The Fifth Decade

2004-2013

During NYBC’s fifth decade, social media exploded and changed the way we communicate forever. NYBC’s fourth President and CEO Christopher D. Hillyer, MD began transforming the organization to compete more effectively and focuses on Excellence, Quality, Service and Innovation in Transfusion Medicine.

  • 2013
    • NYBC’s Sara Lustigman, PhD from the Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology receives NIH grant for development of an Antigen-sparing Adjuvant for Vaccines to fight new influenza strains, HIV, SARS, West Nile and the increased threat of bioterrorism.
    • HEMACORD®, the first FDA licensed Stem Cell Product is nominated for Prix Galien USA “Best Biotechnology Product” Award. The award recognizes products that advance the human condition.
    • NYBC Laboratory of Viral Immunology acknowledged by Nature Medicine for leadership in developing vaccine against MERS, (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) a severe acute respiratory illness. Research Lab Heads Shibo Jiang, MD, PhD and Lanying Du, PhD are among pioneers in developing this vaccine.
    • The Laboratory of Social and Behavioral Sciences, headed by Victoria Frye, MPH, DrPH, receives funding to develop and pilot-test a community-level anti-HIV stigma and homophobia intervention.
    • The Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention, under the leadership of Beryl A. Koblin, PhD, receives funding to address low HIV testing rates in young African Americans and to evaluate a brief online HIV testing intervention for mobile devices.
    • NYBC completes acquisition of Coral Blood Services from Hemacare Corporation and expands apheresis service offering in the region with 24 additional staff.
  • 2012
    • Over 300 scientists participate in the symposium: Perspectives in Cord Blood Biology and Clinical Applications. Participants also visit the state-of-the-art National Cord Blood Program processing laboratory in Long Island City and meet with Pablo Rubinstein, MD and his team.
    • NYBC contributes its professional expertise to the field of transfusion medicine with activities including sponsorship of the National Blood Foundation (NBF), appointments to the boards of directors of AABB, America’s Blood Centers (ABC) and the National Blood Foundation, and editorial board of TRANSFUSION.
  • 2011
    • NYBC redoubles its commitment to hospital customers and launches comprehensive Customer Care Center (CCC) in Long Island City to continue improving the customer experience.
    • NYBC receives the first approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market HEMACORD®(HPC,cord blood) the first FDA licensed cellular therapy product to treat patients with disorders affecting the hematopoietic system.
  • 2010
    • Beth Shaz, MD joins NYBC as Chief Medical Officer with a renewed focus on evidence based research as an integral part of blood management.
    • NYBC is honored with the ADRP (Association of Donor Recruitment Professionals) Public Service Announcement of the Year Award for the media campaign “The Firefighter and the Doctor – Why Blood Donation Matters.”
    • Connie Westhoff, PhD SBB joins NYBC to lead the Laboratory of Immunohematology and Genomics, continuing the team’s work in identifying new blood group antigens and supporting specialized patient transfusion needs across the region and around the world.
  • 2009
    • Christopher D. Hillyer, MD joins NYBC as the fourth President and CEO further strengthening the organization’s focus on strategic objectives centered on Excellence, Quality, Service, Innovation and Leadership.
    • NYBC’s Biennial Chairman’s Dinner raises record donations and salutes the efforts of BNYMellon and the New York Yankees as “Champions of Life” for leadership and service to NYBC and the communities we serve.
    • Andromachi Scaradavou, MD of NYBC’s National Cord Blood Program shows, with researchers from Leiden University, how matching non-inherited maternal antigens (NIMA) with mismatched donor leucocyte antigens may improve the outcome of cord blood transplants.
  • 2008
    • NYBC’s Little Doctors® program continues to provide elementary and middle school students with the educational tools they need to help organize community blood drives. Over 600 schools have sponsored blood drives as part of the initiative.
  • 2007
    • Wilbur Armstrong, a lifelong platelet donor from LI who is legally blind, is recognized as one of “CNN’s Heroes” for his extraordinary service with over 600 patients helped through his platelet donations.
    • Beryl Koblin, PhD addresses the 10th Annual HIV Awareness Symposium in Harlem highlighting the vaccine studies of her teams at LFKRI’s Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Project ACHIEVE.
    • AsimDebnath, PhD of LFKRI’s Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Drug Design uses structure based design to modify a cell impermeable linear peptide to a cell penetrating peptide (CPP which can inhibit HIV-1 in cell cultures – the first discovery of its kind.
    • NYBC opens a new facility in Long Island City creating a modern center for research, lab services, and blood processing. The project receives Building Magazine’s Grand Prize in Modernization.
  • 2006
    • Marion E. Reid, PhD is honored as the first International Women in Transfusion Award recipient. Under Dr. Reid’s direction and leadership, the Immunohematology Laboratory has identified red blood cell antigens that have improved patient transfusion outcomes.
    • NYBC’s Precise Match® program is launched to expand the donor base of African American, Hispanic, East and South Asian donors to better serve the antigen specific needs of diverse patients.
    • Rona S. Weinberg, PhD, of NYBC’s Stem Cell Laboratory establishes the Myeloproliferative Disorders Research Consortium (MPD-RC) tissue bank at NYBC. The bank provides researchers with access to biologic samples linked to clinical data to support research.
  • 2005
    • First stem cell bill (Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005) is facilitated by NYBC efforts on Capitol Hill and signed into law by President George W. Bush. The Act provides subsidies to NYBC and other public cord blood banks.
  • 2004
    • NYBC’s National Cord Blood Program receives the 25,000th umbilical cord blood donation as it continues building inventory to meet the diverse transplant needs. 
    • NYBC achieves self sufficiency in platelet donations and launches new Donor Relationship Management (DRM) system to better address the needs of blood and platelet donors.