Who am I?
My name is Joe Chaffin. I started bbguy.org in 1998 as a way to help people learn more about basic transfusion medicine.
My approach is informal and sometimes irreverent, but my intention is always to communicate things in a way that helps them stick in your mind. My goal is really very simple, and it is expressed in the Mission Statement for the Blood Bank Guy website: Teach basic transfusion medicine to as many as possible.
In case you are wondering, I do have a few qualifications to teach people stuff about blood banking. I am board certified in Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine, as well as in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. Since 1999, I have been the Medical Director of Blood Services for Summit Pathology, a multi-hospital anatomic and clinical pathology practice in Northern Colorado. Before that, I spent eight years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. I've also been the regular blood bank lecturer for the Osler Institute Pathology Review Course since 1996.
"Blood Bank Guy?" Seriously?
I know, I know...the name is more than a little bit dopey! It started back in the early days of my involvement with the Osler Institute, when people had no clue who I was before I would give the blood bank lecture, and I would hear them say "what time does the blood bank guy start?" In addition, no one can ever remember how to pronounce my last name correctly (it rhymes with laughin' and it doesn't sound like an uncomfortable skin condition!), so I get called "the blood bank guy" by a lot of people. I suppose I could just call myself a blood bank guy, because it sounds pretty lame to declare myself "the", as in the "one and only" blood bank guy, but that sounds pretty stupid, doesn't it? How about this: "I'm a person who really likes blood banking and enjoys helping others learn about it." Nope, that won't fit on a t-shirt! "The Blood Bank Guy" it shall remain.