The Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB, formerly the American Association of Blood Banks) is an international, private, not-for-profit organization that represents facilities and personnel in transfusion medicine and cellular therapies. Established in 1947, AABB is both an accreditation organization and a professional organization.
As an accreditation organization, AABB sets standards and provides technical guidance for the blood supply and any testing related to transfusion medicine that is performed in hospitals. AABB conducts laboratory inspections to ensure laboratory compliance with regulatory requirements. They are often scheduled in conjunction with CAP inspections. AABB also works closely with the FDA. To maintain AABB accreditation, an organization must meet compliance regulations, pass inspections and proficiency tests, and record non-compliant instances.
As a membership society, AABB provides professionals with both individual and institution memberships. To maintain membership, a professional must pay renewal fees every year or every 3 years, depending on the plan chosen.
AABB provides the following individual memberships:
- Physician/PhD - individuals with an MD and/or a PhD interested in or actively involved in transfusion medicine and biotherapies
- Health Care Professional - any non-physician/PhD laboratory professional working or interested in transfusion medicine and biotherapies
- Resident/Fellow - for physicians in residency or fellowship positions interested in or actively involved in transfusion medicine and biotherapies
- Student - any full-time undergraduate or graduate student
