7th Annual Arizona Cord Blood Conference 2022

REGISTER NOW FREE - HYBRID EVENT (In-person availability limited)

We are proud to announce the 7th Annual Arizona Cord Blood Conference: Bridging the Gap. Join us for this free Hybrid/In-Person conference on April 7th, 2022 (9am-4:30pm) presented by the Arizona Public Cord Blood Program.

The conference will be in a hybrid format, taking place at the ASU SkySong 3 Conference Center, 1365 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, Arizona. Registration is free for both in-person and virtual attendees. In-person attendees will receive lunch (spaces limited). Register is now open.

Discover the power of cord blood stem cells at the 7th annual Arizona Cord Blood Conference! And celebrate 10 wonderful years of the Arizona Public Cord Blood Program!! Learn how cord blood donations to this program and others like it are used around the globe to treat 80+ life-threatening diseases including many blood cancers, leukemia, lymphoma, thalassemia, sickle cell disease and more. Cord blood is a vital medical resource, especially for those patients whose bone marrow donor may no longer be available due to Covid restrictions. 

In addition, cord blood is proving critical in research in the emerging fields of regenerative medicine, gene therapy and cellular therapy. 

Cord blood is also key to increasing diversity of stem cell donors on public registries, like the Arizona Public Cord Blood program. Thanks to the fact cord blood donation is free and easily done after the birth of a child, donation programs can be targetted in regions where there may be a larger population of ethnic minorities. By increasing diversity on public stem cell registries (such as the NMDP BeTheMatch registry), more transplant matches can be found for patients in need. Cord blood allows us to bridge the gap between a donor and a patient in need. 

Join us for an informative day featuring nationally recognized experts in the fi­eld of cord blood clinical practice and research. The conference will contain educational sessions tailored to all levels of interest and knowledge. Health care practitioners, researchers, educators, policy makers, expectant parents, students and the general public are invited.

The conference, which is hosted by the Department of Knowledge Enterprise Arizona State University, Tempe, is being sponsored by the Arizona Biomedical Research Centre's (ABRC), Arizona Public Cord Blood Program, in coordination with the Save the Cord Foundation and four participating area hospitals including Valleywise Health, Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center, and Tucson Medical Center.

The conference will start at 8:00 a.m. with registration and breakfast. Welcome addresses will be made by Victor Waddell, Ph.D., Executive Director of the ABRC and Bureau Chief of the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory, and Ms. Jessica Rigler, Assistant Director overseeing the Division of Public Health Preparedness at ADHS, which spans the areas of Epidemiology and Disease Control, Emergency Medical Services, Public Health Statistics, Public Health Emergency Preparedness and the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory.

We are grateful for the assistance of Ms. Kristen Wilt, MSN, RN, Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator for the Arizona Public Cord Blood Program and Cord Blood & Placenta Donation Coordinator with the Tucson Medical Center Women’s & Children’s Services. Ms. Wilt will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for this year's conference.​

Cord blood experts and former transplant patients will speak about cord blood's use as a valuable source of stem cells.

Possible speakers to include:

• Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg who will speak on Cord Blood Transplants and Regenerative Medicine.
• Dr. Mark A. Walters will address the issue of Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplants.
• Ms. Sosa Evbuomwan will recount her story as a sickle cell cord blood transplant survivor.
• Dr. John Wagner will address past present and future innovations in the cord blood transplant arena.
• Dr. Filippo Milano will provide an update on recent research in transplant science and engaging the youth of tomorrow in pursuing careers in transplant science.
• Ms. Barbara Torrey, MS, will talk about teaching cord blood concepts in the K-12 classroom.
• Mr. Jeffrey Wilson, Assistant Director of Operations for MD Anderson Cord Blood Bank Houston, Texas, will provide the latest regarding cord blood banking services
• Ms. Kristin Kleinhofer will share her stem cell transplant story in her battle over leukemia.
• Mr. John Cover will share information on how birth tissue is used to treat burns, open wounds, and sores.
• Dr. Victor Waddell will close out the meeting and offer the final word.​

Registration is now open: www.arizonapubliccordbloodprogram.org 
​Free hybrid event. Open to the public. 

​Highly recommended for doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals. 

​For students interested in possible STEM careers, this conference will provide a unique opportunity to learn directly from those in the cord blood industry and discover new opportunities that are emerging thanks to exciting research and current uses for cord blood stem cells.

​For health professionals, you will have the opportunity to meet with leading scientists in this field and understand how your practice could immediately have impact or benefit from cord blood collections. 
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For hospital administrators and policy makers, this conference will be key to better understanding the current status of the cord blood industry and how we can work together to improve it.

This event is presented by
the Arizona Public Cord Blood Program
in collaboration with
the Arizona Department of Health Services (Arizona Biomedical Research Center),
Dignity Health, Tucson Medical Center, Valleywise Health and Save the Cord Foundation.