Member Spotlight Q&A

What started your interest in Blood Transfusion?

It began with my experience in donating blood as a medical technology intern. My blood bank rotation at the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center and the Makati Medical Center (a government and private facility, respectively) in the Philippines further intensified my interest as it deeply shaped my understanding in this field, as it sits at the intersection of science, service, and humanity. I was drawn to the idea that a system—when done well—quietly saves lives every day. Seeing how one safe unit of blood could mean the difference between life and death made me want to contribute to strengthening that system.

How did this interest develop and what are your main topics of interest now?

After my internship and working at the Makati Medical Center, my interest further developed when I worked at the Dr. Erfan and Bagedo General Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I was a rotating medical technologist at the Blood Bank where I was able to encounter complex immunohematology cases and performing donor screening. After working there for a couple of years, I returned back to the Philippines where I worked at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine under the Transfusion Transmissible Infections – National Reference Laboratory. Here we served as the apex laboratory for the blood services network conducting confirmatory testing on transfusion transmissible infections, provision of quality assurance activities, training of medical technologists on serological testing, research and the evaluation of in-vitro diagnostic assays. Over time, I engaged in research to improve national health policies in collaboration with the Department of Health. Despite the challenges and bureaucracies, engaging local stakeholders and international partners inspired me to further advance blood safety in our country. As my career progressed, my involvement expanded from laboratory work to national-level coordination, quality assurance, and policy support. This exposure allowed me to appreciate the complexity of maintaining a safe and sustainable blood supply, especially in resource-limited settings. Today, my main areas of interest include transfusion-transmissible infection screening, quality management systems, nucleic acid testing implementation, capacity-building, and promoting collaboration across blood services, regulators, and policy-makers.

What have been the most rewarding times in your career?

Research has been challenging to implement in the country, particularly due to given resource and system constraints. However, the publication of our first article on external quality assessment schemes for transfusion-transmissible infections in the Philippine Journal of Pathology marked an important turning point. It gave me the confidence to further pursue research as a tool for advancing blood safety. Encouraged by mentors, I went on to submit an abstract to the 2016 ISBT Congress in Dubai. Its acceptance was both humbling and energizing, as it opened new opportunities for learning and collaboration. The acceptance of our research on the Anti-HBc Seroprevalence in Vox Sanguinis, was a defining moment not only for me, but for our team at the Transfusion Transmissible Infections – National Reference Laboratory. The most rewarding moments however, have been those when collaborative efforts resulted in meaningful change—improvements in testing strategies, stronger quality frameworks, or increased confidence among blood service facilities. Knowing that these initiatives translate into safer transfusions and better patient outcomes is deeply gratifying.