FACT-CBA Webinar: The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cord Blood Banking
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cord Blood Banking
Monday, June 22, 2020, at 9:00 am ET, 13:00 GMT
Presenters will discuss how cord blood banks have been managing through the COVID-19 pandemic:
Heidi Elmoazzen, PhD
Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank & Stem Cell Manufacturing
Dr. Elmoazzen will discuss the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on stem cell transplantation in Canada including Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank Stem Cell Registry and Public Cord Blood Bank.
Roger Horton, PhD
Anthony Nolan Cord Blood Bank, United Kingdom
Dr. Horton will summarize the demand for UK cords between Jan-May 2019 and 2020, and compare both years to give an idea on the impact of the pandemic on operations. He will provide detail on collections, processing, storage, distribution, product protection, and staffing to demonstrate how Anthony Nolan has adapted or mitigated each issue. Where possible Dr. Horton will compare Anthony Nolan practices with other European partners.
Arvin Faundo, MD
Cordlife Group Limited, Singapore
Dr. Faundo will discuss how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the operations of the Cordlife Group Limited bank and identify the pandemic-related problems that are specific to private or family cord blood banks.
Donna Regan MT(ASCP), SBB
NMDP
Donna will present statistics before and through the pandemic (CB orders, shipments, transplants) and the promotion of services that supported this activity. She will also highlight the unique steps taken by the registry to support unrelated transplant, not least of which is leveraging the cord blood story to cryopreserve all unrelated products prior to patient conditioning.
Lydia Foeken, LN
WMDA, Executive Director
Register now:
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cord Blood Banking
Study Compares Standards and Accreditations
A comparison of cord blood banking standards and voluntary accreditations has been completed by the Cord Blood Association (CBA) Quality Standards Committee.
The committee’s report is the result of an extensive review and analysis of banking standards, as well as questions posed to AABB and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). The report compares:
- ways in which the standards are identical, similar and different
- each agency’s standards development process
- methods by which compliance is determined and inspections conducted
The study was requested by the CBA Board of Directors to assist banks that are seeking either or both accreditations.
“FACT accreditation is the pinnacle of quality in cord blood banking,” states Dennis Gastineau, MD, FACT President. “This prestigious accreditation is trusted by physicians and families using cord blood as a life saving therapy.” FACT cord blood accreditation is:
- a valid and reliable method for measuring excellence in cord blood banking services
- a means for banks to demonstrate their excellence to donors, parents, patients, and transplant physicians
- internationally recognized among peers for competence in supporting life-saving and life-enhancing therapies
- an avenue for increased financial strength through market share and revenue growth
Education Events
FACT Cellular Therapy Inspection & Accreditation Workshop
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Salt Lake City, UT
The blood and marrow transplant field has been a leader in voluntarily improving quality, and accredited Clinical Programs are currently adapting to several new FACT Standards and procedural changes to the accreditation process. This workshop will provide background on these changes. The morning workshop sessions include major topics such as how to effectively transition to the 7th Edition Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy Standards, CIBMTR data audits, clinical outcomes including center reported causes of low survival, and the accreditation of immune effector cellular therapy programs.
The afternoon session includes two different tracks: New Inspector Training Orientation and Common Citations. The Inspector Training track includes sessions on the FACT accreditation process, what documents to review before an inspection, the ins and outs of performing an onsite inspection, how to conduct an exit interview, and finally, how to make your case via the inspection report. The Common Citations track will review recent deficiencies and corrections related to commonly cited Standards in the areas of quality management, personnel, and donor information and consent to donate. Sessions are accompanied by exercises and group discussions to practically apply lecture concepts to real-world experiences.
Note: Inspector trainees are required to attend the New Inspector Training Orientation Track.
View meeting details and register online
Cellular Therapy Leadership Course at BMT Tandem – 101
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Salt Lake City, UT
Do you want to improve your leadership skills? Everyone wins when leaders get better, and this half-day course is designed for that outcome.
In years past, participation in FACT’s leadership workshop has been by invitation. The course is open to anyone who has (or aspires to) a leadership position in cell therapy – whether you direct a transplant center or laboratory, lead a cell collection service or cord blood bank, head a staff of nurses or transplant coordinators, hold an office or board position in a volunteer organization, chair a committee, or have any position in which you are expected to motivate and lead a team
The highly interactive and participatory curriculum teaches leadership principles including:
• The leader as coach
• Differences between managing and leading
• Basic styles of leadership and how to recognize your own style
• When each style of leadership may be appropriate
• Running and participating in effective meetings
• How to build consensus
• Four proven ways to motivate people
• Effective delegation skills
• How to adapt to change, and even be a change agent
• Understanding and exercising governance roles and responsibilities
Woven throughout the leadership course is an overview of FACT’s organizational structure, purpose, challenges, current programs and accomplishments.
Whatever you lead, this course is designed to help you recognize your leadership skills and acquire new ones that effectively encourage innovation, achieve consensus, build momentum, turn ideas into reality, eliminate distractions and guide a team toward goals.
View meeting details and register online
Cellular Therapy Advanced Leadership Course at BMT Tandem – 201
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Salt Lake City, UT
If you completed FACT’s Cell Therapy Leadership 101 course in a previous year and want more, the 201 course is for you.
This advanced workshop drills deeper into organizational development and leadership skills. Topics include:
• Characteristics of a healthy organization
• Adapting an organization to a changing environment
• Multiplying and diminishing the effectiveness of a team
• Leading from where you are
• Servant leadership
• Effective governing boards
• Legal implications of decision-making and liability and fiduciary responsibilities
• Strategic planning with a focus on outcomes
Participants in the prerequisite Cell Therapy Leadership 101 course in the morning also are eligible to register for the 201 course in the afternoon.
