INFO-FLASH INFO-FLASH INFO-FLASH INFO-FLASH INFO-FLASH
CURRENT AND PAST ISSUES OF THE INFO-FLASH NEWSLETTER ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE: www.amic.ca ARMENIA’S 2011 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE WEBSITE: http://www.3imca.com/
Þ Þ Þ Þ Þ No3 No3 No3 No3 Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü
March 2011
A SPECIAL AMIC NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO THE Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) ACTIVITIES
AMIC received these reports from ABMDR office and Dr. Vergine Madelian some three weeks ago. Please read them carefully and pay attention to the dates and locations of the major spring recruitment campaign which is being organized in collaboration with and the blessing and full support of the Western Prelacy and Western Diocese.
AMIC hopes that with this special Info-Flash "exposure" more donors and more funds will go to ABMDR in these different locations, which in turn will be able to save more lives.
"ABMDR delegation visits Armenian church leaders in Los Angeles
Archbishops Derderian and Mardirossian reaffirm their strong support of the registry; outreach and recruitment efforts planned"
Phone: 323-663-3609
On February 8 and 9, respectively, His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian and His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian hosted traditional yearly visits by a delegation of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR). The visits took place at the Western Prelacy in La Crescenta and the Western Diocese in Burbank.
Led by Dr. Frieda Jordan, president of the registry’s Board of Directors, the delegation thanked both archbishops for their past support. It also requested the continued assistance of the Prelacy and the Diocese in educating the Armenian community about the critical need — and extreme ease — of registering as a bone marrow donor.
Expressing their abiding belief in the life-saving mission of the ABMDR, Archbishops Derderian and Mardirossian renewed their commitment to the registry, promising to continue to raise public awareness of its work and encourage bone marrow donor registration among their congregations. Toward these goals, both archbishops informed the delegation of a number of upcoming outreach events, which will be held under the auspices of the Prelacy and the Diocese.
"It’s so gratifying to know that our spiritual leaders care deeply about health issues affecting the Armenian community, and that they’re always willing to do their utmost to support our mission," Dr. Jordan said.
During his meeting with the delegation, Archbishop Derderian proclaimed April 10 a Day of Prayer for the ABMDR at Dioceses churches in Southern California. On his part, Archbishop Mardirossian proclaimed May 1 a Day of Prayer for the registry at Prelacy churches in the region. On these Sundays, as well as several Sundays in March, April, and May, the ABMDR will set up booths outside Armenian churches throughout California — including those affiliated with the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical communities — to recruit donors and answer questions regarding bone marrow stem cell transplantation.
In light of the fact that 2011 has been declared the Year of the Armenian Child, Archbishop Mardirossian told the ABMDR delegation that it would be all the more fitting to launch outreach efforts on May 1. It is the first Sunday following Easter, he said, New Sunday, which symbolizes the start of a new life and would reflect the ABMDR’s mission of helping give new life to children and adults alike.
The registry’s upcoming public-awareness events will also include two important lectures. On April 1 and 2 Dr. Karole Rostamian and Dr. Vergine Madelian of the ABMDR will address the Leadership Conference of the Armenian Church Youth Organization, to be held at St. Paul’s Church in Fresno; and on April 27, Dr. Jordan will address a meeting of the Diocesan Council, in Burbank.
The following is a list of bone marrow donor recruitments planned for the coming months:
March 31, 2011 Patient-specific recruitment for Steve Bodozian, Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center: 5:00 – 8:00 pm.
April 1 and 2, 2011
Recruitment-presentation during the Leadership Conference of the Armenian Church Youth Organization in St. Paul’s Church, Fresno
April 3, 2011
Presentation-recruitment in St. Levon Cathedral, Burbank
April 10, 2011
Prayer Day for ABMDR throughout Diocese churches in Southern California, presentation-recruitment in St. Gregory, Pasadena, in St. James, Los Angeles, in St. Peter, Glendale and in St. Peter Van Nuys.
