Dr. Donato Discusses the National Marrow Donor Program

Michele L. Donato, MD, medical director, Blood and Marrow Collection Facility, John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC), provides an overview of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).

The NMDP helps to find donors for anyone in the world that may need a transplant. Internationally, about 20 million donors have signed up. At JTCC, if a patient requires a bone marrow transplant, the NMDP is contacted, and access is granted to the marrow bank. It takes an average of 49 days to find a donor through this program, Donato says, and it is more difficult for minority patients. JTCC also collects for the NMDP.