Presenter Information

Grace Baldwin, Colby CollegeFollow

Location

Davis 117

Start Date

30-4-2015 9:00 AM

End Date

30-4-2015 10:55 AM

Project Type

Presentation

Description

Increasing the size and diversity of the bone marrow registry is a matter of life or death. Bone Marrow transplants are for patients dying of blood-related diseases such as Leukemia or Lymphoma. 30% of these patients find a match within their family, therefore 70% of patients need to search the registry for an unrelated donor. The presentation will discuss the biology, medicine, and public health behind Bone Marrow Transplants. To begin, I will give an overview of the immunology behind why finding a bone marrow match is so difficult and how bone marrow transplants are able to reconstitute a patients immune system. I will go on to explain what the procedure entails for both the patient and recipient and the goals for current and future research. Next, I will explain the staggering lack of ethnic diversity within the registry and why this is a public health concern. I will also talk about what it takes to join the registry and innovative ways in which national bone marrow registries' are tapping into the younger generation, spreading awareness about the cause, and increasing the ease of signing up for the registry. Finally, I will discuss briefly my current internship with Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation during which I have run bone marrow drives and spread awareness for the cause on the Colby campus and in the surrounding community.

Faculty Sponsor

Suzi Cole

CLAS Field of Study

Natural Sciences

Event Website

http://www.colby.edu/clas

ID

964

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Apr 30th, 9:00 AM Apr 30th, 10:55 AM

The Importance of Increasing the Size and Diversity of the Bone Marrow Registry

Davis 117

Increasing the size and diversity of the bone marrow registry is a matter of life or death. Bone Marrow transplants are for patients dying of blood-related diseases such as Leukemia or Lymphoma. 30% of these patients find a match within their family, therefore 70% of patients need to search the registry for an unrelated donor. The presentation will discuss the biology, medicine, and public health behind Bone Marrow Transplants. To begin, I will give an overview of the immunology behind why finding a bone marrow match is so difficult and how bone marrow transplants are able to reconstitute a patients immune system. I will go on to explain what the procedure entails for both the patient and recipient and the goals for current and future research. Next, I will explain the staggering lack of ethnic diversity within the registry and why this is a public health concern. I will also talk about what it takes to join the registry and innovative ways in which national bone marrow registries' are tapping into the younger generation, spreading awareness about the cause, and increasing the ease of signing up for the registry. Finally, I will discuss briefly my current internship with Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation during which I have run bone marrow drives and spread awareness for the cause on the Colby campus and in the surrounding community.

https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2015/program/402