Joan began her career in 1986 on overnights at the Buffalo General Transfusion Service while also simultaneously working a part-time job at Oishei Children's Hospital (OCH), formerly Woman and Children's Hospital of Buffalo. This gave Joan a solid grounding in both adult and pediatric blood banking, as well as the special challenges posed by neonatal and maternity immunohematology.
As an inspector for both AABB and CAP, she traveled around the country for inspections, symposia and other education events. She then put her networking to good use by championing new or revised procedures to improve processes and procedures at Buffalo General Medical Center (BGMC) and OCH.
In 2017, Joan took on the role of Quality Assurance Coordinator, a task that
is extremely important for all labs, but especially for blood banks. Regulatory agencies value sites where this role is present for accreditation purposes, and Joan did not hesitate to fill this role.
One of her proudest professional achievements was becoming the Tissue Compliance Officer in 2000. This role required immense oversight for the bones and tissues received in the blood bank. Joan taught herself from the ground up, stating that she “came out of her shell” because of the role. Joan had to work closely with surgery teams to ensure proper operating procedures were being followed and documented. In 2024, this function transitioned to the Surgery Department, and due to Joan’s attention to detail, the transition was very smooth and trouble free. She is the ultimate professional, focused on patient care and an excellent resource for all of her colleagues. She will be greatly missed.
Joan has two daughters, one living in Newburgh, NY, and the other in the Netherlands. She plans to travel as much as she can during retirement, visiting her daughters and catching up on murder mysteries.