MEET THE SPEAKERS

​for World Cord Blood Day 2025

Speakers in alphabetical order.

Kristina Audet & Zion - Cord Blood Transplant Recipient (Krabbe Disease) 

​Krabbe Disease is a rare and devastating inherited leukodystrophy. Often fatal in infancy or childhood, leukodystrophies are a rare group of disorders that damage the protective covering, myelin, around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Damaged myelin causes numerous problems with movement, thinking and other body functions. Typically, we are told that there is no cure for Krabbe Disease. However, the combination of newborn screening and cord blood is bringing new hope to parents and children worldwide. 

Zion was the first child in Minnesota to benefit from this new opportunity in screening and treatment (just weeks after the new policy became law). We welcome Zion and his mother in this fun and inspiring interview to hear why every state and every country needs to make this combination of screening and cord blood transplant (from the public registries) the standard treatment of care. Put simply, Zion would not be with us today if he had not had this opportunity to be screened and treated within 30 days of being born. With Krabbe, every second counts! 

Steve Buechler - Cord Blood Transplant Recipient (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) 

One year before his retirement date, Steve was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and treated with chemotherapy, radiation and a double umbilical cord blood transplant. Throughout this time, he turned his writing skills to narrating his cancer odyssey. While doctors treated his disease, telling his story through his memoir, How Steve Became Ralph help to maintain his sanity.

Steve is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he attended UW-Milwaukee and financed his undergraduate education by playing the drums in a rock and roll band. After earning a couple more academic degrees, he embarked on a lengthy academic career. When he wasn’t playing professor, his favorite pastimes have included paddling Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, cruising the Mediterranean, playing poker in Las Vegas, and patronizing a local pool hall. He lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota with his wife Susan Scott. 

Megan Finch-Edmondson, PhD - Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute

​Dr Megan Finch-Edmondson is a Senior Research Fellow and leads the Regeneration Theme at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute. Her team is working to develop clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of cerebral palsy focused on cellular and other innovative treatments that target the brain. An important part of this work is working alongside people with lived experience and families via the CPA Stem Cell Consumer Reference Group which she founded in 2018.

Joanne Kurtzberg, MD - Duke University, Marcus Center for Cellular Cures (MC3), Carolinas Cord Blood Bank
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​Dr. Kurtzberg is an internationally renowned expert in pediatric hematology/oncology, pediatric blood and marrow transplantation, umbilical cord blood banking and transplantation, and novel applications of cord blood and birthing tissues in the emerging fields of cellular therapies and regenerative medicine.   Dr. Kurtzberg serves as the Director of the Marcus Center for Cellular Cures (MC3), Director of the Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program, Director of the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank, and Co-Director of the Stem Cell Transplant Laboratory at Duke University.  The Carolinas Cord Blood Bank is an FDA licensed public cord blood bank distributing unrelated cord blood units for donors for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) through the CW Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program.  The Robertson GMP Cell Manufacturing Laboratory supports manufacturing of RETHYMIC (BLA, Enzyvant, 2021), allogeneic cord tissue derived and bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), and DUOC, a microglial/macrophage cell derived from cord blood.

Dr. Kurtzberg’s research in MC3 focuses on translational studies from bench to bedside, seeking to develop transformative clinical therapies using cells, tissues, molecules, genes, and biomaterials to treat diseases and injuries that currently lack effective treatments. Recent areas of investigation in MC3 include clinical trials investigating the safety and efficacy of autologous and allogeneic cord blood in children with neonatal brain injury – hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), cerebral palsy (CP), and autism. Clinical trials testing allogeneic cord blood are also being conducted in adults with acute ischemic stroke. Clinical trials optimizing manufacturing and testing the safety and efficacy of cord tissue MSCs in children with autism, CP and HIE and adults with COVID-lung disease are underway. DUOC, given intrathecally, is under study in children with leukodystrophies and adults with primary progressive multiple sclerosis.

In the past, Dr. Kurtzberg has developed novel chemotherapeutic drugs for acute leukemias, assays enumerating ALDH bright cells to predict cord blood unit potency, methods of cord blood expansion, potency assays for targeted cell and tissue based therapies. Dr. Kurtzberg currently holds several INDs for investigational clinical trials from the FDA.  She has also trained numerous medical students, residents, clinical and post-doctoral fellows over the course of her career.

Filippo Milano, MD, PhD - Fred Hutch Cancer Center

Dr. Filippo Milano is a physician-scientist whose research is focused on the use of umbilical cord blood as a source of stem cells for transplantation to treat blood cancers. He concentrates on clinical practice improvements with a goal of increasing the number of patients eligible for transplantation and to improve clinical outcomes for those who receive cord blood transplants. He has carried out pivotal analyses of blood cancer patients who have received transplants, comparing outcomes of cord blood recipients with those who had blood stem cell transplants from unrelated donors. Dr. Milano also studies the use of an experimental, off-the-shelf cord blood product designed to extend immunological protection to recipients of cord blood transplants until their donated cells are fully engrafted and proliferating.

Yago L. Nieto, MD, PhD - MD Anderson Cancer Center

Yago Nieto, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. He is a stem-cell transplant specialist with 25 years of experience in the field. His research focus is the development of novel chemotherapy regimens for use in autologous and allogeneic transplantation for lymphomas and the introduction of novel therapeutics. Dr. Nieto is the PI of numerous investigator-initiated clinical trials. He serves as the Co-Chairman of the Myeloma Working Group & Solid Tumor Working Group for the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR). Dr. Nieto has received numerous awards throughout his career including America’s Top Physician and Mentor of the Year Award at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Madison Paton, PhD - Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute
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​Dr Madison Paton is a Senior Research Fellow in the Regeneration Theme at Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute. She is also a recently awarded Fulbright Scholar and expert in cell therapies for cerebral palsy. In 2018, she completed her specialised PhD in Translational Research and now in her current role, is responsible for the support and design of clinical trials in cerebral palsy and early brain injury. She facilitates a variety of community reference groups, enjoys supporting families in sharing research knowledge, and is passionate about cell therapy advocacy and communications.

Host of World Cord Blood Day 

Charis Ober - Save the Cord Foundation

Charis Ober is the Founder and Executive Director of Save The Cord Foundation, a United States-based 501(c)(3) non-profit charity.  She is a global advocate for umbilical cord blood education, awareness, research and legislation.  Mrs. Ober is a graduate of the University of Arizona and has more than 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical and biotech sales, marketing and product development.  Mrs. Ober lives in Tucson, Arizona with her family.