The objectives of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study-III (REDS-III) program are to ensure safe and effective blood banking and transfusion medicine practices through a comprehensive, multifaceted strategy involving basic, translational, and clinical research to improve the benefits of transfusion while reducing its risks. REDS-III is the successor to the REDS and REDS-II programs which, over the past 20 years,  have proven to be the premier research programs in blood collection and transfusion safety in the United States.  REDS-II expanded the program’s focus to include countries seriously affected by the AIDS epidemic, many of which face critical blood safety and supply challenges. Underscoring the importance of global blood safety, the number of international countries/regions in REDS-III has now expanded to include new sites in Brazil, China and South Africa