Gift of Life recently became the 15th registry in the world (out of 59) to be awarded accreditation by the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). Commemorated during the WMDA annual meeting, Accreditation Steering Committee representative Martin McGregor presented the certificate to Gift of Life Founder and Executive Director, Jay Feinberg.

WMDA accreditation involves an extensive and detailed review of all aspects of a registry’s operations.  Gift of Life submitted volumes of information documenting its operations in support of its application, which was reviewed by a team of experts on behalf of the WMDA.  Accreditation of individual registries is an indication of compliance with WMDA Standards, which are intended to promote the quality of procedures necessary to obtain, in the shortest possible time, the appropriate quality and quantity of blood stem cells of the best unrelated donor suitable for engrafting a patient while protecting the anonymity, health and well being of the volunteer donors.

“This accreditation demonstrates to transplant centers, cooperative registries, donors and recipients that Gift of Life is dedicated to ensuring the best possible service in facilitating transplants,” commented Jay Feinberg.  He added, “We sought this accreditation because the WMDA sets the highest possible standards that all registries are expected to follow, and we are dedicated to this level of excellence in our work.”

At the same meeting, Jay Feinberg was elected to the Board of Directors of the WMDA, serving in the capacity of Secretary of North and South America.

The World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) is an international collaboration effort of organizations and individuals involved in stem cell donation and transplantation.  The WMDA works toward the goal that high-quality and secure stem cell products are available for all patients worldwide while maintaining the health and welfare of the stem cell donors.