South Texas Blood & Tissue Center’s
Mary Beth Fisk to present at
international conference on stem cells
and regenerative medicine

 

(SAN ANTONIO (January 14, 2010) — San Antonio’s Mary Beth Fisk will share her insight and expertise as director of the Texas Cord Blood Bank in a presentation Wednesday, January 20 at the Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine World Congress in San Francisco.  This presentation to an international forum will bring focus to exciting new healthcare developments in our community.

Fisk, who also is vice president at the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC), will present on the topic “Umbilical Cord Blood Banking: A Quality Program” at the international bioscience conference.  The two-day conference features some of the world’s top researchers and clinical practitioners in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine.

The Texas Cord Blood Bank, located at STBTC, is a source of ethnically diverse, umbilical cord blood, the blood that remains in the placenta after a baby is born. In the past, that blood was discarded. However, cord blood is rich in blood-making cells which can be used to treat patients with certain cancers and fatal blood disorders.

“I look forward to presenting to and meeting with the leaders in the stem cell and regenerative medicine arena, and learning about the latest developments in a profession that strives to improve the health of patients around the globe,” Fisk said.

Fisk has worked at STBTC since 1994 and has more than 25 years of experience in blood banking and medical services.  She serves as treasurer on the Board of Governors of the American Association of Tissue Banks. She chairs the American Association of Blood Banks Cellular Therapy, Business Administration Committee and the National Marrow Donor Program Cord Blood Collection Subcommittee, which establishes and maintains the highest quality standards in cell and tissue banking.

She is a member of the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) Cellular Therapy Board, America’s Blood Centers Cord Blood Advisory Taskforce, the American Medical Technologists Association, and the International Society for Cellular Therapy, the National Marrow Donor Program’s Cord Blood Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors for the Alamo Regional Science Fair.  Fisk serves as an AABB Assessor and has chaired the Educational Advisory Committee for the AABB.

A San Antonio native, Fisk holds a bachelor’s degree and is a certified medical technologist, tissue banking specialist and quality auditor.

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