01.20.20

FACT Update: Join Us at the 2020 TCT Meetings

Recently Published Book Includes Chapter on FACT Citations in Apheresis

The recently published book, Best Practices of Apheresis in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (Abutalib et. al., 2020), includes a large number of topics relating to the use and performance of apheresis in hematopoietic cell transplantation. The book is described as a practical resource for clinicians ranging from residents to faculty members and other healthcare personnel. The book is available for purchase in its entirety or by individual chapters.

FACT President Dennis Gastineau, MD wrote Chapter Three, FACT-JACIE Standards: Common Citations and How Best to Avoid Them. The chapter on citations focuses on deficiencies found in apheresis facilities during on-site FACT inspections. Dr. Gastineau briefly describes the citations and then suggests methods for avoiding them in future inspections.

Abutalib, S.A., Padmanabhan, A., Pham, H.P., Worel, N. (Eds.) (2020). Best Practices of Apheresis in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-55131-9.

Develop Essential Leadership Skills with FACT Courses at the 2020 TCT Meetings

Everyone wins when a leader gets better.  Join FACT for Cellular Therapy Leadership Courses 101 and 201 on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, at the Orlando World Center Marriott from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm.  Cellular Therapy Leadership 101 is a half-day course open to anyone who has (or aspires to) a leadership position. Whether you direct a transplant center or laboratory, lead a cell collection service or cord blood bank, head a staff of nurses or transplant coordinators, hold an office or board position in a volunteer organization, chair a committee, or have any position in which you are expected to motivate and lead a team, this workshop is for you!

If you completed the Cell Therapy Leadership 101 course in a previous year and want more, the 201 course is for you. This advanced course is offered on February 18, 2020, from 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm and drills deeper into leadership skills and organizational health. 

Register for the FACT Leadership 101 course

Register for the FACT Advanced Leadership 201 course

FACT Exhibit Booth at TCT:  Meet and Greet with Accreditation Services Leaders!

FACT invites you to visit exhibit booth 733 to meet the leaders of Accreditation Services and have your accreditation and standards questions answered! 

On Thursday, February 20, FACT Accreditation Supervisor, Sarah Litel-Smith, will be available at the FACT exhibit booth from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm.

On Friday, February 21, FACT Accreditation Manager, Suzanne Birnley, will be available from 7:00 am – 9:00 am. 

FACT Inspectors Invited to Attend Mingle and Mimosas Networking Event at TCT

Thursday, February 20, 2020

7:00 am – 8:30 am

FACT invites its inspectors to mingle with colleagues while enjoying a continental breakfast and morning mimosa! We want to take this opportunity to thank all our volunteers for theirr continued dedication and time devoted to FACT.  We hope you can join us for a morning toast to you!

Please RSVP to Jay Ann Witt

FACT Announces Immune Effector Cellular Therapy Webinar Series

The FACT Education Committee and Immune Effector Cell Task Force have developed a series of webinars on Immune Effector Cellular Therapy.  Six webinars are planned througout 2020 and include the following topics:

  1. The State of FACT Immune Effector Cell Therapy Accreditation Today presented by Dr. Patrick Hanley

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

11:00 am ET, 16:00 GMT

Dr. Patrick Hanley, Director of GMP for Immunotherapy at Children's National Health System Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, will present the State of FACT Immune Effector Cell Therapy Accreditation Today. Dr. Hanley will discuss the growth and expected direction of IEC Accreditation and describe the major concepts addressed the FACT IEC Standards. He will also explain various methods of compliance, as well as compare requirements between FACT and commercial manufacturers.

Register now

  1. Labeling and Chain of Custody for IEC Products presented by Dr. Sarah Nikiforow

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

11:00 am ET, 15:00 GMT

Dr. Sarah Nikiforow from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute / Cell Manipulation Core Facility, will presentLabeling and Chain of Identity and Custody for IEC Products. Dr. Nikiforow will review the IEC Standards related to labeling and chain of identity and custody and explain FACT expectations for clinical trial research product labeling and chain of custody from bench to bedside.In addition, she will describe how ISBT 128 coding and labeling can be used with commercial cellular therapy products.

Register now

  1. Integration of Immune Effector Cellular Therapy into a FACT-Accredited Transplant Program presented by Dr. Carlos Bachier

June 17, 2020

11:00 am ET, 15:00 GMT

Dr. Carlos Bachier, Program Director and Processing Facility Director at Sarah Cannon Blood and Marrow Transplant Program in Nashville, will present  Integration of Immune Effector Cellular Therapy into a FACT-Accredited Transplant Program.Dr. Bachier will begin by discussing the requirements for transplantation and immune effector cellular therapy.He will highlight opportunities and challenges when incorporating immune effector cellular therapy into an existing Quality Management Plan, and provide steps that can be taken to incorporate immune effector cellular therapy into a transplant program.

