By Gennifer Delman, Staff Writer

The University’s newly approved Society of Physician Assistant Students held a daylong bone marrow drive, partnered with the Be The Match program in the Student Center on Tuesday, October 13 in honor of National Physician Assistant Week. Students, faculty, staff and community members were invited to get tested for potential bone marrow compatibility with patients across the world who have been diagnosed with blood disorders such as leukemia. The event was held in conjunction with a blood drive co-sponsored by the Department of Athletics.

This was the first event the Society has held after being approved by the American Association of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the University’s Student Government Association earlier this year. It was also the first event the PA class of 2010 put together own their own. “Our workload is extensive, so we can only fit in one extracurricular,” said Alex Wicker, the Society’s Vice President.

“This is Alex’s baby,” Laura D’Angelis, the Society’s President said. She was very pleased with how hands-on the drive was for the PA students. “We’re more involved with helping out. Be The Match lets us interact with the people registering, which is such a great opportunity,” she said. “They are very helpful, knowledgeable, and so nice about the whole thing.”

Be The Match Coordinator at the New York Blood Center Jair Thompson was in the core of the bone marrow aspect of the drive. He has been the Coordinator for Be The Match (originally titled National Marrow Donor Program) for five years. His job entails recruiting donors, as well as cross-training in the search coordinator position, which deals with making connections between the patient and the donor. “All information is confidential except for gender, age and disease,” he said.

“The position is so rewarding for me,” Thompson said. “I am really passionate about helping people. I see successes and failures…it tugs my heartstrings,” he said. Thompson works directly with patients of all ages, particularly those diagnosed with leukemia. His job also entails traveling across the five boroughs to work at transfer drives such as this one.
Of the 13 million people in the registry, 70% are Caucasian and 30% are of a minority such as African American or Asian. This means that the donor pool is much smaller for someone of another ethnicity. Universities help to deepen that pool.

“The registry is global, and includes donor information from 30 other countries, adding 3.5 million people overseas,” Thompson explained. This means that a donor from Hofstra could be matched with not just anyone in the nation, but across the globe. “Anyone we get is appreciated,” he said. 

Thompson said that 30,000 people are diagnosed with a blood disorder each year. While 30% are able to find a marrow match from a sibling, 70% of people are unable to do so. They must then turn to the registry. Any hospital affiliated with the registry, such as Long Island Jewish Hospital (which is partnered with the University for the future medical school), has the ability to search for a possible match. Doctors with specifically diagnosed patients can contact Be The Match if a match is found. If no match exists, the patient’s family can contact Be The Match to facilitate a drive in their local community at a nearby college, religious center, or other venue.

While information is highly confidential, Thompson said that if a match is found from someone in the Hofstra or local community, the recipient has the option of telling them if they want. “The more we grow the more we can help others in need,” Thompson said.
By the end of the event, over 65 people had donated, their information sealed into envelopes ready for testing. Horvath was heartened by the response from the University and local community. “I am extremely proud of my students,” she said. “They organized this on their own, and they truly embody the spirit of the physician’s assistant position and of health care in general.”

D’Angelis said, “I definitely didn’t expect anything like this, I’m excited!” She was pleased that everyone in the society, as well as the PA class of 30 students, “pulled in to help out and participate.”

“We are inspired to save a life,” Wicker said. He hopes to continue holding events in the future. He concluded, “A day like this is an experience of a lifetime.”

A student is given a swab to test tissue samples and then be entered into the global bone marrow database. (Gennifer Delman/The Chronicle)