When you see Sosa Evbuomwan enter the room, you are instantly struck by her presence. Immediately, you feel her her enthusiasm for life, her welcoming spirit and an electric positivity! She is always looking forward to the next challenge, driven by incredible confidence and vision. Her energy is contagious! You would never guess in a million years that this young woman grew up fighting a severe case of sickle cell disease and struggled with it most of her childhood.  And then, . . . she tells you "I was cured." 

Disbelief. Speechless. This is the common reaction.

You are forgiven for having doubts. But, it is true. This striking, intelligent young lady used to have sickle cell anemia.  

For the first 12 years of her life, Sosa fought the disease. She and her family went to great lengths to make sure that she received the best treatments possible. She suffered through pain crisis and a long list of complicated health issues. ​Ultimately, her doctors recognized that her body was risking severe and potentially debilitating damage following a series of mini-strokes.  A stem cell transplant was recommended. But, where would the stem cells come from?  Bone marrow? No, cord blood. 

The purpose of this one-day conference is to bring patients, researchers, clinicians, and policy makers together to learn about advances in cord blood transplant outcomes, cutting edge research, and exciting new innovations using donated cord blood in treating leukemia, lymphoma, cerebral palsy and more.

John Garcia, Director of the Arizona Public Cord Blood Program, sponsors of this event, said, "The 8th Annual Arizona Cord Blood Conference brings together physicians, researchers, and transplant survivors to share information on the latest in cord blood stem research and share stories of survival. It's miraculous that by using blood from umbilical cords and placentas, that would normally be discarded after birth, hope is given for cures and treatments for over 80 diseases. This is truly a life-saving gift where mothers give birth to new life and save another life with the blood from her baby's umbilical cord."

Expand Access to Stem Cell Transplants with Cord Blood

This year’s conference will place an emphasis on cord blood’s critical role in increasing diversity of donors on public stem cell registries. In addition, speakers will explore cord blood’s unique advantages versus other stem cell sources. Special attention will be given to innovations in cerebral palsy and spinal cord injury research using cord blood.

​The conference will also reinforce the growing network supporting the Arizona Public Cord Blood Program, a free cord blood donation program available to Arizona families and made possible by the Arizona Biomedical Research Centre at the Arizona Department of Health Services.

o​8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.       Registration and Breakfast

9:00 a.m. to 9:05 a.m.       Ms. Kristen Wilt, Master of Ceremonies – Opens Conference

9:05 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.       Mr. John Garcia – Welcome and Introduction to the
                                          Arizona Biomedical Research Centre

9:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.       Dr. Eugene Livar – Opening Address

9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.       Dr. Victor Waddell – Opening Comments

9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.      Dr. Suzanne Pontow

10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.    Break – Fun Surveys via Whova

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.    Dr. Megan Finch-Edmondson and Dr. Madison Paton

11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.    Dr. Sachit Patel

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.     Lunch – Students join Dr. Filippo Milano and enjoy an
                                          Escape Room Exercise

1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.       Azucena Garcia – Transplant Survivor

1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.       Dr. Amanda Olson

2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.       Dr. Wise Young

2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.       Update on Lyla Edgington – Infant Transplant Survivor

3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.       Panel Discussion: Dr. Patel, Dr. Pontow, Dr. Milano,
                                           Dr. Olson, and Dr. Young

4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.       Call to Action – Dr. Filippo Milano

4:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.       Closing Remarks – Dr. Victor Waddell and Mr. John Garcia

On November 15th, World Cord Blood Day 2022 celebrations will be held around the globe (free online medical conference and educational events worldwide – open to the public). Learn how cord blood is used to treat 80+ life-threatening diseases including many blood cancers and holds tremendous potential in the treatment of HIV, autism and cerebral palsy.

Cord blood is the blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta following the birth of a child. It is rich in life-saving stem cells. If collected and stored properly, these cells can be used in stem cell transplants to treat over 80 life-threatening diseases including leukemia, lymphoma, and thalassemia to name a few.

Since 1988, more than 40,000 cord blood transplants have been performed worldwide. Yet, cord blood is still thrown away as medical waste in the majority of births. Education is key to changing this practice and World Cord Blood Day 2022 will provide the perfect opportunity for OBGYNs, midwives, transplant doctors, nurses, parents, students and government authorities to learn about this vital medical resource.

Organized by Save the Cord Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit, World Cord Blood Day 2022 is officially sponsored by QuickSTAT Global Life Science Logistics, recognized leader in medical shipping and healthcare logistics. Inspiring Partners for this event include the Be the Match (NMDP), World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA-Netcord), Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB), Cord Blood Association, and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).

In addition to the many live events being held globally by WCBD Community Champions, a Facebook livestream will launch the official WCBD 2022 conference at 10am ET on November 15th. The full conference will be available to view on-demand via Eventbrite until December 15th (free, open to the public, registration required). New this year, a roundtable discussion will be held post-conference via LinkedIn (details coming soon) providing an opportunity for further exploration of session topics.