Register now

Other sessions within this series include:

  1. Bringing a Stand-Alone Immune Effector Cell Therapy Program into FACT Compliance (Date/time TBD)
  2. IEC Inspector Training (Date/time TBD)
  3. Data Reporting and REMS Compliance (Date/time TBD)

Final Webinar in the Quality Management Series, Auditing

February 5, 2020

3:00 pm ET, 20:00 GMT

Join FACT for the final webinar in the ninth Quality Management Series, Auditing.  Phillip Johnson, MMedSc(Path), Production Manager at Queensland Cord Blood Bank at the Mater, Sylvia Dulan, RN, MSN, MBA, PMP, HCT Regulatory and Quality Management Specialist at City of Hope Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Program, and Ann Wilson, MHA, MT(ASCP)SB , Lab and Quality Manager at Scott & White Autologous Transplant Program, will give an overview of their program’s audit process and how they write audit reports.

Register now

The first three webinars within the module are available for download in the FACT store:

  1. QM Series 9: Auditing: Planning and Executing
  2. QM Series 9: Auditing: Summarizing and Evaluating the Data
  3. QM Series 9: Auditing: Performing follow-up to assess the effectiveness of the actions implemented on correcting the errors

Stay tuned for the next QM Series 10, Validations!  Topics include Validation Overview, Process Validation, Software Validation, and Program Perspectives on Validation.

More FACT Educational Opportunities

We invite you to join us for upcoming FACT events at the 2020 TCT Meetings!

FACT Cellular Therapy Inspection & Accreditation Workshop
February 18, 2020
8:00 am – 5:00 pm

This training workshop is designed to explain the FACT accreditation requirements. FACT representatives will clarify the intent of the FACT-JACIE Standards and assist programs in organizing and preparing for the accreditation process. In addition, individuals interested in becoming a FACT inspector are encouraged to attend inspector training.

The workshop includes two tracks: Applicant training and inspector training. The applicant track will begin with an overview of the FACT accreditation process and continue with hands-on activities to guide the applicant through the accreditation process.

The inspector training track is required for all inspector trainees. In order to attend this track, you must be pre-approved as an inspector trainee. This track is designed to guide the trainee through the inspection experience from accepting an inspection assignment through submitting the inspection report and participating in the Accreditation Committee review. Each trainee will receive an inspection checklist accompanied by applicable inspection documents.

Interested in becoming a FACT Inspector? Apply to train as an inspector. If eligible, trainees attend free of charge!

Register for the FACT workshop

FACT-ASTCT Cellular Therapy Quality Boot Camp
February 19, 2020
8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Join us for a day focused on core quality concepts. The sessions will include quality processes programs have implemented and incorporating Immune Effector Cells into all parts of your quality program. A self-assessment will be distributed prior to the TCT Meeting to review key features of your quality program and identify ongoing challenges. Complete the self-assessment, join the roundtable discussions, participate in the activities, and leverage QA experts for ideas on how to take your program’s quality program to the next level.

Register for the FACT-ASTCT Quality Boot Camp

FACT Global Affairs: International Delegates of the TCT Meetings Invited to Attend Special Session
February 20, 2020
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

The Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) would like to invite international delegates to a special session during the 2020 TCT | Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASBMT & CIBMTR to be held in Orlando, FL at the Orlando World Center Marriott on Thursday, February 20, 2020, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Join us for a wine and cheese reception where members of the FACT Global Affairs Committee will provide information about the international accreditation program featuring a stepwise certification approach in Latin America, the new joint FACT-SBTMO Accreditation Program in Brazil, and efforts to provide guidance to transplant centers in India. This program was developed to assist transplant centers in emerging economies who may require additional assistance and education in developing quality systems and adhering to global accreditation requirements.

Register for the FACT Global Affairs session

FACT Cord Blood Inspection & Accreditation Workshop at ISCT Annual Meeting
May 26, 2020
8:00 am – 5:00 pm

This training workshop is designed to explain the requirements for FACT accreditation of cord blood banks. FACT representatives will clarify the intent of the NetCord-FACT Standards, provide inspectors tips for conducting inspections, and assist programs in organizing and preparing for the accreditation process.

The workshop includes an applicant and inspector training track. The applicant track will begin with an overview of the FACT accreditation process and continue with hands-on activities to guide the applicant through the accreditation process.

The inspector training track is required for all inspector trainees. This track is designed to walk the trainee through the entire inspection experience; from the moment the inspector accepts an inspection assignment through submitting the inspection report. Each trainee will receive their own checklist accompanied by applicable inspection documents. In order to attend this track, you must be pre-approved as an inspector trainee. Inspector trainees have required assignments to complete before attending the workshop.

Apply to train as a FACT cord blood inspector.  If approved, you can attend the workshop FREE of charge!

Register for the FACT workshop
 

Mikaela VanMoorleghem is an Education and Training Coordinator at the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy. To learn more about FACT, visit its website.

Tags: FACT, TCT Meetings 2020

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