April 24, 2011
Genocide commemoration, presentation-recruitment in Armenian Martyrs’ Monument, Montebello
May 1, 2011
Prayer Day for ABMDR throughout Prelacy churches in Southern California, presentation-recruitment: St. Mary's, Glendale, St. Garabed, Hollywood, Holy Martyrs, Van Nuys and Forty Martyrs, Orange County
The delegation with Archbishop Hovnan Derderian
And with Archbishop Mouschegh Mardirossian
"ABMDR achieves extraordinary milestones by participating in European scientific symposium"
Thanks to ABMDR efforts, Armenia is chosen as first country in Caucasus to host meeting of European Federation for Immunogenetics later this year
The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) reached two significant milestones recently. On January 22, 2011, the organization participated in a meeting of the European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI). The second success came when, at the conclusion of the event, Armenia was chosen as the first country in the Caucasus to host an EFI meeting, in November of this year.
The EFI provides technical support to immunogenetics laboratories across the world, sets operational standards and methodologies, and awards accreditation. A full member of the EFI, the ABMDR is accredited by the federation for its HLA tissue typing laboratory in Yerevan.
At the January 22 meeting, held in Athens, Greece, the ABMDR was represented by Dr. Frieda Jordan, president of the registry’s Board of Directors, and Dr. Sevak Avagyan, executive director of the registry. The event was devoted to Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratories in the EFI’s Region 8, which includes the Balkans. The meeting was attended by over 200 participants from 14 countries, comprising Albania, Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, and Turkey.
From
right, Dr. Sevak Avagyan and Dr. Frieda Jordan
Dr. Jordan addressed the meeting with a presentation titled "Organizing a Bone Marrow Donor Registry in a Small Country." Her lecture, which detailed the work and goals of the ABMDR, received high praise from attendees. Organizers and participants alike congratulated the ABMDR for its many achievements since its launch in 1999, specifically commending the registry’s global networking, grassroots recruitment drives, and groundbreaking accomplishments through its Stem Cell Harvesting Center in Yerevan.
Dr.
Frieda Jordan during her presentation
The Stem Cell Harvesting Center reached a watershed in June 2010, when, for the first time in the history of Armenia, it performed a stem cell harvesting procedure. Thanks to the procedure, a bone marrow transplant was later performed in Belgium, saving the life of a patient who suffered from a potentially terminal blood-related disease.
At the conclusion of the EFI meeting in Athens, organizers discussed venue and date options for the next Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratories meeting. Several countries, including Armenia, had presented their candidacy for hosting the meeting. After careful consideration, Armenia emerged as the clear favourite. As it announced its decision, the EFI committee cited the scope and quality of the ABMDR’s work as the main factor in its selection of Armenia. Furthermore, the committee entrusted the ABMDR to organize the meeting, under the auspices of the EFI. The meeting is slated to be held in Yerevan in November 2011.
"In addition to the ABMDR’s participation at the EFI meeting in Athens, the selection of Armenia as the host of the next Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratories meeting is a major achievement for our registry," Dr. Jordan said. "For the first time in history, Armenia will be hosting such a high-profile, international scientific symposium. The meeting will also be the first of its kind in the region. I think it’s likewise important to note that Armenia is the only country in the region to have a laboratory, namely the one at the ABMDR Stem Cell Harvesting Center, which is accredited by the EFI."
Dr. Jordan added that the Yerevan meeting will be a great boon to global cooperation in the immunogenetics field. For many years, she explained, the ABMDR has been building collaborative relationships between the scientific communities of Armenia and its neighbors. Such broad cooperation will further encourage scientists from Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran to participate in the EFI meeting in Yerevan, effectively enabling Armenia to function as a science bridge between these countries and Europe, she said.
About the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry: Established in 1999, the ABMDR, a non profit organization, helps Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 20,000 donors in 13 countries across three continents, identified 1,696 patients and found 1,419 potential matches, facilitating 12 bone marrow transplants.