The ASTCT Executive Committee has been focused on the impact of COVID-19 on transplantation and cellular therapy patients.  We are working with our partner organizations and BMT centers to promote and share information that is critical to our members and their patients. Our Government Relations Committee plans to send a “Call to Action” letter to HHS and request immediate support for personal safety equipment for medical professionals at various BMT centers across the United States. ASTCT recently launched a COVID-19 Resource Community page with updates, webinars, and discussion forums for our industry to share information and resources.

Your support is needed in the promotion and engagement of our new community page and resource. Please share any key learnings or new policies and procedures that will protect and treat transplantation and cellular therapy patients. Your engagement will help promote our new COVID-19 resources and ensure that our membership has a community ready to address their concerns and questions.

On March 24, ASTCT is holding a “Town Hall” webinar at 2:00 p.m. US Central Time to address the impact of COVID-19. Please join tomorrow’s call and promote it at your institution and to your network. We are planning regular webinars focused on COVID-19, so please be on the lookout for additional promotions. EBMT will join us for one of our future webinars. This will be a great knowledge sharing opportunity with our European colleagues. 

I want to thank and acknowledge all of the tremendous efforts that are going in to support ASTCT, this community, and our response to COVID-19.  With special shoutouts to Dr. Navneet Majhail for stepping in to support this new community with ASTCT Staff, Dr. Chris Dandoy for TALNT, and all of our ID SIG Leadership and Members for their tireless efforts with interim COVID-19 guidelines. The guidelines are being reviewed and updated on a regular basis and the authors working with partner organizations like ASH and EBMT to ensure all guidelines are aligned. Authors, reviewers and, contributors include:

Alpana Waghmare, Michael Boeckh, Roy Chemaly, Sanjeet Dadwal, Genovefa Papanicolaou, Steven Pergam, Ella Ariza-Heredia, Paul Carpenter, Guang-Shing Cheng, Janet Englund, Stephen J. Forman, Rebecca Gardner, Terry Gernsheimer, Joshua Hill, Mini Khamboj, Michael Linenberger, Catherine Liu, Zahra Mahmoudjafari, Monzr Al Malki, Ryotaro Nakamura, Chikara Ogimi, Miguel Ángel Perales, Bipin Savani, Eileen Smith, Cameron Turtle, and Masumi Ueda.

Lastly, please share any suggestions on how ASTCT can help our members and patients as they confront COVID-19. Thank you in advance for your support. I wish for your personal safety as we confront this pandemic.

Respectfully,

Pavan Reddy, MD

ASTCT President

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