Big data and informatics are playing an increasingly significant role in health care. The August issue of AABB News focuses on the ways in which big data are being used to improve patient and donor outcomes in transfusion medicine. A feature article discusses how blood centers are utilizing large amounts of collected donor data to help donors manage their health, such as by providing them with information about their heart rate and blood pressure, and to help blood centers identify areas for operational improvement. Another feature article describes the process of developing a database — including data capture, processing and analysis — and examines the ways in which these data can be used to support best transfusion practices. In addition, the issue contains columns previewing some of the most anticipated education sessions scheduled for the 2020 AABB Virtual Annual Meeting and on contributions to COVID-19 research by National Blood Foundation early-career Scientific Research Grant Award recipients and data trends seen in AABB’s weekly survey of hospital transfusion services.