Former Director of U.S. Armed Services Blood Program Joins America's Blood Centers; Ret. Col. Fitzpatrick Named Chief Policy Officer

7/18/2003

From: Sharon Pavlovsky of America's Blood Centers, 202-654-2915 or spavlovsky@americasblood.org; http://www.americasblood.org

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- America's Blood Centers (ABC) announced today that retired Colonel (Glen) Michael Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., former director of the U.S. Armed Services Blood Programs Office, will join the organization in September as its senior director of policy and research. Fitzpatrick served as director of the Armed Services Blood Program since 1999.

ABC recently created the position as part of its ongoing outreach to federal regulators and advocacy efforts on behalf of its members. In his new role, Fitzpatrick will direct and manage all national policy development and research affairs for the organization.

"We are thrilled that Dr. Fitzpatrick has chosen to join us at America's Blood Centers," said ABC CEO Jim MacPherson. "He will bring invaluable knowledge and experience to this post."

Fitzpatrick has nearly 30 years of blood banking and biomedical experience. Prior to his position as director of the armed services blood program, his assignments included: Korea Area Blood Program Officer; United States European Command Blood Program Officer; Chief of the Blood Bank at Madigan Army Medical Center; Tripler Army Medical Center; and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also has served as the director of the Tri-Service Blood Bank Fellowship at Walter Reed.

Fitzpatrick is a member of the Food and Drug Administration's Blood Products Advisory Committee (BPAC) and is a Department of Defense (DoD) liaison to: Health and Human Services (HHS) Blood Safety and Availability Committee; American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) Standards Committee and the AABB Inter-Organizational Task Force.

He obtained a BS degree in Biology from Colorado State University in 1977. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and assigned to the 56th Medical Battalion, Fort Ord, Calif. In an effort to return to his academic interests he attended the Clinical Laboratory Officer Course at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 1976 and was subsequently assigned as the officer in charge of the blood donor center at Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, Ga. Blood Banking became his primary interest and he went back to Walter Reed to attend the Tri-Service Blood Bank Fellowship Program graduating in 1981.

Founded in 1962, America's Blood Centers is North America's largest network of non-profit, community blood centers. Seventy-five blood centers operate more than 500 collection sites in 45 U.S. states and Quebec, Canada, and provide nearly half of the United States, and nearly one-quarter of Canada's volunteer donor blood supply. These centers serve more than 150 million people and provide blood products and services to more than 3,300 hospitals. ABC members are licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.