Registration is free for current inspectors and approved inspector trainees. Physicians wishing to train to become an inspector for the FACT Immune Effector Cell Accreditation Program must meet prerequisite education and experience requirements, submit a satisfactory inspector application, attend an in-person training workshop, view online videos, and complete a test on the requirements. To apply to become an inspector, submit an online application.
View meeting details and register online
FACT-ASBMT Quality Boot Camp
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Salt Lake City, UT
Join us for the FACT-ASBMT Quality Boot Camp at the 2018 BMT Tandem Meetings on February 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah. This year’s boot camp will focus on topics identified to be challenging by transplant programs complying with FACT requirements. The boot camp will strengthen your quality assurance activities through an in-person workshop. Members of the FACT Quality Committee and the ASBMT Administrative Directors SIG Quality Working Group encourage you in the months leading up to the BMT Tandem Meetings to review your quality program and identify strengths and weaknesses.
View meeting details and register online
Effectively Transition to the 7th Edition Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy Standards
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Webinar
This presentation will be on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, at 11:00 am ET. Paul Eldridge, PhD, Director of Cell GMP Facility at UNC Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program, will describe changes to the 7th edition Standards and provide examples for effective implementation.
View meeting details and register online
WMDA-NetCord Webinar: Manual and Automated Methods for Thawing of Cord Blood
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Webinar
This WMDA-NetCord webinar is March 21, 2018, at 11:00 ET. Cellular therapy departments must thaw cord blood units, and they often use very different processes from the procedures outlined by the cord blood bank providing the unit. These SOPs are sent by the cord blood bank and are not always adapted to the disposals and reagents used by the department who then thaw the units. Diane Fournier, PhD, of Héma-Québec, and Roger Horton, PhD, of The Anthony Nolan Cord Blood Bank, will discuss manual and automatic thawing methods used by different departments for thawing of these units, and what can be done to improve recovery of the cells. Also, a multi-center study for harmonization of post thaw analysis of CD34 and CD45 cells will be presented.
View meeting details and register online
Cellular Therapy Collection Workshop at ASFA Annual Meeting
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Chicago, IL
This training workshop is designed to explain the requirements for FACT accreditation of cellular therapy programs, with special emphasis on apheresis collection facilities. FACT representatives will be in attendance to clarify the intent of the FACT-JACIE Standards, provide inspectors tips for conducting inspections, and assist programs in organizing and preparing for the accreditation process.
View meeting details and register online
Cellular Therapy Inspection & Accreditation Workshop
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Montreal, Quebec Canada
This training workshop is designed to explain the requirements for FACT accreditation of cellular therapy programs. FACT representatives will be in attendance to clarify the intent of the FACT-JACIE Standards, provide inspectors tips for conducting inspections, and assist programs in organizing and preparing for the accreditation process.
The afternoon session will include two different tracks (TBA). All sessions are accompanied by exercises and group discussions to practically apply lecture concepts to real-world experiences.
View meeting details and register online
Cord Blood Inspection and Accreditation Workshop
Friday, September 14, 2018
Miami, FL
This training workshop is designed to explain the requirements for FACT accreditation of cord blood banks. FACT representatives will be in attendance to clarify the intent of the NetCord-FACT Standards, provide inspectors tips for conducting inspections, and assist programs in organizing and preparing for the accreditation process.
Would you like to attend the workshop for FREE? Apply to be a FACT inspector. If you are approved, you can attend free of charge!
View meeting details and register online
Cord Blood Spotlight at ISCT Annual Meeting the Destination Event for Cord Blood Banks
This year’s destination event for cord blood banks will be at the 2017 ISCT Annual Meeting in London. Two days prior to the meeting, leading cellular therapy organizations will convene to provide education to cord blood banks in one convenient location. Plan to attend this one-stop opportunity to learn from FACT, CBA, ISCT, ASBMT, and world-renowned cord blood scientists and transplant physicians.
FACT Cord Blood Inspection and Accreditation Workshop
May 2, 2017
This training workshop will assist your cord blood bank with meeting stringent quality standards. The agenda will addressThe accreditation process;Changes to the Standards and the online accreditation portal;
NetCord’s integration with the WMDA; Challenging requirements for cord blood banks including cryopreservation, stability studies, and root cause analysis; and Requirements for FACT inspectors, including new inspector orientation.
Would you like to attend the workshop for FREE? Apply to be a FACT inspector. Approved inspectors attend educational activities at no cost.
View meeting details and register at factwebsite.org.
FACT-ISCT Cord Blood Quality Boot Camp
May 3, 2017
The boot camp will strengthen participants’ quality assurance knowledge through pre-meeting exercises and an in-person workshop. Members of the FACT Quality Committee and the ISCT Planning Committee encourage everyone to review specific aspects of their cord blood banks’ quality program in the months leading up to the boot camp. During the boot camp, quality experts will present important concepts and lead roundtables where participants may ask questions and help each other reach their goals. Participants are strongly encouraged to register early and participate in the pre-conference assessment activities. Be sure to register for the boot camp AND complete the pre-conference informational survey.
Complete the Pre-Conference Survey
Register at ISCT2017.com
3rd ISCT-CBA Cord Blood Series, in Partnership with ASBMT
May 3, 2017
ISCT and the CBA, in partnership with ASBMT, are pleased to host the third Cord Blood Series as part of the Pre-Conference Day at ISCT 2017. Join Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg and Dr. Elizabeth J. Shpall for a full day of presentations and discussions with key leaders in the field about topics ranging from cell engineering to immunotherapy, and beyond.
