A presentation by Dr. Frieda Jordan, President of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, was held at the AGBU Center in Watertown, Massachusetts on Sunday, March 5.
The evening with Dr. Jordan was organized by ABMDR New England and co-sponsored by the AGBU Young Professionals of Boston. The presentation was titled “ABMDR Beyond Bone Marrow Transplantation: Navigating Pandemics, Wars, and Emerging Opportunities.”
With over 60 supporters in attendance, including representatives of various local organizations, the event served as a much-anticipated occasion to inform the community about the latest activities of ABMDR and its plans for continued growth.
In her welcome remarks, Lori Sorial of ABMDR New England thanked the AGBU Young Professionals of Boston and other community partners for sponsoring the event and introduced Dr. Jordan. “Through her work with ABMDR, Dr. Jordan has helped raise awareness of health issues in Armenian communities throughout the world, and helped Armenia raise its healthcare profile internationally,” said Sorial.
As Dr. Jordan updated the audience about the activities of ABMDR, she emphasized the pan-Armenian organization’s resolve to continue to expand despite the consequences of the pandemic and war, among them the devastating blockade of Artsakh. “Our global activities — including medical research and testing, stem cell preservation, and participation in international conferences — go beyond bone marrow transplantation,” Dr. Jordan said. “These activities have a huge impact on the advancement of medical technology in Armenia, and in turn lead to significant improvements in terms of patient diagnosis and care.”
Dr. Jordan’s presentation was followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Subsequently the attendees enjoyed a wine-and cheese reception, featuring award-winning wines from Armenia.
The event also comprised recruitment of potential bone marrow donors, as ABMDR volunteers were on hand to provide information and welcome new donors into the Registry’s ranks.
Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 33,500 donors in 44 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 39 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit the ABMDR website.
