Graham Jamieson, PhD DSc – Former Director of American Red Cross Blood Research Program

Graham A. Jamieson, who died at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 29, 2008 at the age of 78, was a leader and distinguished scientist at the American Red Cross for 38 years. He will be remembered by friends and professional colleagues in many countries around the world as a brilliant scientist, a strong and understanding mentor, and a consummate gentleman.

Born August 14, 1929 in Wellington, New Zealand, Dr. Jamieson received both the Bachelor (1949) and Master (1951) of Science degrees from New Zealand’s University of Otago, where he was named the Sir George Gray Scholar in 1950 and the John Edmond Research Fellow in 1951. He received his PhD in organic chemistry at the University of London, Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, in 1954. He became a U.S. citizen in 1965. He later earned the Doctor of Science in organic chemistry and biochemistry in 1972, also from the University of London.

Dr. Jamieson’s research fellowships took him to the Royal Technical University in Stockholm from 1955 to 1956, and then to the Cornell Medical College in New York in 1956 and 1957.  Later in 1957, he came to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, as a visiting scientist in the laboratories of Drs. Herbert Tabor and Guilio L. Cantoni. 

In 1961, Dr. Jamieson joined the American Red Cross Blood Services as a biochemist in its transfusion blood research and development (R&D) program, and in 1964, he became a senior scientist and the assistant research director. Named research director in 1969--shortly after the R&D program moved from Red Cross Square in downtown Washington to Bethesda, Maryland--Dr. Jamieson oversaw major growth of the program and expanded the effort into new scientific and technical fields.  Under his guidance, the research and development program achieved national and international recognition and respect.

Dr. Jamieson was willing to support and implement new ideas and approaches outside the usual range of blood bank-related R&D. In addition to promoting studies on platelet and red blood cell preservation, blood-borne viruses like hepatitis, and identification of new plasma proteins, he initiated computerization of the R&D laboratory. He established the National Fractionation Center, an NIH-funded program to provide purified blood and plasma proteins for the research community. He supported the application of industrial design concepts to the development of new bloodmobiles and blood collection equipment, and facilitated R&D participation in the design of a response vehicle for Red Cross Disaster Services, which is still in use today.

While developing a diverse but balanced R&D program, Dr. Jamieson also conducted a significant research program in platelet biology and assembled a team of talented scientists, post-doctoral fellows, PhD students, and technicians. His department’s research addressed many topics, including the role of platelet glycoproteins in platelet function, identification and characterization of platelet receptors, and the interaction of platelets with tumor cells and extracellular matrix proteins. After 15 years guiding the R&D program, Dr. Jamieson resigned his position as director in 1984 to return his full attention to research.

Dr. Jamieson’s own research attracted 30 years of continuous grant funding from agencies like the NIH and earned a prestigious MERIT award from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. In 1997, the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis selected Dr. Jamieson to receive the Shirley Johnson Award, and he became a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was a Lecturer and Adjunct Professor for the Georgetown University School of Medicine beginning in 1961. His research resulted in the publication of more than 160 journal articles and 18 books and collections of symposium proceedings.

Dr. Jamieson retired in April 1999. At that time the American Red Cross established the Graham A. Jamieson Lectureship in Blood Research in his honor. This annual lecture is the first such recognition to be accorded to any scientist by the Red Cross.

Graham Jamieson is survived by his wife of 48 years, Barbara (nee MacLachlan), their son, Brian, and daughter-in-law, Lauren, and two grandchildren, Keith and Lindsey. Graham often recalled his younger days as an avid motorcyclist. After they married in 1960, Graham and Barbara decided to ride his 500cc BMW to the West Coast and back for their honeymoon—and, as Graham liked to note, the marriage survived!

The family requests that donations in Graham’s memory be sent to:
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad
5020 Battery Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
Or online: www.bccrs.org/donate/index.html