GLOBAL MEETINGS

Members of the SABMR staff attended and presented at a number of international transplantation and blood transfusion conferences in 2019. Below, we share some highlights from three of them.

SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL BLOOD TRANSFUSION CONGRESS

The 35th South African National Blood Transfusion Congress was held in Sun City from 5-8 August 2019. The aim of the congress was to showcase achievements, discuss problems, and broaden the knowledge base of blood transfusion work in South Africa.

The SABMR exhibited at the congress for the first time. Both SABMR Director Dr. Charlotte Ingram and Harvest Coordinator Jane Ward gave presentations. Dr. Ingram presented on “Success and Challenges: delivering on a diverse stem cell registry and patient service in South Africa and Africa.” Jane Ward presented on “GRID, the global registration identifier for stem cell donors: is it different from ISBT 128 Donation Identification Number?” The SABMR table was overseen by Donor Recruitment Support Officer Siphokazi Dyasi.

Global MEETINGS

Networking for a better tomorrow.

SATS & SATIBA CONGRESS

From 6-8 September 2019, the South African Transplantation Society (SATS) and the South African Tissue Bank Association (SATiBA) hosted their first joint venture congress at the Krystal Beach Hotel in Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town. Notable presentations from both local and international speakers covered a variety of transplantation topics, with particular focus on ethics in transplantation, kidney paired exchange initiatives, new developments in thoracic and liver transplantation, tissue engineering, cell therapy, and bio-repositories.

Dr. Ingram presented on “Overcoming Challenges to Stem Cell Transplants.” Siphokazi Dyasi and SABMR Donor Recruitment Officer Nadia Chalkley managed a table at the congress.

THE ONE FORUM

The One Forum, formerly known as the National Marrow Donor Program Council Meeting, was held from 7-9 November 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Representatives from registries around the world gathered to discuss new innovations and share inspiring stories. SABMR’s Jane Ward and Search Assistant Lisa Terblanche attended the conference and were able to meet the National Marrow Donor Program’s (NMDP) Case Manager, Jan Raaf. Jan is the SABMR’s case manager and facilitates with NMDP donors for South African patients.

Keynote speakers included Patrick Lencioni (Founder and President of the Table Group), Dave Ridley, and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

Guests were treated to a tour of the US Bank Stadium, where the 2018 Super Bowl was played. The last day featured sessions on new cell and gene therapies, patient and donor experiences with sickle cell, a comparative discussion on CAR-T vs. HCT (Chimeric Antigen Receptor Therapy vs. Haematopoietic Cell Transplantation), and Donor Clonal Haematopoiesis.