We congratulate Professor Erica Wood who has been awarded the AO (Officer of the Order of Australia in the general division) in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Erica who is an ANZSBT Past President, Ruth Sanger orator and current Research Committee member has been awarded the AO for distinguished service to transfusion medicine and haemovigilance, to haematology, and to international and international organisations.
Erica trained in haematology in Australia and the US, and worked for the American Red Cross before returning to Melbourne in 2000, taking up a position with the Australian Red Cross Blood Service.
In 2012, she moved to the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University to lead the Transfusion Research Unit. Her research is supported by an NHMRC L2 Leadership Fellowship. She is also a haematologist at Monash Health.
Erica was a founding member of ‘Blood Matters’, and chaired its Serious Transfusion Incident Reporting expert group from 2006-13. Between 2012-15 she was the RCPA Chief Examiner, Haematology.
For ANZBST, Erica was a member of the Scientific Subcommittee (2005-07), the Clinical Practice Improvement Committee (2007-10), and Council (2007-14). She has been a member of the Research Advisory Committee since 2016. Her Ruth Sanger Oration focussed on the development of haemovigilance systems and their contribution to improving clinical transfusion practice.
From 2013-19, Erica was President of the International Haemovigilance Network, and from 2020-22 President of the International Society of Blood Transfusion. She was awarded the International Haemovigilance Medal in 2022.