Who we are
ABMDR is a public company limited by guarantee under the Australian Corporations Law and a registered charity under the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 (Cth).
We are the only organisation in Australia responsible for arranging bone marrow/blood stem cell donations for patients in need of a transplant. ABMDR also administers government funding of public cord blood banks in Australia.
ABMDR is funded by the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. Australian governments also contract the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood to recruit blood donors onto ABMDR’s register.
What we do
We give patients a chance of life
Blood and marrow stem cell transplants are curative treatments for patients with a variety of blood and immune disorders and diseases. We help Australian and international patients who are in need of a stem cell transplant and have not found a suitable match among their relatives.
We facilitate the search for donors on behalf of Australian patients in need of transplants
We search the world for suitably matched donors or umbilical cord blood for Australian patients; and facilitate donation and transplant where a patient has been successful in their search. We also set guidelines for the search, collection and care of Australian donors before and after the donation.
We coordinate financial assistance for Australian patients
ABMDR coordinates financial assistance provided by the Australian government for Australian patients searching for a suitable donor.
We educate the community
ABMDR raises awareness about the importance of becoming a blood stem cell donor. When a person joins our registry, they join more than 30 million people around the world who are willing to help anyone in need.
We support research
We provide to the scientific community access to ABMDR tissue repository and donors for research, managed through the ABMDR Research and Release Governance Committee.
Senior leadership
Professor Jeremy Chapman AC – Chair
He chaired the creation of the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry in 1991 and continues in that role today. Jeremy also serves as the Deputy Chair Western Sydney Local Health District Board, and has recently retired from his roles as Clinical Director of Medicine and Cancer, Westmead Hospital and Director of Western Renal Services. Jeremy’s current interests involve research and teaching at the University of Sydney, and he is also a board member in a number of not for profit entities. He continues to work in consult roles and as Editor in Chief of the journals Transplantation and Transplantation Direct. Jeremy has been involved with the tissue typing laboratories and the Australian Organ Donation program for more than thirty years.
Lisa Smith – CEO
Lisa has spent a decade as a senior executive in Australia’s National E-Health Transition Authority, and brings a wealth of experience in working with government and stakeholders to fund and deliver collaborative outcomes. In her various roles across both government and the private sector, she has directed national implementation programs, and has led strategy and business development functions, as well as stakeholder engagement and communications.
Professor Jeff Szer AM – Chair, Scientific and Expert Advisory Committee
Jeff was the foundation President of the Bone Marrow Transplant Society of Australia and New Zealand, and remains a member of the steering committee of the Australasian Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient Registry. He is a past President of the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation and the immediate past President of the World Marrow Donor Association. Jeff is also Editor in Chief of the Internal Medicine Journal and a member of editorial boards of Bone Marrow Transplantation, Blood Reviews and BioMed Central. He has published more than 340 papers in the field of marrow transplantation and blood disorders.