2006 Immunohematology Reference Laboratory Conference

For more than 20 years, the AABB and the American Red Cross (ARC) have hosted the Immunohematology Reference Laboratory (IRL) Conference in mid-spring. Initially the conference was jointly hosted by the two organizations; it has since been hosted alternately, with each organization choosing the host city and planning the conference. The conference has been held in various cities throughout the United States, including Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Memphis, and this year, Orlando. The 2007 IRL Conference will be hosted by the AABB and held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the weekend of March 27 to 29, 2007.

The conference begins on Friday afternoon with proctor-led case studies discussing advanced immunohematologic investigations, followed by a welcoming reception that promotes connecting and networking with fellow technologists and physicians from around the country and, typically, Canada. Saturday begins with breakfast followed by speaker presentations on various serologic, technical, clinical, administrative, quality, and regulatory issues that affect today’s reference laboratories. These presentations extend until late afternoon with scheduled breaks and a provided lunch. The presentations continue on Sunday with the conference ending at noon. Attendees are encouraged to bring posters for viewing and those that do have the opportunity to present the information to all.

Following are summaries of the presentations given at the 2006 IRL conference that was hosted by the ARC from April 28 to 30 in Orlando, Florida.