* AWARD SUBMISSION FOR 2024 IS NOW CLOSED * 2024 Annual Meeting Award Winners South Central recognized the contributions and achievements of those dedicated to blood banking and transfusion medicine at the recent 2024 President’s Awards Program. Congratulations to all our winners!
Kathy Dunagan has been serving as the Promotion Manager at WEAR ABC 3 in Pensacola, Florida for the last 30 years, starting in June 1994. Over the last 17 years, Kathy Dunagan has been a faithful supporter for OneBlood, Inc’s blood center and the community by hosting 3 blood drives annually during the spring, summer and fall. Since 2008, Kathy has collected 7,834 pints of blood throughout 59 blood drives. Even during the pandemic, she continued to support the community and coordinate blood drives without wavering. Kathy Dunagan has selflessly devoted her time and efforts to share her power to save lives.
President's Award of Merit: Outstanding Contribution
![]() Horse & Dragon Brewing Fort Collins, Colorado Horse and Dragon Brewery, owned by the dedicated Cochran family, is a shining example of a company that deserves recognition with this award. Every quarter, they put in hard work to ensure the success of their mobile blood drive. The Cochran family stands out for their exceptional support of first responders and enthusiasm for hosting blood drives. Before guests approach the bar, they always ensure that they check in with the blood bus first, displaying their commitment to community service. Their warm and friendly attitude towards the mobile staff and donors creates a sense of community during the blood drives. Furthermore, they organize numerous charitable events throughout the year to give back to the community. Horse and Dragon Brewery is a shining example of a company that deserves recognition with this award.
![]() Bill Teague Cornerstone Award Samantha Gomez Ngamsuntikul, MD
BioBridge Global, Medical Director
Dr. Samantha Gomez Ngamsuntikul has been with BioBridge Global for 8 years now and has been a trusted and valued colleague. For this award, she has truly changed the face of transfusion medicine because she was instrumental in starting BioBridge Global’s Low Titer O Whole Blood program. We were one of the first, and over time have definitely become one of the largest providers of this product. She is asked routinely to speak to other emergency preparedness groups in other cities to help them bring this program to their area because of the significant reduction in mortality it has afforded our patients, she has travelled abroad for the same type of education, and has published peer-reviewed articles on the topic. As if that wasn't enough, she continues to challenge the landscape of emergency preparedness and is working with local collaborators to try and institute a walking blood bank. If successful, this would become another program that she would be helping to institute across the country and even abroad as well. Annual Meeting Award Nominations Each year, South Central Association of Blood Banks recognizes the contributions and achievements of its members and those dedicated to the blood banking profession through its Awards Program. These awards highlight the accomplishments of individuals working in Donor Recruitment, Blood Collections, Immunohematology, Education and Research, etc. Collectively, they recognize excellence in the field of blood banking. The nomination window for awards presented at the 2025 SCABB Annual Meeting in Texas will open at the end of this year.
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