange. She has also contributed as a member of the Editorial Board of Vox Sanguinis, together with participation in collaborative research activities within ISBT networks. Alongside your broader leadership in transfusion medicine and patient blood management in the region, your dedication to promoting ISBT’s mission has had a lasting impact on the Society and its global community.
