Each December, the science of blood in health and disease brings together more than 20,000 hematologists from around the world for a vigorous discussion and exchange of ideas. Increasingly sophisticated analysis of the function and formation of blood cells, blood proteins, and the mechanism of coagulation – and the ways in which blood components are altered in disease – has sustained the American Society of Hematology’s flagship publication, Blood, for the last 70 years. But blood also has long and rich symbolic tradition, having influenced religious expression, literature, art and thought throughout human history. Concepts of blood have shaped humans’ sense of identity, and have been the source of numerous myths and taboos. Cultural and social representations of blood have served to both unite and divide human beings. Noted journalist Lawrence Hill, winner of the CBC’s 2013 Massey Lecture and author of Blood: The Stuff of Life, will present a keynote address exploring the physical and metaphorical meaning of blood. Long-term ASH member Marc Kahn of Tulane University, lead medical consultant to the award-winning PBS series Red Gold: The Epic Story of Blood, will introduce Mr. Hill and discuss key historical milestones in the evolution of human understanding of blood.